by
Chalk, Peter.
Call Number
363.32 22
Publication Date
2004
Summary
Since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, critics have charged that the Federal Bureau of Investigation, while qualified to investigate terrorist incidents after the fact, is not well equipped enough to adequately gather and assess information to prevent attacks. More intrinsically, many believe that given a predominant and deeply rooted law enforcement and prosecutorial culture, the bureau may not be able to change operational focus toward dedicated counterterrorism intelligence gathering and analysis. To better inform debate, researchers analyzed the domestic security structures of fo.
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113747.0156
by
Chalk, Peter.
Call Number
959.3044 22
Publication Date
2008
Summary
Current unrest in the Malay-Muslim provinces of southern Thailand has captured growing national, regional, and international attention due to the heightened tempo and scale of rebel attacks, the increasingly jihadist undertone that has come to characterize insurgent actions, and the central government's often brutal handling of the situation on the ground. Of particular note are growing concerns that the conflict is no longer purely local in nature but has been systematically hijacked by outside extremists to avail wider transnational Islamist designs in southeast Asia. No concrete evidence suggests that the region has been decisively transformed into a new beachhead for pan-regional jihadism. Although many of the attacks currently being perpetrated in the three Malay provinces have a definite religious element, it is not apparent that this has altered the essential localized and nationalistic aspect of the conflict. While the scale and sophistication of violence have increased, nothing links this change in tempo to the input of punitive, absolutist external jihadist imperatives. Perhaps the clearest reason to believe that the southern Thai conflict has not metastasized into a broader jihadist struggle, however, is the fact that there has been neither a migration of violence north nor directed attacks against foreigners, tourist resorts, or overt symbols of U.S. cultural capitalism.
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113746.9844
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by
Chalk, Peter.
Call Number
359.030973 22
Publication Date
2008
Summary
The vast size and highly unregulated nature of the world's waterways have made the maritime environment an attractive theater for perpetrators of transnational violence. Both piracy and sea-borne terrorism have become more common since 2000 due to the global proliferation of small arms as well as growing vulnerabilities in maritime shipping, surveillance, and coastal and port-side security. In addition to massive increases in maritime traffic, pirates have profited from increasingly congested maritime chokepoints, the lingering effects of the Asian financial crisis, and weakened judicial and governmental structures. Some analysts also fear that terrorists may soon exploit the carefully calibrated freight trading system to trigger a global economic crisis, or use the container supply chain to transport weapons of mass destruction. While speculation about an emerging tactical nexus between piracy and terrorism is complicating the maritime threat picture, credible evidence to support this presumed convergence has yet to emerge. Since 2002, the United States--one of the world's principal maritime trading states--has spearheaded several important initiatives to improve global and regional maritime security. Although an important contribution, the author urges policymakers to consider four additional measures to better safeguard the world's oceans: helping to further expand the post-9/11 maritime security regime; conducting regular and rigorous threat assessments; assisting with redefining mandates of existing multilateral security and defense arrangements; and encouraging the commercial maritime industry to make greater use of enabling communication and defensive technologies and accept a greater degree of transparency in its corporate structures.
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Electronic Resources
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111148.1016
by
Rabasa, Angel.
Call Number
959.804 21
Publication Date
2001
Summary
This study examines the trends and dynamics that are driving Indonesia's transformation, outlines possible strategic futures and their implications for regional stability, and identifies options that the US might pursue in order to influence Indonesia's future course.
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Electronic Resources
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106640.4453
by
Chalk, Peter.
Call Number
363.45098 23
Publication Date
2011
Summary
Transnational crime remains a particularly serious problem in Latin America, with most issues connected in some way to the drug trade. This book examines the scope and dimensions of Andean cocaine and heroin production; the main methods and land, air, and sea routes that are used to ship these narcotics between source, transit, and consumption countries; and the principal consequences that are associated with this particular manifestation of transnational crime. Addressing the problem of the Latin American drug trade has direct implications for the U.S. Air Force (USAF). In Colombia and, increasingly, Mexico, Washington is including counternarcotics support as an integral feature of its foreign internal defense aid, and the USAF is already engaged in a number of initiatives in both countries. Although this assistance has borne some notable results, there are some specific measures that the USAF should consider in looking to further hone and adjust its counternarcotics effort in Latin America. These include augmenting aerial surveillance over the Pacific-Central American corridor; refining existing standard operating procedures and further institutionalizing joint mission statements and protocols regarding drug interdiction; reconsidering the policy of aerial fumigation of illegal crops; and ensuring adequate protection of existing counter-drug-access arrangements in Central America.
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Electronic Resources
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106547.8750
by
Chalk, Peter.
Call Number
363.3250959 22
Publication Date
2009
Summary
Terrorism is not new to Southeast Asia. For much of the Cold War, the activities of a variety of domestic ethnonationalist and religious militant groups posed a significant challenge to the region's internal stability. Since the 1990s, however, the residual challenge posed by substate militant extremism has risen in reaction to both the force of modernization pursued by many Southeast Asian governments and the political influence of radical Islam. Building on prior RAND research analyzing the underlying motives, drivers, and capabilities of the principal extremist groups that have resorted to terrorist violence in the Philippines, southern Thailand, and Indonesia, this study examined the historical roots of militancy in these countries to provide context for assessing the degree to which local agendas are either being subsumed within a broader ideological framework or shaped by other extremist movements. Moving beyond simple terrorism analysis, this research also examined national and international government responses to militant movements in the region, including counterterrorist initiatives, military and policing strategies, hearts-and-minds campaigns, and funding and support from international organizations and governments (including the United States). Finally, the study broke new ground in assessing Cambodia as a potential future terrorist operational and logistical hub in Southeast Asia.--Publisher description. Develops a net assessment against which to gauge the scope and parameters of the terrorist threat to Southeast Asia and to U.S. security interests in the region.
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106547.8750
by
Libicki, Martin C.
Call Number
363.325 22
Publication Date
2007
Summary
Governments spend billions to protect against terrorism. Might it help to understand what al Qaeda would achieve with each specific attack? This book examines various hypotheses of terrorist targeting: is it (1) to coerce, (2) to damage economies, (3) to rally the faithful, or (4) a decision left to affiliates? This book analyzes past attacks, post hoc justifications, and expert opinion to weigh each hypothesis.
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Electronic Resources
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106449.6484
by
Chalk, Peter.
Call Number
363.32 22
Publication Date
2004
Summary
Over the past decade, the United States has endeavored to increase its ability to detect, prevent, and respond to terrorist threats and incidents. The agriculture sector and the food industry in general, however, have received comparatively little attention with respect to protection against terrorist incidents. This study aims to expand the current debate on domestic homeland security by assessing the vulnerabilities of the agricultural sector and the food chain to a deliberate act of biological terrorism. The author presents the current state of research on threats to agricultural livestock and produce, outlines the sector's importance to the U.S. economy, examines the capabilities that are needed to exploit the vulnerabilities in the food industry, and explores the likely outcomes of a successful attack. The author addresses the question of why terrorists have yet to employ agricultural assaults as a method of operation and offers proposed recommendations for the U.S. policymaking community.
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Electronic Resources
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102590.1094
by
Cragin, Kim.
Call Number
363.32 21
Publication Date
2003
Summary
This report examines the social and economic development policies enacted by three countries--Israel, the Philippines, and the United Kingdom--to inhibit a resurgence of terrorism within their jurisdictions. Drawing on a broad research base, including numerous first-hand interviews, the authors outline the initiatives implemented by each country then assess their effectiveness, with the aim of informing U.S. decisionmakers of the benefits and pitfalls of such initiatives as they develop policy to counter terrorism. Among their conclusions are the following: Social and economic development policies can weaken local support for terrorist activities and discourage terrorist recruits, and such policies can be used as a "stick" to discourage terrorism. They caution, however, that the ability of these policies to inhibit terrorism depends on their implementation, and inadequately funded such policies are likely to renew support for terrorism.
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Electronic Resources
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94400.5781
by
Rabasa, Angel.
Call Number
986.10635 21
Publication Date
2001
Summary
U.S. policy toward Colombia has been driven to a large extent by counter-narcotics considerations, but the evolving situation in that South American country confronts the United States with as much of a national security as a drug policy problem. Colombia is a geostrategically important country, whose trajectory will influence broader trends in the Andean region and beyond. Colombian Labyrinth examines the sources of instability in the country; the objectives, strategy, strengths, and weaknesses of the government, guerrillas, and paramilitaries and the balances among them; and the effects of the current U.S. assistance program. Possible scenarios and futures for Colombia are laid out, with implications for both the United States and neighboring countries. The authors find that instability in Colombia stems from the interaction and synergies of the underground drug economy and armed challenges to the state's authority. Solutions to the core problem--the weakness of the Colombian state--must focus on resolving the broader set of political-military challenges that result from the convergence of drug trafficking and insurgency. The authors recommend that Colombia's military and institutional capabilities be improved to enable the Colombian government to regain control of the countryside and that, at the same time, the United States work with Colombia's neighbors to contain the risk of spillover and regional destabilization.
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91801.6484
by
Chalk, Peter.
Call Number
364.164 22
Publication Date
2009
Summary
In March 2009, the RAND Corporation convened a small group of experts from the U.S. government, allied partner nations, the maritime industry, and other academic organizations to discuss piracy in the modern era. The premise of the workshop was that reconsidering the underlying factors that drive maritime piracy in the 21st century might provide valuable insights to decisionmakers and policymakers into how best to address the problem within the wider context of fostering greater order at sea. This document summarizes the main points and conclusions that emerged from the workshop; it should serve as a useful resource to workshop participants as well as others interested in understanding the challenges associated with maritime disorder, violence at sea, and piracy in particular.
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Electronic Resources
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87709.9922
by
Brower, Jennifer, 1967-
Call Number
363.32 21
Publication Date
2003
Summary
This study offers a more comprehensive analysis of the security implications of the spread of infectious diseases than has been done to date. The study examines the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa, highlighting this particular crisis as a graphic example of the devastating effects that infectious disease can have on virtually every aspect of a state's functioning viability. It also makes a detailed analysis of the United States, delineating the threat posed by specific diseases; assessing the effectiveness of the existing public health infrastructure; and offering specific actions that can be taken to improve the country's ability to meet this emerging challenge.
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Relevance:
83242.1250
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