Foreign Fighters: Trends, Trajectories & Conflict Zones
Source: Homeland Security Policy Institute, George Washington University
The report is a timely primer on an emerging threat to Western states, dramatically evidenced in the recent news of an alleged plot by foreign fighters to stage a number of coordinated "Mumbai-style" attacks in Europe and possibly the United States.
The joint report of HSPI and SNDC surveys the sources, destinations and impact of Western jihadi foreign fighters. It also highlights key bridge figures who act as catalysts for radicalization and recruitment. The authors identify key vulnerabilities in the foreign fighter network, arguing that more must be done to exploit the security challenges faced by global jihadists.
Showing posts with label Homeland Security. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Homeland Security. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Monday, September 15, 2008
Search across more than 30 homeland security blogs and bloggers
The librarians at the Homeland Security Digital Library created this custom search engine to help blog readers find postings on topics of interest in the growing community of Homeland Security bloggers.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
National Intelligence Estimate: The Terrorist Threat to the US Homeland
National Intelligence Estimate: The Terrorist Threat to the US Homeland
Source: Office of the Director of National Intelligence
We judge the US Homeland will face a persistent and evolving terrorist threat over the next three years. The main threat comes from Islamic terrorist groups and cells, especially al- Qa’ida, driven by their undiminished intent to attack the Homeland and a continued effort by these terrorist groups to adapt and improve their capabilities.
We assess that greatly increased worldwide counterterrorism efforts over the past five years have constrained the ability of al-Qa’ida to attack the US Homeland again and have led terrorist groups to perceive the Homeland as a harder target to strike than on 9/11. These measures have helped disrupt known plots against the United States since 9/11.
* We are concerned, however, that this level of international cooperation may wane as 9/11 becomes a more distant memory and perceptions of the threat diverge.
Al-Qa’ida is and will remain the most serious terrorist threat to the Homeland, as its central leadership continues to plan high-impact plots, while pushing others in extremist Sunni communities to mimic its efforts and to supplement its capabilities. We assess the group has protected or regenerated key elements of its Homeland attack capability, including: a safehaven in the Pakistan Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), operational lieutenants, and its top leadership. Although we have discovered only a handful of individuals in the United States with ties to al-Qa’ida senior leadership since 9/11, we judge that al-Qa’ida will intensify its efforts to put operatives here.
* As a result, we judge that the United States currently is in a heightened threat environment.
Source: Office of the Director of National Intelligence
We judge the US Homeland will face a persistent and evolving terrorist threat over the next three years. The main threat comes from Islamic terrorist groups and cells, especially al- Qa’ida, driven by their undiminished intent to attack the Homeland and a continued effort by these terrorist groups to adapt and improve their capabilities.
We assess that greatly increased worldwide counterterrorism efforts over the past five years have constrained the ability of al-Qa’ida to attack the US Homeland again and have led terrorist groups to perceive the Homeland as a harder target to strike than on 9/11. These measures have helped disrupt known plots against the United States since 9/11.
* We are concerned, however, that this level of international cooperation may wane as 9/11 becomes a more distant memory and perceptions of the threat diverge.
Al-Qa’ida is and will remain the most serious terrorist threat to the Homeland, as its central leadership continues to plan high-impact plots, while pushing others in extremist Sunni communities to mimic its efforts and to supplement its capabilities. We assess the group has protected or regenerated key elements of its Homeland attack capability, including: a safehaven in the Pakistan Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), operational lieutenants, and its top leadership. Although we have discovered only a handful of individuals in the United States with ties to al-Qa’ida senior leadership since 9/11, we judge that al-Qa’ida will intensify its efforts to put operatives here.
* As a result, we judge that the United States currently is in a heightened threat environment.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Opportunity ‘08: Homeland Security
Opportunity ‘08: Homeland Security
Source: The Brookings Institution
“Homeland security”—both the term and the policy—were effectively born amid the crisis of September 11, 2001. The policy started with a simple purpose: to prevent further terrorist attacks on American soil. It once made sense to take measures that responded to the circumstances of that attack and reassured a nervous public. But more than five years into the apparently endless war on terrorism, homeland security should evolve from a set of emergency policies into a permanent field of important government policy that, like any other, must justify its allocation of taxpayer funds through solid analysis.
Source: The Brookings Institution
“Homeland security”—both the term and the policy—were effectively born amid the crisis of September 11, 2001. The policy started with a simple purpose: to prevent further terrorist attacks on American soil. It once made sense to take measures that responded to the circumstances of that attack and reassured a nervous public. But more than five years into the apparently endless war on terrorism, homeland security should evolve from a set of emergency policies into a permanent field of important government policy that, like any other, must justify its allocation of taxpayer funds through solid analysis.
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