...could do to the U.S. If this debate were taking place 30 years ago, it would be about the potential for nuclear war, with 300 million to 400 million dead from the start. If a lens of relativity is applied to the present when terrorism is the greatest threat to national security, then it may appear that America is building up the fear of terrorism far higher than it deserves. The U.S. has proven, time and again, that it is capable of rebounding,...
On October 7, 2010 the peace of the Sufi shrine in Karachi, a building with green and white mosaics ascending to a cupola, shattered in a double explosion from two suicide bombers, killing seven civilians and injuring 65 others. As the shrine’s tiles lay smashed in the street, the destroyed temple provided a visual symbol of a derelict Pakistani government torn apart by a new wave of violent domestic terrorism. Since 2005, militant organizations...
...r 19 percent , if you want to believe that all of the 14 percent in the “other” category had to do with gay marriage) didn’t even come close. The Election Day exit polls revealed that 71 percent of Americans are worried about terrorism—only 46 percent of them picked Kerry—and a plurality pointed to either Iraq or terrorism as the driving reason for their vote. Obviously, as Kerry supporters found out on November 3, polls have only a limited predi...
...ernment’s war on terror. Should the US government bother to bring American corporations that support terrorists to justice when those terrorists do not harm American interests? Since September 11, Americans have realized that terrorism can have grave consequences and that to stop it both the people who perpetrate it and those who sponsor it must be held responsible. While Chiquita was paying the paramilitaries, they murdered around 3,700 people—r...
by Mikhaill Klimentov Four months prior to the September 11 attacks, Harvard University Professor Richard Falkenrath published an article in the Journal of Studies in Conflict & Terrorism that argued for a drastic reduction of government spending on counterterrorism. He suggested that there was little evidence of any real threat to Americans’ safety and that spending on counterterrorism was a waste of resources that could be better spent on...
...emarks, the night ended with an extended question and answer period with the audience. First shedding light on the goals of the CTC, Puri then provided his own personal commentary on what must be done in the future to counter terrorism. The goal of this committee, which many in the audience lauded, was to have terrorism condemned by not just a single committee, but by the world. According to Puri, the CTC is a step closer to that goal. “There wil...
...ou’ll just briefly forget that you already know what happens. Terror Incorporated: Tracing the Dollars Behind the Terror Network By Loretta Napoloeni Several years after September 11, finding new and interesting angles on terrorism is no easy task. But by focusing on the economics of scare tactics, Loretta Napoleoni’s Terror Incorporated adds another dimension to our understanding. Terror Incorporated is largely uninterested in cultural diffe...
A great deal has been written on President Obama’s continuation of many of the Bush administration’s policies in regards to terrorism. Growth in the size and operational tempo of special warfare units, the extensive use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) against terrorist targets worldwide, and the National Security Agency’s (NSA) ongoing warrantless surveillance programs – all of these began with President Bush. That Obama has not only ma...
...he people who commit them. At times, even more interesting than Vergès himself are the historical side notes that coincide with the interviews. In documenting Vergès’ life, Schroeder ends up documenting the historical rise of terrorism in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. The definitional tension between freedom fighters and terrorists pervades the sequences, and in a world plagued by terrorism and wars on terrorism, this is a relevant a...
...ecessities to help the US. Nonetheless, there is opportunity here, and we should seek include India in any future endeavors. Counterterrorism Efforts As the 2008 and 2011 terrorist strikes against Mumbai make perfectly clear, terrorism is a much more immediate and present threat to Indians than to Americans. Because terrorism is such a threat to India, it is a natural partner in the fight against extremists and terrorists throughout the world. St...
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