Week 3 Reflections

Week 3 Reflections

Researching and cataloging terrorists groups has much value as far as predicting terrorist behavior and the ability to counter it. Relationship mapping software and statistical analysis can be used to identify and neutralize terrorist recruiting as well as key support personnel. “The study of terrorism has been transformed by technology and the availability and accessibility of aggregate data” (Crenshaw, 2014, p.557).

There are steps that can be considered in addition to current counterterrorism measures to understand strategies, tactics, and weapons used by the terrorist groups. The recognition of the lone wolf terrorist needs more study, as “their status as 'loners' makes them poorly understood, and, worst of all, entirely unpredictable” (Barnes, 2012, p.1648) . A consensus for and legal framework for consolidating anti-terror activities is also necessary, as “Responsibility for dealing with terrorism is widely distributed, and lines of jurisdiction tend to be blurred and overlapping, with no clear institutional monopoly of the issue” (Crenshaw, 2001, p.330). Establishing the consensus may be difficult considering that “The early development of counterterrorism policy was influenced by interactions between individual government agencies and specific interest groups” (Crenshaw, 2001, p.334). Furthermore, the politics and nature of subversion must be clearly defined, as subversion can has a relationship to terror. Clutterbuck & Rosenau assert that “the tactics and techniques of subversion have not” changed” (2009, p.1). Furthermore, it needs to be re-asserted that clear legal frameworks for effectively dealing with terror need to be established. Political infighting based on partisan score-making causes dissension; one such example was in the torture controversy. “The Bush Administration's narrow legal definition of 'torture,' has stirred immense controversy in the United States and abroad”(Boehm, 2009, p.2). Finally, the counterterrorism strategies that have been successful must be recognized and studied for the potential of additional effectiveness. One such measure has been the attack on terrorist logistics via financing; “the effort to combat terrorists' access to financial resources has been 'the most successful part' of the global community's counterterrorism endeavor (Clunan, 2006, p. 569).

This week's studies have reinforced views I hold of Islamic terror; however, I have studied the issue on and off again since 9/11. It is hard to take some perspectives seriously when I had examined them and discarded them previously. I have learned something interesting regarding the cartels; legalizing drugs would weaken them, not cripple them. Drugs are one source of income for the cartels derived from their control over illicit trade routes.

One opinion I hold that I am reconsidering is that terrorism is not justified under any conditions. And yet, the US employed terror attacks against Dresden, Tokyo, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki. I do not consider these attacks immoral, but by the standards I formally set for myself, I should. Considering that some of the studies I have read throughout this course have established the pragmatic success of terror attacks. I will need to redefine my standards of morality for consistency, or to reexamine personal beliefs to match the current definitions I have set.

References

Barnes, B. D. (2012). Confronting the one-man wolf pack: Adapting law enforcement and prosecution responses to the threat of lone wolf terrorism. Boston University Law Review, 92(5), 1613–1662. Retrieved October 9, 2014 from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=83630669&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Boehm, D. C. (2009). Waterboarding, counter-resistance, and the law of torture: Articulating the legal underpinnings of U.S. interrogation policy. University of Toledo Law Review, 41(1), 1–41. Retrieved October 9, 2014 from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=48647012&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Clunan, A. L. (2006). The fight against terrorist financing. Political Science Quarterly (Academy of Political Science), 121(4), 569–596. Retrieved October 9, 2014 from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=23680300&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Clutterbuck, L., & Rosenau, W. (2009). Subversion as a facet of terrorism and insurgency The case for a twenty-first century approach; Strategic Insights: v.8, issue 3. Retrieved October 17, 2014 from https://calhoun.nps.edu/handle/10945/25445

Crenshaw, M. (2001). Counterterrorism policy and the political process. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 24(5), 329–337. doi:10.1080/105761001750434204

Crenshaw, M. (2014). Terrorism research: The record. International Interactions, 40(4), 556–567. doi:10.1080/03050629.2014.902817