Harmony and Disharmony: Exploiting al-Qa'ida's Organizational Vulnerabilities


Book Description

"Harmony and Disharmony..."a study, conducted by the faculty and research fellows of the Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) at West Point, serves multiple purposes, the most important of which is contributing to the depth of knowledge about the terrorist al-Qa'ida movement. Evidence supporting the conclusions and recommendations provided in this report is drawn from a collection of newly-released al-Qa'ida documents captured during recent operations in support of the Global War on Terror and maintained in the Department of Defense's Harmony database. In the text of these documents, readers will see how explicit al-Qa'ida has been in its internal discussions covering a range of organizational issues, particularly regarding the internal structure and functioning of the movement as well as with tensions that emerged within the leadership.




Al-Qa-ida-s (Mis)Adventures in the Horn of Africa


Book Description

During the early 1990s, al-Qa¿ida was beginning to coalesce as an org., honing its operational techniques and dealing with its first internal conflicts. Its private deliberations during this period are revealed by a trove of documents captured in the course of operations and maintained in a DoD Database. This report, by the Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) at West Point, draws on recently declassified documents, predominately from the 1992-1994 time period, original field work by CTC personnel, and careful country studies to enrich our understanding of the terrorist group¿s early successes and failures in the Horn of Africa. The Horn provides the backdrop for an intriguing tale of al-Qa¿ida¿s first efforts to expand beyond Afghanistan and Sudan. Illus.




The 9/11 Commission Report: Complete Edition


Book Description

The 9/11 Commission Report: Complete Edition stands as an authoritative anthology of insights into the cataclysmic events of September 11, 2001, and their far-reaching aftermath. This comprehensive collection weaves together a range of literary styles, from analytical essays to personal testimonies, offering a multifaceted examination of terrorism, national security, and the resilience of the human spirit. The anthology is distinguished by its meticulous compilation of facts, figures, and narratives that collectively paint a vivid picture of a defining moment in contemporary history. The contributors to this anthology, including Thomas R. Eldridge, Susan Ginsburg, and other members of The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, bring a wealth of expertise and diverse perspectives. Their backgrounds span various fields such as law, security studies, and public policy, providing a rich tapestry of insights. The collection aligns with literary and historical movements aimed at understanding the complexity of global terrorism and its implications on international relations and domestic policies, fostering a comprehensive dialogue on national security and human resilience in the face of adversity. This anthology is a must-read for scholars, policymakers, and any engaged citizen seeking to understand the depth and breadth of the events and responses surrounding September 11. It offers readers a unique opportunity to dive deep into the myriad perspectives and analyses presented by a formidable lineup of authors, each contributing to the critical discourse on terrorism, governance, and societal resilience. The 9/11 Commission Report: Complete Edition serves as an educational tool, a historical document, and a call to never forget, ensuring that the lessons learned from such a pivotal moment continue to inform future generations."




Terrorism and Counterintelligence


Book Description

Protecting information, identifying undercover agents, and operating clandestinely—efforts known as counterintelligence—are the primary objectives of terrorist groups evading detection by intelligence and law enforcement officials. Some strategies work well, some fail, and those tasked with tracking these groups are deeply invested in the difference. Discussing the challenges terrorist groups face as they multiply and plot international attacks, while at the same time providing a framework for decoding the strengths and weaknesses of their counterintelligence, Blake W. Mobley provides an indispensable text for the intelligence, military, homeland security, and law enforcement fields. He outlines concrete steps for improving the monitoring, disruption, and elimination of terrorist cells, primarily by exploiting their mistakes in counterintelligence. A key component of Mobley's approach is to identify and keep close watch on areas that often exhibit weakness. While some counterintelligence pathologies occur more frequently among certain terrorist groups, destructive bureaucratic tendencies, such as mistrust and paranoia, pervade all organizations. Through detailed case studies, Mobley shows how to recognize and capitalize on these shortcomings within a group's organizational structure, popular support, and controlled territory, and he describes the tradeoffs terrorist leaders make to maintain cohesion and power. He ultimately shows that no group can achieve perfect secrecy while functioning effectively and that every adaptation or new advantage supposedly attained by these groups also produces new vulnerabilities.




The Terrorist's Dilemma


Book Description

How do terrorist groups control their members? Do the tools groups use to monitor their operatives and enforce discipline create security vulnerabilities that governments can exploit? This title examines the great variation in how terrorist groups are structured.





Book Description




Responses to Cyber Terrorism


Book Description

The one issue touched on repeatedly by the contributors of this publication is the difficulty of arriving at a definition of cyber terrorism. A NATO Office of Security document cautiously defines it as “a cyber attack using or exploiting computer or communication networks to cause sufficient destruction or disruption to generate fear or to intimidate a society into an ideological goal.” But the cyber world is surely remote from what is recognized as terrorism: the bloody attacks and ethnic conflicts, or, more precisely, the politically-motivated “intention to cause death or serious bodily harm to civilians or non-combatants with the purpose of intimidating a population or compelling a government ...” (UN report, Freedom from Fear, 2005). It is hard to think of an instance when computer code has physically harmed anyone. Yet a number of contributors show that exactly such events, potentially on a huge scale, can be expected. For example attacks on critical infrastructure, in particular on SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems which control physical processes in places like chemical factories, dams and power stations. A part of the publication examines cyber terrorism in the proper sense of the term and how to respond in terms of technology, awareness, and legal/political measures. However, there is also the related question of responding to the terrorist presence on the Internet (so-called ‘terrorist contents’). Here the Internet is not a weapon, but an important tool for terrorists’ communications (coordination, training, recruiting), and information gathering on the targets of planned attacks.




The Routledge Handbook of Terrorism Research


Book Description

This volume is a monumental collection of definitions, conceptual frameworks, paradigmatic formulations, and bibliographic sources, which is now being revised and updated as a resource for the expanding community of researchers on the subject of terrorism.




The Routledge Handbook of Terrorism Research


Book Description

This major new Handbook synthesises more than two decades of scholarly research, and provides a comprehensive overview of the field of terrorism studies. The content of the Handbook is based on the responses to a questionnaire by nearly 100 experts from more than 20 countries as well as the specific expertise and experience of the volume editor and the various contributors. Together, they guide the reader through the voluminous literature on terrorism, and propose a new consensus definition of terrorism, based on an extensive review of existing conceptualisations. The work also features a large collection of typologies and surveys a wide range of theories of terrorism. Additional chapters survey terrorist databases and provide a guide to available resources on terrorism in libraries and on the Internet. It also includes the most comprehensive World Directory of Extremist, Terrorist and other Organizations associated with Guerrilla Warfare, Political Violence, Protest and Organized- and Cyber-Crime. The Routledge Handbook of Terrorism Research will be an essential work of reference for students and researchers of terrorism and political violence, security studies, criminology, political science and international relations, and of great interest to policymakers and professionals in the field of counter-terrorism.




Jihadism in Pakistan


Book Description

Pakistan is host to the largest concentration of jihadist groups in the world. Since the 1980s, the Pakistani state has been accused of sponsoring local jihadist groups and sending Pakistani volunteers to support them. This book is based on almost 114 interviews, conducted mainly in Urdu and Pashto, from within Al-Qaeda and affiliated jihadist groups. It examines the relationship between the Pakistani security agencies and Al-Qaeda, and how they both became entangled and used by the local jihadists they were themselves trying to exploit. The interviews paint a picture of the shifting strategies and priorities of the different jihadi groups in the early 21st century, covering their ideological objectives, their agreements and disagreements over tactics, as well as pressure from rival militant groups and internal factionalism. The book is the most in-depth study of jihadism in Pakistan, and Antonio Giustozzi highlights the strategies global jihadists deployed after 9/11 and how Al-Qaeda tried to manage the largest jihadist group in Pakistan, the Tehrik Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The book also covers other key issues in South Asian security, such as the impact of Islamic State on Al Qaeda's power after 2014, why Al-Qaeda continue to back the TTP, and what is happening with the groups focused on taking jihad to Kashmir and India.