Saturday, January 19, 2008
Tamil Tigers' Tactics
The Tamil Tigers are again wreaking havoc in Sri Lanka. According to an Economist briefing from the January 12-18 edition, a government official was killed in the bombing near Colombo. (I couldn't find it on the Economist website, but it's on p. 8 of the journal under the heading "A violent state of affairs"). I've read a few NYT articles on the recent bombings and shootings, trying to find more information, but none of them mentioned the death of a government minister. However, the mentioning in the Economist caught my attention because it could shed greater light on the Tigers' strategies. If they are randomly exploding bombs in public places, perhaps they are just trying to get international attention (and influence within the state). Yet, if the Colombo bomb was purposefully exploded to kill the late government minister, then perhaps they were employing the "decapitation" strategy discussed in class. Granted, they did not assassinate the head of state, but they did kill a state leader. We can't really make this call without more information though; to identify the strategy (or strategies) used, we would need to know if the minister was a deliberate victim of the terrorist act.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
MAKE SURE I CAN TELL WHO YOU ARE
This is Brent Mangum. Prof. Payne has asked me to keep track of who is posting or commenting. I can usually look through email names or match up initials to the person who deserves credit, but let's not make my job unnecessarily hard. If you want to stay semi ananamous, just a first name or last name is fine. Also, if you've gone back a few days and commented on an old post, let me know. I usually go back a few days to see if there are new comments on old posts, but if you want to make sure I don't miss yours, again, let me know. Thanks.
More violence in Iraq
The Article
Today in Iraq is the Shi'ite holy holiday of Ashura. A suicide bomber exploded a bomb near a mosque in Baquba and killed eight people and wounded another fourteen. What is interesting about both the location of the attack as well as those targeted in the attack is that over the past few years, the US military has been fighting Sunni and al Qaeda insurgents in the area and the area has been described as very violent. In fact, the article states that suspected al Qaeda attacks have killed over 171 during the holiday of Ashura in 2004. While the article mentions no suspects, (other than the bomber himself), al Qaeda can be considered a prime sponsor suspect. This particular bombing reminds me of what we learned in class regarding terrorist strategies. This is an example of indirect action. Sunni insurgents hope that by committing terrorist acts that the government will brutally repress the people and that the people will respond by revolting against the government. This principle is happening right now in Iraq. In response to previously bloody Ashura's, the government is cracking down on people's liberty in order to minimize death. For example, the government has imposed vehicle curfews all over southern Iraq in order to protect Shi'ites observing Ashura. Sunni militants also hope that their attacks will provoke a violent response by Shi'ites thereby escalating the level of violence in the country.
Today in Iraq is the Shi'ite holy holiday of Ashura. A suicide bomber exploded a bomb near a mosque in Baquba and killed eight people and wounded another fourteen. What is interesting about both the location of the attack as well as those targeted in the attack is that over the past few years, the US military has been fighting Sunni and al Qaeda insurgents in the area and the area has been described as very violent. In fact, the article states that suspected al Qaeda attacks have killed over 171 during the holiday of Ashura in 2004. While the article mentions no suspects, (other than the bomber himself), al Qaeda can be considered a prime sponsor suspect. This particular bombing reminds me of what we learned in class regarding terrorist strategies. This is an example of indirect action. Sunni insurgents hope that by committing terrorist acts that the government will brutally repress the people and that the people will respond by revolting against the government. This principle is happening right now in Iraq. In response to previously bloody Ashura's, the government is cracking down on people's liberty in order to minimize death. For example, the government has imposed vehicle curfews all over southern Iraq in order to protect Shi'ites observing Ashura. Sunni militants also hope that their attacks will provoke a violent response by Shi'ites thereby escalating the level of violence in the country.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Tamil Tigers Continue to Kill in the Wake of Ceasefire...
the article...
Wednesday morning the Tamil Tigers struck at a bus of civilians, initially using a roadside bomb to blow the bus off the road, and then shooting at the fleeing survivors. 26 were killed with another 62 injured.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa commented, ''This is a brazen demonstration to the whole world of its unchanged commitment to terrorism and the absolute rejection of democracy and all norms of civilized behavior in the pursuit of its unacceptable goal of separation.''
The Tamils are labeled as a terrorist group in both the US and the EU.
In class the other day we were discussing the desire of terrorist organizations to do things that would get the attention of the media and the world. However, it seems that the Tamil Tigers are not in the mood to accept responsibility for the attacks they make. This is interesting because it is so different from the frequency other groups, such as Al-Qaida, claim responsibility for attacks they have perpetrated. In class we also discussed the possibility of a group claiming responsibility for attacks it did not commit, but the idea of not claiming responsibility was not discussed, and at least I did not even consider it. Perhaps this is the Tamil's way of trying not to appear as a terrorist organization...?
Wednesday morning the Tamil Tigers struck at a bus of civilians, initially using a roadside bomb to blow the bus off the road, and then shooting at the fleeing survivors. 26 were killed with another 62 injured.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa commented, ''This is a brazen demonstration to the whole world of its unchanged commitment to terrorism and the absolute rejection of democracy and all norms of civilized behavior in the pursuit of its unacceptable goal of separation.''
The Tamils are labeled as a terrorist group in both the US and the EU.
In class the other day we were discussing the desire of terrorist organizations to do things that would get the attention of the media and the world. However, it seems that the Tamil Tigers are not in the mood to accept responsibility for the attacks they make. This is interesting because it is so different from the frequency other groups, such as Al-Qaida, claim responsibility for attacks they have perpetrated. In class we also discussed the possibility of a group claiming responsibility for attacks it did not commit, but the idea of not claiming responsibility was not discussed, and at least I did not even consider it. Perhaps this is the Tamil's way of trying not to appear as a terrorist organization...?
Modernity and the spread of Terrorism
This article is important for a significant number of factors. First, it is a perfect example of how Al-Qaeda and other similar terrorist organizations use the internet for propaganda and publicity towards their cause. Second, it helps debunk the myth that most terrorists are poor and uneducated. And third, it throws light on the fact that terrorists use the technological means available to achieve their objectives and that the media is indispensable to spreading their cause.
This leads me to speculate about the extent to which modernity is both a cause and a means of terrorism. I believe that it may be a cause because terrorism is in many ways a response to western cultural imperialism, be it the colonization of foreign territories or signing of treaties which allow one ethnic group to usurp the homeland belonging to another ethnic nationality(for example: Israel) . Similarly, I believe that advances in the field of communication and transportation have been used by terrorists as a means to gain publicity towards their cause.
This may be something we want to think about as a class.
Great Terrorism website
Here is a link to a website I found that has tons of terrorism resources. This should definitely be helpful for our presentations. You can search for a terrorist group by region, or ideology. You can also search terrorism incidents by location, number of fatalities, or even weapons used. It also has a database of known terrorist leaders. Basically, it has everything you could ever want to know about terrorist groups. The links section includes tons of other useful websites. The further reference section contains tons of articles on terrorism. It's a really interesting website to just browse through. Some of the stuff they have is surprising. Anyone that has taken Pl Sc 328 will find the National Counterterrorism Center WITS Dataset interesting (And if you haven't taken 328, and can avoid it, don't take it). Enjoy!
Congressional Terrorist
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8U76PK82&show_article=1
This link will take you to an article that discusses the involvement of former US congressman and UN representative Mark Deli Siljander, a Republican from Michigan, in aiding a known terrorist in Pakistan. The allegation goes, that Siljander was working as a fundraiser for an Islamic charity that was sending money to supposed orphanages that later turned out to only be the addresses of personal property of a known terrorist Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.
Moreover, Representative Siljander is accused of taking $50,000 from the Islamic American Relief Agency for lobbying. As it turns out the $50,000 dollars was supposedly stolen from the US Agency for International Development. In other words, a US representative accepted stolen money from a charity that was using its donations to fund terrorists linked with the Taliban and Al Qieda. The same representative also aided the organization in gaining the funding that it needed to operate. Does Siljander qualify as a terrorist?
I feel that as long as he knew that he was supporting an organization that was directly funding a terrorist he is also a terrorist. Our readings point out that different members of terrorist cells and organizations have different responsibilities. Former Representative Siljander may not have ever fired a weapon or detonated a bomb, but he was fundamental in securing funding for organizations that are engaging in just such activities.
This link will take you to an article that discusses the involvement of former US congressman and UN representative Mark Deli Siljander, a Republican from Michigan, in aiding a known terrorist in Pakistan. The allegation goes, that Siljander was working as a fundraiser for an Islamic charity that was sending money to supposed orphanages that later turned out to only be the addresses of personal property of a known terrorist Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.
Moreover, Representative Siljander is accused of taking $50,000 from the Islamic American Relief Agency for lobbying. As it turns out the $50,000 dollars was supposedly stolen from the US Agency for International Development. In other words, a US representative accepted stolen money from a charity that was using its donations to fund terrorists linked with the Taliban and Al Qieda. The same representative also aided the organization in gaining the funding that it needed to operate. Does Siljander qualify as a terrorist?
I feel that as long as he knew that he was supporting an organization that was directly funding a terrorist he is also a terrorist. Our readings point out that different members of terrorist cells and organizations have different responsibilities. Former Representative Siljander may not have ever fired a weapon or detonated a bomb, but he was fundamental in securing funding for organizations that are engaging in just such activities.
Ex-US Congressman lobbies for Al-Qaeda
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hw36mXsH7fbogLzqW06NU31aQAmgD8U77NV81
Today, former US Congressman (GOP, MI) Marc Deli Siljander was indicted for his role in laundering at least $130,000 to al-Qaeda. For his work as a lobbyist for the Islamic American Relief Agency (IARA), Siljander is said to have received $50,000. Instead of using its donations from USAID for development in Africa, IARA paid Silijander $50,000 and sent the rest of the money to an al-Qaeda contact in Pakistan.
In class today, we talked about the means whereby terrorists carry out their operations; one of those means was fundraising. It’s truly scary and appalling to find out that a US congressman was involved in such activities. I can’t help but point out a parallel between this occurrence and what Moroni wrote in Ether 8:23-25:
“Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, it is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you, which are built up to get power and gain—and the work, yea, even the work of destruction come upon you, yea, even the sword of the justice of the Eternal God shall fall upon you, to your overthrow and destruction if ye shall suffer these things to be.
Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you; or wo be unto it, because of the blood of them who have been slain; for they cry from the dust for vengeance upon it, and also upon those who built it up.
For it cometh to pass that whoso buildeth it up seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries…”
Evolution of Terrorism or a Decline of Terrorism in Iraq?
On the New York Times web site, there was an article posted in which it talked about a recent attack that took place in the Iraqi region of Diyala. The interesting circumstances about this attack versus many others was the fact it was conducted by a woman. I guess the trend is turning toward more attacks by women. The post on the article actually has changed to some degree since I originally read it, so I'll share some of what it mentioned additionally. Apparently it suggested two opposing viewpoints as far as what this trend really means. U.S. officials suggest that this means the insurgent forces are losing numbers and are required to rely upon women in order to carry out such attacks. The opposing view is the idea that women are typically considered to be less of a threat and their clothing make it easier to conceal explosives and so it is advantageous to use women to carry out such attacks.
These opposing viewpoints really bring up some interesting issues. The first viewpoint was suggested by U.S. officials. It's reasonable to ask if this is just spin coming from the government in order to help support the effort in Iraq. It does seem reasonable that women could become the new suicide bombers because insurgent forces are reduced to few but women, but the likelihood is questionable. Now the other theory suggests an evolution in terrorist tactics by using women for the reasons stated above. For me, this seems a bit more likely of an outcome, especially because women are not treated as equals in most Arab cultures, so it seems like they would be more "expendable" for terrorist organizations. Certainly there seems to be a lot of strength in this tactic because of Western chivalric attitudes toward women. Women are not typically seen as threats and as potential combatants and certainly there is an attitude of preserving women from attack and doing them no harm. If this really is an evolution in terrorist tactics, it appears that it will be another difficult battle for counterterrorist forces to learn how to combat.
The link above should take you to an article concerning the escape of a suspected terrorism from a Pakistani prison. This suspect was supposed to be awaiting trial for a plot to blow up a British airplane. I chose to post this article because I feel that it punctuates an important problem with counter terrorism. At times cooperation between nations is at best limited. Pakistan has allowed many US and NATO participant operations within their borders since 9/11 compared to before. However, a large problem arises when are allies (even if they are limited allies) do not have the capability to carry out operations of their own. This may result from limited resources, or from elements of their societies who sympathize with the terrorist causes. Some governments may also realize that they cannot jeopardize international relations with world super powers if they are going to compete in a global economy, but only make marginal efforts to help. For example, Indonesia has responded to terrorist attacks against Western citizens, but their response is generally incredibly lenient. One individual convicted for the Bali blast in 2005 by Indonesia, received a two year sentence, which was later commuted after only 18 months.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Death of bin Laden?
I was browsing through international news agencies and came across this report found on a Russian? news site:
Greg Scott
Benazir Bhutto named Osama bin Laden’s killer before her death
Bhutto said, "Omar Sheikh is the man who murdered Osama bin Laden." Bhutto said this in an interview with Al-Jazeera on Nov. 2. You can view it here: Video. I haven't heard this claim on the U.S. news wires and wonder why.Greg Scott
Monday, January 14, 2008
Suicide Terrorism
http://www.amconmag.com/2005_07_18/article.html
The Logic of Suicide Terrorism: It's the Occupation, not the Fundamentalism
In this article, Robert Pape of the University of Chicago asserts that suicide terror is driven not by Islamic Fundamentalism, but by terrorist's wish to rid their homelands of foreign forces. His argument does not persuade me because while occupation may be the chief concern that causes terrorists to commit acts of violence, the motivation to perfrom suicide terror may be influenced by many different grievances terrorist groups have against those people occupying their homelands. When considering why a group might be opposed to foreign occupation, differences in religion would defintely be something to consider. Such differneces could drive individuals to perform acts of suicide terror in the hopes of liberating the homeland. I would be interested in finding out what others think about this article. It is a quick and interesting read, and it does have some good points.
The Logic of Suicide Terrorism: It's the Occupation, not the Fundamentalism
In this article, Robert Pape of the University of Chicago asserts that suicide terror is driven not by Islamic Fundamentalism, but by terrorist's wish to rid their homelands of foreign forces. His argument does not persuade me because while occupation may be the chief concern that causes terrorists to commit acts of violence, the motivation to perfrom suicide terror may be influenced by many different grievances terrorist groups have against those people occupying their homelands. When considering why a group might be opposed to foreign occupation, differences in religion would defintely be something to consider. Such differneces could drive individuals to perform acts of suicide terror in the hopes of liberating the homeland. I would be interested in finding out what others think about this article. It is a quick and interesting read, and it does have some good points.
Terrorism Research Center
Hey guys, I just came across this site: http://www.terrorism.com/index.php
Check it out
Check it out
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Al-Qaeda's Buildup of White Operatives
Story, Jan 13, 2008 - http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,322419,00.html
After reading this article I wondered what are the motivations behind white British citizens converting to Islam with the intent of funding and supporting Al-Qaeda. Within the article it semi explained why, "One reported strategy the terrorists use is to look for converts in prisons, where those in custody tend to be lonely and particularly susceptible. Recruiters comfort and support the inmate, with little mention — if any — to religion, according to the paper. Over time, conversations turn more radical."
Could it be that people join the organization for no other purpose than to belong? From the little I know about gangs, I understand that many members join the gang because it gives them purpose and a sense of belonging (like a family). These converts to Al-Qaeda seem, from the paragraph above, that that's all they are looking for. The Al-Qaeda "missionaries" (for a lack of a better term) prey on those that are lonely and oppressed. This kind of recruitment of course bothers me but it doesn't surprise me.
Greg
After reading this article I wondered what are the motivations behind white British citizens converting to Islam with the intent of funding and supporting Al-Qaeda. Within the article it semi explained why, "One reported strategy the terrorists use is to look for converts in prisons, where those in custody tend to be lonely and particularly susceptible. Recruiters comfort and support the inmate, with little mention — if any — to religion, according to the paper. Over time, conversations turn more radical."
Could it be that people join the organization for no other purpose than to belong? From the little I know about gangs, I understand that many members join the gang because it gives them purpose and a sense of belonging (like a family). These converts to Al-Qaeda seem, from the paragraph above, that that's all they are looking for. The Al-Qaeda "missionaries" (for a lack of a better term) prey on those that are lonely and oppressed. This kind of recruitment of course bothers me but it doesn't surprise me.
Greg
Defining Terrorism
An example of a debate regarding the definition of a "terrorist" can be found here: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5554923,00.html.
This news story is from early last year, but it is definitely relevant to this concept. It outlines a case where environmentalists were deemed "terrorists" in a District Court. What is particularly interesting is the public outrage that surrounded these charges. Many people felt uncomfortable putting the individuals who were responsible for a number of fires in the mid-1990s in the same category of Osama bin Laden. The attorney in charge of the state's case, however, argued that the group used fear and intimidation in order to influence the government; this, he said qualified the group as one of "terrorists."
It is true that the definition of terrorism can vary; however, how do we decide on one definition on which to base our laws?
This news story is from early last year, but it is definitely relevant to this concept. It outlines a case where environmentalists were deemed "terrorists" in a District Court. What is particularly interesting is the public outrage that surrounded these charges. Many people felt uncomfortable putting the individuals who were responsible for a number of fires in the mid-1990s in the same category of Osama bin Laden. The attorney in charge of the state's case, however, argued that the group used fear and intimidation in order to influence the government; this, he said qualified the group as one of "terrorists."
It is true that the definition of terrorism can vary; however, how do we decide on one definition on which to base our laws?
Terrorism and things you can do
http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/0,1082,0_589_,00.html
I was looking around about different things that organizations have created in case of a terrorist attack, when I found this on the American Red Cross website. In this article the redcross tells you what to do in case of a terrorist attack from creating a distaster supply kit, evacuation meeting spots and emergency plans. It also told a little about what to do if a terrorist disaster occurs. And finally it tells about some positive steps that people can do in case of a disaster. I think this shows how much the 9/11 attacks on us, has everyone on a higher caution level then they were before. I hope this can inform a couple people about what they could do to prepare for a terrorist attack.
I was looking around about different things that organizations have created in case of a terrorist attack, when I found this on the American Red Cross website. In this article the redcross tells you what to do in case of a terrorist attack from creating a distaster supply kit, evacuation meeting spots and emergency plans. It also told a little about what to do if a terrorist disaster occurs. And finally it tells about some positive steps that people can do in case of a disaster. I think this shows how much the 9/11 attacks on us, has everyone on a higher caution level then they were before. I hope this can inform a couple people about what they could do to prepare for a terrorist attack.
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