Terrorist organizations use many technologies as they plan and stage attacks. This book explores the purpose and manner of the use of communication and computer technologies, their net effect, and security forces' possible responses. The authors conclude that, instead of developing direct counters to these technologies, exploiting their use and the information they manage to enable more direct security force operations is a more promising option.
The technological developments of recent years have influenced both the threat of terrorist attacks and the defence against them, and continue to be the focus of attention. Terrorist groups are not slow to exploit new technological developments and adapt them to their own ends, and the forces of counterterrorism cannot afford to fall behind in their understanding of potential threats. This book presents the proceedings of the NATO Centre of Excellence – Defence against Terrorism (COE–DAT) Advanced Research Workshop, "Technological Dimensions of Defence against Terrorism", held in Ankara, Turkey, in November 2011. Seventeen expert speakers from four countries – military and civilian practitioners, business leaders, researchers and academics – delivered a series of papers in sessions on: understanding the challenges; the role of technology in terrorist attacks; and the role of technology against terrorist attacks. The topics covered include: a brief history of terrorism and technology; technological advances and the impact on terrorism and counterterrorism efforts; the role of the commercial world in the defence against terrorism; transportation technology and its effects on the nature of terrorist attacks; terrorist threats to critical energy infrastructure technology and protection systems. The book is a significant contribution to the field of counterterrorism, and will be of interest to all those whose work involves the relationship between technology and terrorism.
Netwar-like cyberwar-describes a new spectrum of conflict that is emerging in the wake of the information revolution. Netwar includes conflicts waged, on the one hand, by terrorists, criminals, gangs, and ethnic extremists; and by civil-society activists (such as cyber activists or WTO protestors) on the other. What distinguishes netwar is the networked organizational structure of its practitioners-with many groups actually being leaderless-and their quickness in coming together in swarming attacks. To confront this new type of conflict, it is crucial for governments, military, and law enforcement to begin networking themselves.
This volume aims to improve understanding of nuclear security and the prevention of nuclear terrorism. Nuclear terrorism is perceived as one of the most immediate and extreme threats to global security today. While the international community has made important progress in securing fissile material, there are still important steps to be made with nearly 2,000 metric tons of weapons-usable nuclear material spread around the globe. The volume addresses this complex phenomenon through an interdisciplinary approach: legal, criminal, technical, diplomatic, cultural, economic, and political. Despite this cross-disciplinary approach, however, the chapters are all linked by the overarching aim of enhancing knowledge of nuclear security and the prevention of nuclear terrorism. The volume aims to do this by investigating the different types of nuclear terrorism, and subsequently discussing the potential means to prevent these malicious acts. In addition, there is a discussion of the nuclear security regime, in general, and an important examination of both its strengths and weaknesses. In summary, the book aims to extend the societal and political debate about the threat of nuclear terrorism. This book will be of much interest to students of nuclear proliferation, nuclear governance, terrorism studies, international organizations, and security studies in general.
This report describes many ways in which science and engineering can contribute to making the nation safer against the threat of catastrophic terrorism. The report identifies key actions that can be undertaken now, based on knowledge and technologies in hand, and, equally important, describes key opportunities for reducing current and future risks through longer-term research and development activities.
This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Social Computing, Behavioral-Cultural Modeling and Prediction, held in College Park, MD, USA, in April 2012. The 43 revised papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 76 submissions. The papers cover a wide range of topics including economics, public health, and terrorist activities, as well as utilize a broad variety of methodologies, e.g., machine learning, cultural modeling and cognitive modeling.
JAIR Journal of International Relations (JAIR J. Int. Relat.) is a biennial, peer-reviewed, refereed journal of International Relations published by The Jadavpur Association of International Relations with the financial assistance from the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), New Delhi.
This volume shows us that in order to deal with today’s Fourth Generation asymmetric warfare by terrorist groups using conventional arms and weapons of mass destruction, we need a new ‘global networked’ approach. The contributors examine the various attempts that have been made to counter the latest wave of terrorism, including the US strikes against Afghanistan and Iraq, President George W. Bush's declaration of a ‘war against terrorism’, the creation of the US Department of Homeland Security, and the 9/11 Commission. Drawing from our experience with ‘Terrorism Early Warning’ and the co-production of counter-terrorism intelligence, this book explains the need for such a network and shows how it could be formed. It compiles the opinions of experts from clinical medicine, public policy, law enforcement and the military. These expert contributors identify the nature of a global counter-terrorism network, show how it could be created, and provide clear guidelines for gauging its future effectiveness. This book will be of great interest to all students of terrorism studies, US national security, international relations, and political science in general.
This volume presents the papers and summarizes the discussions of a workshop held in Goa, India, in January 2004, organized by the Indian National Institute of Advanced Science (NIAS) and the U.S. Committee on International Security and Arms Control (CISAC). During the workshop, Indian and U.S. experts examined the terrorist threat faced in both countries and elsewhere in the world, and explored opportunities for the U.S. and India to work together. Bringing together scientists and experts with common scientific and technical backgrounds from different cultures provided a unique opportunity to explore possible means of preventing or mitigating future terrorist attacks.
In this volume, thirteen authors from all points of the English-speaking world provide a tour of the entwined labyrinths of technology and terrorism. They describe terrorism as an epistemological contact sport. With espionage, one can often deduce from a few pieces of the puzzle a plan's goals and its roots, its sources. But the goals of terrorists are both vague and hopelessly specific, while their means are restrained by rational, institutional thought. Thus, terrorists can be equally expected to flail out without any thought at all, as a child might exhibit in a temper tantrum, and to be hyper-rational, probing at the edges of the target for any weakness. Therefore, how terrorists use technology may not be determined by any particular level of technology but in the probabilities for the target's expectation and defense regarding particular technologies. Fred Allen asks why Bin Laden and his organization were effective against the Russians but may have more trouble with free societies. Edward Tenner muses on the ironies of low-tech attacks and the dangers of over-reliance on high-tech sophistication. Such thoughts are tempered by direct and unreassuring reportage from the federal security front. Ann Larabee turns the telescope around, with a history showing that bomb-throwing is as American as apple pie. Toby Blyth takes us inside the theorists' backroom for a look at the ever-mutating ways, means, and motives of war. It used to be about power, money, land, resources, or the ever-popular Pamir Knot "Great Game." Now it seems that globalization has coughed up groups of people, with little in common except for simultaneous feelings of helplessness and cultural superiority. Modern technology, which once seemed to hold only promise, now seems to harbor the potential for danger and destruction. The contributors to this volume are interested in the broader culture, and how terrorism affects that culture--including how people go about researching terrorism.
