Terrorism Final

Spin

Refers to the inclusion of subjective (or opinionated) interpretations when reporting facts

News triage

The process of news selection
- Can be a critical element in the audience's analysis of a particular terrorist event
- Can lead to misperceptions and misinterpretations of the terrorists, the grievances of their championed group, and government responses

Market Competition

"Scoops" and "news exclusives" are prized objectives in the media world
- Coverage can be selective or subjective

Challenges to policy makers

- Develop coherent and consistent policies responding to acts of terrorism
- Develop policies accepted by the public

Government interaction with the media

Instinctive attempt among policymakers to:
- Keep media members at arm's length
- Manipulate conditions for media access to info

Propaganda

Any systematic, widespread, deliberate indoctrination or plan for indoctrination

Understand the media need to balance factual coverage with the unnecessary spread of the terrorist group message

There is a fine line between news coverage and the spreading of terrorists' message
- Media reports details, broadcasts interviews with terrorists and extremist supporters, and investigate the merits of terrorist groups' grievances

Be familiar with the use of mass communications by terrorist groups

Access and use mass communication technologies
- Including appropriation of technologies for their own use
- Skillful "packaging" of their message, hoping for it to reach media outlets

What are the three critical elements for effective mass communication?

Efficiency
Timeliness
Coherence

Efficiency

Message needs to be delivered in an orderly manner

Timeliness

Message must be received while it is fresh and relevant

Coherence

Message must be easily understood by a target audience

The role of inconsistent reporting

- Media has not been consistent about which incidents they report and how incidents are reported
- News media frequently gives extensive coverage to some forms of political violence

Inconsistent labeling of perpetrators

- Disproportionate amount of media interest in the violent nature of terrorism
- Little exploration of the underlying causes and motivations

What is meant by the idea of a "contagion effect"?

Theoretical influence of media exposure on the future behavior of like-minded extremists

Stochastic terrorism

- Refers to the intentional use of language and mass communications as propaganda to encourage and incite actors
- Tactic in which sympathizers communicate justifications and encouragement for violence using available media platforms

Be familiar with the different ethical standard for appropriate media coverage of terrorism

- Do not serve as a spokesman for terrorist groups
- Do not portray terror as attractive, romantic, or heroic
- Do not report news when there is clear and immediate danger to life and limb
- Avoid presenting unchallenged terrorist propaganda

Hardline responses

Include using military and paramilitary
- Goal is to punish or destroy terrorist groups
- No compromise is desired
- No negotiations are considered

Softline responses

Include more complicated approaches
- Possible options include diplomacy, compromise, or social reforms

What are the key considerations for policy makers in considering their counterterrorist options?

- Will the option work?
- Will the option change terrorist behavior?
- Can the terrorist environment be co-opted? Suppressed?

Counterterrorism

Proactive policies that specifically seek to eliminate terrorist environments and groups

Antiterrorism

Refers to target hardening, enhanced security, and other defensive measures seeking to deter or prevent terrorist attacks

Military and paramilitary repressive options

- Hardline options that allow policymakers to use force against terrorists and their supporters
- Objectives: symbolic punitive attacks, systematic destruction of terrorist personnel and infrastructure

Suppression campaigns

- Military strikes against targets affiliated with terrorists
- Purpose: to destroy or severely disrupt terrorist personnel and infrastructure

Punitive strikes

Occur in response to terrorist attacks

Preemptive strikes

Occur in anticipation of a terrorist attack

Coercive covert operations

Seek to destabilize, degrade, and destroy terrorist groups

Intelligence

- Refers to the collection of data for counterterrorist purposes
- Used to track terrorist movements and predict terrorist behavior

Enhanced security

Refers to hardening of targets to deter or prevent terrorist attacks

Economic sanctions

- Can be used to punish or disrupt state sponsors
- Can either selectively target specific economic sectors or restrict trade generally

Conciliatory options

Softline approaches that allow for a range of options that do not involve the use of force or other repressive methods

Types of conciliatory options

Diplomacy
Social reform
Concessions

Diplomacy

Involves different degrees of capitulation to terrorists, involving negotiating

Social reform

Addressing the grievances of the terrorists and their championed group

Concessions

Meeting immediate demands or accommodating broad demands

Legalistic options

Objective is to promote the rule of law through the use of regular legal proceedings

Types of legalistic options

Law enforcement
Counterterrorist laws

Law enforcement

Use of LE agencies to prosecute suspected terrorists

Counterterrorist laws

Employing laws that criminalize terrorist behavior

Operation Enduring Freedom

US declared itself at war against global terrorism after the 9/11 attacks
- Joined by allies who agreed to commit armed forces to the new war
- Operation began with the October 2001 invasion of Afghanistan
- Required extended deployments of US and allied troops around the world

Be familiar with the various special operations forces in the United States

- US Special Operations are organized under the US Special Operations Command
- Delta Force: covert unit that operates in small teams in missions outside the US
- Green Berets
- US Navy SEALS (SEa, Air, Land)

Executive Order 13228

- Issued by President George W. Bush on October 8th, 2001
- Est the Office of Homeland Security
- Purpose was to "coordinate the executive branch's efforts to detect, prepare for, prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks within the United States"

Homeland security

Dynamic concept that evolves with the emergence of new terrorist threats and the unpredictability of non-terrorist disasters

Homeland security's priorities influenced by:

- Changes in political leadership
- Demands from the public
- Reactions to serious terrorist plots/incidents

Madrid train bombings

- Terrorists detonated 10 bombs on several commuter trains in Madrid
- 191 ppl were killed, 1500 injured
- Group responsible for the attack sent a statement to Reuters press, which said "We have succeeded in infiltrating the heart of crusader Europe and struck one of the bases of the crusader alliance."

London transportation system attacks

- Four bombs exploded in London in July 2005, including three aboard the London Underground and one on a double-decker bus
- Killed more than 50 ppl and injured more than 700 more
- Carried out by British-based sympathizer cells of Al-Qa'ida

Motorized vehicle attacks

- Have occurred with some frequency in Western countries
- Terrorists can use readily obtainable civilian vehicles that blend in with urban traffic, and use these vehicles to kill civilians
- Such attacks are unpredictable and security agencies cannot monitor closely
- Would-be terrorists see the success of these attacks

Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996

- Provided resources for counterterrorist programs, punishing terrorism, and regulating activity that could be used to perpetrate a terror attack
- One of the first major legislative efforts to respond to domestic terrorism

USA PATRIOT Act of 2001

- In the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the US Congress quickly passed legislation
- The "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism" Act

Department of Homeland Security Act of 2002

- Reorganized the American homeland security community by initiating a process that led to the enactment of this
- Created the cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security

USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005

- Renewed the USA PATRIOT Act
- Subject to intensive political debate, resulting in compromise sunset provisions

USA Freedom Act of 2015

- Reauthorized the PATRIOT Act with modifications
- Continued the practice of allowing wiretaps to track terrorist activities

Role of LE in facilitating homeland security

- LE agencies often take the lead in investigating domestic terrorism incidents
- At the fed level, the FBI has primary jurisdiction over counterintelligence and counterterrorist investigations

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

- Extensive department in the federal government whose secretary holds cabinet-level authority
- Mission: to secure the nation from terrorist threats

DHS: National Protection and Programs Directorate

Risk-reduction arm of the department

DHS: Science and Technology Directorate

Research and development arm of the department

DHS: Management Directorate

Responsible for department budgets, appropriations, expenditures, accounting, finance, human resources, etc.

DHS: Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office

Est to counter threats of attack using weapons of mass destruction against the US or its interests

DHS: Office of Policy

Primary policy formulation and coordination component for DHS

DHS: Office of Health Affairs

Coordinates all medical activities

DHS: Office of Intelligence and Analysis

Responsible for using info and intelligence from multiple sources to identify and assess current and future threats

DHS: Office of Operations Coordination

- Responsible for monitoring the security of the US on a daily basis
- Coordinates all activities within the department and with governors, LE partners, etc.

DHS: Federal LE Training Center

Provides career-long training to LE professionals

DHS: Domestic Nuclear Detection Office

Works to enhance nuclear detection efforts of federal, state, territorial, tribal, and local governments

DHS: Transportation Security Administration

Protects the nation's transportation systems

DHS: US Customs and Border Protection

Responsible for protecting the nation's borders to prevent terrorists and terrorist weapons from entering the US

DHS: US Citizenship and Immigration Services

Responsible for the administration of immigration and naturalization functions

DHS: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

- Largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security
- Responsible for identifying and shutting down vulnerabilities

DHS: US Coast Guard

Protects the public, the environment, and US economic interests in the nation's ports and waterways

DHS: Federal Emergency Management Agency

Prepares the nation for hazards, manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident

DHS: US Secret Service

Protects the president and other high-level officials and investigates counterfeiting and other financial crimes

Department of Agriculture (USDA)

- Primary mission is to provide leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, and related issues
- Critical infrastructure responsibility is to secure the nation's food supply

Department of Defense (DOD)

Provide the military forces needed to deter war and protect the security of the US

Department of Energy (DOE)

Ensure America's security and prosperity by addressing energy challenges

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Mission: to enhance and protect the health and well-being of all Americans by providing effective health and human services

Department of the Interior

Protects and manages natural resources and cultural heritage

Department of the Treasury

- Overarching mission is to maintain a strong economy and create economic and job opportunities by promoting the conditions that enable economic growth and stability at home and abroad
- Strengthen national security by combating threats to the financial system
- Manage US gov't finances and resources
- Critical mission is to secure the financial and banking system

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Mission: to protect human health and the environment

Major agencies that compose the US intelligence community

National Security Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
Defense Intelligence Agency
Federal Bureau of Investigation

National Security Agency

Technological arm of the US intelligence community

Central Intelligence Agency

Independent federal agency responsible for coordinating the intelligence community

Defense Intelligence Agency

Bureau within the DOD

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Bureau within the DOJ

Terrorist profiling

- Prior to 9/11, American approaches to domestic counterterrorism were primarily LE focused
- Afterward, approaches became more security focused
- Critics contended that the state had too much power to investigate innocent civilians

Typically, when enemy soldiers are taken prisoner, they are afforded legal protections as _________ __ ___

Prisoners of war

During the war on terrorism, many terrorists were designated as _____ __________

Enemy combatants

Extraordinary renditions

Unconventional tactic involving kidnapping suspects and transporting them to custodial facilities

Use of torture as an intelligence gathering strategy

Few counterterrorist methods garner such intense debate as the issue of inflicting physical and psychological pressure on terrorist suspects

Near-term projections

- People who have been relegated to the social and political margins will continue to form violent factions
- Movements and nations sometimes adopt religious or ethnonational supremacist doctrines that they use to justify aggressive behavior
- Many states continue to value the "utility" of domestic terrorism

New trends in terrorist behavior

- Increasing use of communications and info technologies by extremists
- Adaptations of cell-based organizational and operational strategies by global revolutionary movements
- Use of relatively low-tech improvised tactics such as suicide bombers and lone-wolf sympathizers
- Efforts to construct or obtain relatively high-tech weapons of mass destruction

Continued prevalence of asymmetrical war into the foreseeable future, characterized by:

- Stateless centers of origin for conflict
- Intentional attacks directed at an enemy's culture
- Advanced psychological warfare: skillful use of manipulation of the media

State-sponsored terrorism will continue to occur so long as regimes:

- Feel threatened from within by dissident movements
- Feel threatened from outside adversaries
- Conclude that their foreign policy will benefit from covert aggression

Religious terrorism

Spread during the 1980s and grew to the point of challenging international and domestic political stability

Ideological terrorism

The 2000s witnessed the inception of newly activist neofascist and anarchist movements in Western democracies

Criminal dissident terrorism

- Criminal enterprises continue to ply their trades, largely b/c of the enduring market for services
- Extremist movement will likely continue to build self-sustaining movements through criminal enterprise

Persisting Sources of Terrorism: Regional differences

- Europe: international terrorists have long used as a battleground
- Africa: periodic outbreaks of ethnonational violence have claimed hundreds of thousands of lives
- Asia: recurrent patterns of ethnonational conflict and domestic terrorism

Information technologies

- Cyberterrorism will continue to be a plausible threat for the foreseeable future
- Internet and social networking provide opportunities to spread their message and communicate with others
- Can be used to send instructions about goals, tactics, and techniques
- Adoption of cyberwar techniques is more likely moving forward

Exotic technologies

Some technologies can theoretically be converted into weapons and may present issues in the future
Ex. Electromagnetic pulse technologies, plastics

Six patterns common to declining terrorist campaigns

Decapitation
Negotiation
Success
Failure
Repression
Reorientation

Decapitation

Capturing or killing the movement leader