The USA PATRIOT Act also known as the “Patriot Act” is a statute signed by President George W. Bush after the 9/11 attacks in 2001. The USA PATRIOT Act is an acronym for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001. The Patriot Act increases the authority of law enforcement agencies to search telephone, email communications, medical, financial, and other records of citizens by utilizing electronic surveillance. According to Jonathan White the Patriot Act, “Creates funding for counterterrorist activities, expands technical support for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), expands electronic intelligence-gathering research, and defines presidential authority in response to terrorism.” Another feature of the Patriot Act is it expands the definition of terrorism to include domestic terrorism. Some of the provisions in the Patriot Act were supposed to end after 4 years from the passage of the law, but instead legislators sought to revise certain parts to include the protection of civil liberties. In July 2005 the United States (US) Senate passed a reauthorization bill that included changes of certain sections of the act, but at the same time most of the original language was kept intact. The main controversy over the Patriot Act has been the fact that it infringes the civil liberties of US citizens, and increases the authority of the executive branch.
The most sensitive aspect of the Patriot Act has to do with intelligence gathering and sharing of information according to Jonathan White. Many groups such as constitutional conservatives and civil libertarians are concerned with the fact that the Patriot Act restricts US citizens’ rights to civil liberties. The founding fathers of American democracy created the Bill of Rights and Constitution in order to create a foundation of government based on civil liberties of its citizens. With the Patriot Act increasing the ability of the government to collect information increases the executive branch power, and also infringes on citizens civil liberties. “When the criminal justice and national security agencies gather information about organizations and people, they do so as an extension of the executive branch of government “(Jonathan White). Another problem arises where in the Constitution the three branches of government are separated in order for there to be checks and balances to the amount of power given to each branch. Senator Leahy believes that the passage of the Patriot Act as a counterterrorist measure threatens the system of checks and balance, and gives too much power to the executive branch.
Another controversial issue of the Patriot Act is that it restricts the civil liberties of US citizens. The Patriot Act allows law enforcement agencies such as the FBI have increased abilities to look into the affairs of American citizens. Civil Rights attorney Nancy Chang believes, “By allowing the government to blur the distinction between defense intelligence and criminal evidence, the Patriot Act tramples on reasonable expectations of privacy. The Patriot Act deprives citizens of their 4th Amendment right of privacy, because law enforcement agencies can spy on citizens and define the purpose as a counterterrorist measure.
After the 9/11 attacks the US went into a panic mode and enacted the USA Patriot Act as a means to protect the US from terrorist attacks. But what the Bush administration failed to realize is the effects that the Patriot Act would have on the three branches of government and the American citizens. The Patriot Act has in a way defeated the founding fathers purpose in creating the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The act has disintegrated the three branches of government, where the executive branch has increased authority and defeats the checks and balance of all three branches. Also the Patriot Act has in a way made American citizens feel like they no longer have a reasonable right to privacy, because government have the right to spy on them on behalf of countering terrorism. Is the USA Patriot Act of 2001 unconstitutional? If presented to our founding fathers for approval would they consider it constitutional?
USA Patriot Act of 2001 document:
http://epic.org/privacy/terrorism/hr3162.html
Spying on the Home Front PBS Video:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/video/flv/generic.html?s=frol02n474q6d
Friday, November 27, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
BLOG POST #7
In the years since the 9/11 attacks there has been much discussion of Homeland Security. Homeland Security has become an important part of the American society that in 2002 the federal government created a department in the Cabinet titled the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). At the same time Americans aren’t really sure what the meaning of Homeland Security is. Because it seems to mean something less then military action because the Department of Defense is separate from the DHS. The meaning of this department becomes even more confusing because the leadership consists of retired military personnel, and they control the United States Coast Guard which has a military role. In order to understand the major role that DHS plays in the American society we must look at its purpose and meaning.
In the United States (US) the development of homeland security began after the 9/11 attacks where several government agencies and entities were extended and recombined. Some of these agencies and entities that were recombined were the US National Guard, Federal Emergency Management Agency, US Coast Guard, US Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Secret Service, and many others. DHS was created by George W. Bush administration as a result of the Homeland Security Act of 2002. There are some agencies that are involved in homeland security activities that are not part of DHS such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Homeland security is an umbrella term for security efforts to protect the US from domestic and foreign threats. According to Congress in the National Strategy for Homeland Security, “The primary mission of the Department is to--(A) prevent terrorist attacks within the United States; (B) reduce the vulnerability of the United States to terrorism; (C) minimize the damage, and assist in the recovery, from terrorist attacks that do occur within the United States.” In the beginning the general purpose and meaning of DHS was to prevent and protect the US from terrorist attacks. According to Jonathan White as the years have gone by the mission and role of DHS has expanded to not only counterterrorism but to other functions. One example of this is one group of internal organizations responsible for health and policy in the DHS responds to natural and human disasters.
As we can see DHS was created as a response to the 9/11 attacks that were acts of terrorism against the US. DHS consists of several big agencies and entities that have different roles in the counterterrorism process. Some agencies strictly handle issues strictly dealing with terrorism, immigration, natural disasters and many more. One question that I have is shouldn’t the CIA and the FBI be a part of Homeland Security? The CIA and the FBI play a huge role in counterterrorism, therefore they shouldn’t be excluded. I think that all government agencies in the United States should be involved and a part of DHS because they each play an integral role in fighting the war on terrorism.
Websites:
Homeland Security of 2002: http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/hr_5005_enr.pdf
In the United States (US) the development of homeland security began after the 9/11 attacks where several government agencies and entities were extended and recombined. Some of these agencies and entities that were recombined were the US National Guard, Federal Emergency Management Agency, US Coast Guard, US Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Secret Service, and many others. DHS was created by George W. Bush administration as a result of the Homeland Security Act of 2002. There are some agencies that are involved in homeland security activities that are not part of DHS such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Homeland security is an umbrella term for security efforts to protect the US from domestic and foreign threats. According to Congress in the National Strategy for Homeland Security, “The primary mission of the Department is to--(A) prevent terrorist attacks within the United States; (B) reduce the vulnerability of the United States to terrorism; (C) minimize the damage, and assist in the recovery, from terrorist attacks that do occur within the United States.” In the beginning the general purpose and meaning of DHS was to prevent and protect the US from terrorist attacks. According to Jonathan White as the years have gone by the mission and role of DHS has expanded to not only counterterrorism but to other functions. One example of this is one group of internal organizations responsible for health and policy in the DHS responds to natural and human disasters.
As we can see DHS was created as a response to the 9/11 attacks that were acts of terrorism against the US. DHS consists of several big agencies and entities that have different roles in the counterterrorism process. Some agencies strictly handle issues strictly dealing with terrorism, immigration, natural disasters and many more. One question that I have is shouldn’t the CIA and the FBI be a part of Homeland Security? The CIA and the FBI play a huge role in counterterrorism, therefore they shouldn’t be excluded. I think that all government agencies in the United States should be involved and a part of DHS because they each play an integral role in fighting the war on terrorism.
Websites:
Homeland Security of 2002: http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/hr_5005_enr.pdf
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
BLOG POST #6
Today in the world suicide bombings has become the most dangerous and horrific form of terrorism. A suicide attack is an attack that intends to kill others and inflict massive damage, at the same time the attacker intends to die while performing this act. According to Scott Atran 80 percent of suicide attacks after 1968 occurred after the 9/11 attacks, and he found that there’s popular support in the Middle East for these types of attacks. Modern terrorist organizations favor this form of attack because it is very inexpensive and very easy to perform. Suicide bombings are meant to be a social expression where an individual is sacrificing their life for a particular cause. This post will explore the phenomenon of suicide attacks and its role in modern society.
Modern suicide attacks as a social and political tool can be traced back to the assassination of Czar Alexander II of Russia in 1881. While Czar Alexander II was driving he was mortally wounded by a grenade that was hand-made which led to his death. It was later revealed that the Czar was killed by a member of Narodnaya Volya a group that was against the Czar’s regime while intentionally exploding the bomb during the attack. Another major group in the evolution of suicide attacks has been the use of Japanese Kamikaze suicide bombers during World War II. The Japanese kamikaze bombers would fly their aircrafts into Allied military targets in order to cause damage and also as a result end their life. As World War II continued the Japanese became desperate the acts of kamikaze bombers became formal and ritualistic, where their aircrafts were loaded with explosives whose specific task was a suicide mission. There was social support by the Japanese people due to their cultural history, in which honorable suicide was part of samurai duty. During the Battle of Berlin the Lutwaffe flew self-sacrifice missions against the Soviet Union crashing into their bridges. The end result of this mission was the Luftwaffe lost 35 pilots and aircrafts. These significant events in history shows that as time have gone by different countries and terrorist organizations have turned to suicide attacks as a way to explain their social purpose. Many individuals have sacrificed their life in order to show their eternal dedication to what they are believe and are fighting for.
According to the Washington Quarterly the rate of suicide attacks is rapidly rising across the globe. During 2000-2004 there were 472 suicide attacks in 22 countries, killing more than 7,000 and wounding thousands of people. Most modern suicide attacks have been carried out by Islamist groups claiming Jihad or a religious motivation. According Bruce Hoffman a terrorism analyst most of the suicide attacks that occurred after the 9/11 attacks 31 of them were attacks carried out by followers of the Jihad. It is also note in the Washington Quarterly that suicide attacks keep rising as the years go by and becoming deadly. For example Iraq has an average of one attack per day, according to some military reports. It is also believed that most suicide attacks are not only because of religious motivation but also because of foreign occupation. Robert Pape believes that, “The rise in attacks correlates with U.S. Military occupation of countries whose governments tend to be authoritarian and unresponsive to popular demands.” This idea that a majority of suicide attacks is a way to tell modern democracy particularly the US to withdraw their military forces from their homeland. Since 2004-2006 there have been 18 countries that have had suicide attacks most of them being US allies linked to undemocratic regimes such as Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Egypt.
From all these facts I would have to say that the fact that suicide attacks continue to rise without any sign of decline is something that we all have to be worried about worldwide. The main issue may be as suggested by some scholars is the occupation of other countries homeland by democratic countries such as the US. For many of these suicide bombers like the Japanese kamikaze the act of sacrificing one’s life for a cause is in itself very honorable. Suicide attacks are acts of terror in the eyes of the Western world, while as in the eyes of the one committing the act they may be fighting against the monopolization of Western way of life and beliefs. Maybe if democratic countries such as the US were to withdraw from certain territories in the Middle East maybe there will be a slight decline in suicide attacks. But the other conflict that exists is that some of these attacks are being carried out by the actual citizens of these attacked territories. Their reason too might be a rebellion against their current political regime because of the strict laws and conflict between religious beliefs. I feel that suicide attacks might be a reaction to democratic countries trying to spread their beliefs and values and also an act of rebellion against their own regime on a religious basis. As we can see there is no singular reason of why suicide attacks occur, and for this reason it will continue to remain a phenomenon.
Websites:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/opinion/why-the-bombers-are-so-angry-at-us/2005/07/22/1121539145036.html
http://www.janes.com/security/international_security/news/usscole/jir001020_1_n.shtml
http://www.israelinsider.com/channels/security/articles/sec_0049.htm
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/holy/cron/
Modern suicide attacks as a social and political tool can be traced back to the assassination of Czar Alexander II of Russia in 1881. While Czar Alexander II was driving he was mortally wounded by a grenade that was hand-made which led to his death. It was later revealed that the Czar was killed by a member of Narodnaya Volya a group that was against the Czar’s regime while intentionally exploding the bomb during the attack. Another major group in the evolution of suicide attacks has been the use of Japanese Kamikaze suicide bombers during World War II. The Japanese kamikaze bombers would fly their aircrafts into Allied military targets in order to cause damage and also as a result end their life. As World War II continued the Japanese became desperate the acts of kamikaze bombers became formal and ritualistic, where their aircrafts were loaded with explosives whose specific task was a suicide mission. There was social support by the Japanese people due to their cultural history, in which honorable suicide was part of samurai duty. During the Battle of Berlin the Lutwaffe flew self-sacrifice missions against the Soviet Union crashing into their bridges. The end result of this mission was the Luftwaffe lost 35 pilots and aircrafts. These significant events in history shows that as time have gone by different countries and terrorist organizations have turned to suicide attacks as a way to explain their social purpose. Many individuals have sacrificed their life in order to show their eternal dedication to what they are believe and are fighting for.
According to the Washington Quarterly the rate of suicide attacks is rapidly rising across the globe. During 2000-2004 there were 472 suicide attacks in 22 countries, killing more than 7,000 and wounding thousands of people. Most modern suicide attacks have been carried out by Islamist groups claiming Jihad or a religious motivation. According Bruce Hoffman a terrorism analyst most of the suicide attacks that occurred after the 9/11 attacks 31 of them were attacks carried out by followers of the Jihad. It is also note in the Washington Quarterly that suicide attacks keep rising as the years go by and becoming deadly. For example Iraq has an average of one attack per day, according to some military reports. It is also believed that most suicide attacks are not only because of religious motivation but also because of foreign occupation. Robert Pape believes that, “The rise in attacks correlates with U.S. Military occupation of countries whose governments tend to be authoritarian and unresponsive to popular demands.” This idea that a majority of suicide attacks is a way to tell modern democracy particularly the US to withdraw their military forces from their homeland. Since 2004-2006 there have been 18 countries that have had suicide attacks most of them being US allies linked to undemocratic regimes such as Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Egypt.
From all these facts I would have to say that the fact that suicide attacks continue to rise without any sign of decline is something that we all have to be worried about worldwide. The main issue may be as suggested by some scholars is the occupation of other countries homeland by democratic countries such as the US. For many of these suicide bombers like the Japanese kamikaze the act of sacrificing one’s life for a cause is in itself very honorable. Suicide attacks are acts of terror in the eyes of the Western world, while as in the eyes of the one committing the act they may be fighting against the monopolization of Western way of life and beliefs. Maybe if democratic countries such as the US were to withdraw from certain territories in the Middle East maybe there will be a slight decline in suicide attacks. But the other conflict that exists is that some of these attacks are being carried out by the actual citizens of these attacked territories. Their reason too might be a rebellion against their current political regime because of the strict laws and conflict between religious beliefs. I feel that suicide attacks might be a reaction to democratic countries trying to spread their beliefs and values and also an act of rebellion against their own regime on a religious basis. As we can see there is no singular reason of why suicide attacks occur, and for this reason it will continue to remain a phenomenon.
Websites:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/opinion/why-the-bombers-are-so-angry-at-us/2005/07/22/1121539145036.html
http://www.janes.com/security/international_security/news/usscole/jir001020_1_n.shtml
http://www.israelinsider.com/channels/security/articles/sec_0049.htm
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/holy/cron/
BLOG POST #5
It is true to say that terrorism can be defined in many ways depending on the situation as can be seen throughout history, therefore it can be suggested that terrorism is like a method of fighting. This can also be linked to the strategies that are used to fight wars, where strategies change depending on the type of war that is getting fought. This applies to terrorism because the groups change structurally which leads to their goals changing due to the fact that they apply what they have learned from their past battles. When countries fight wars their tactics will change depending on the type of war they are fighting. According to Brian Jenkins there are six tactics of terrorism: bombing, hijacking, arson, assault, kidnapping, and hostage-taking. Currently in modern society all six of these terrorist tactics are in some shape or form influenced by the sophistication of society. In this post we will discuss two tactics that are employed by terrorist organizations
The first tactic is Cyberterrorism where computers are used to attack technological targets such as a physical attack on computer networks. The National Conference of State Legislatures defines cyberterrorism as the use of information technology by terrorists to promote a political agenda. We could say that cyberterrorism could also be considered another form of computer hacking but by terrorist groups trying to achieve a political agenda. Cyberterrorism targets: computers, computer networks, and information storage and retrieval systems. The most common cyberterrorism has been the defacement of websites. Some tactics that have been used in cyberterrorism has been Trojan horses, or malicious programs that appear harmless, can contain malevolent codes that can destroy a system by allowing terrorists to enter computer systems thought to be secure. Michael Whine believes that computers allow terrorist groups to remain connected, providing a means for covert discussions and anonymity. Cyberterrorism has made informational networks very vulnerable because terrorist groups utilize the internet more than ever to launch attacks.
Another type of tactic that terrorists utilize is Chemical and Radiological Weapons, which are also called Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). There are four types of chemical agents: nerve agents, blood agents, choking agents, and blistering agents. Nerve agents enter the body through ingestion, respiration, or contact. Blood and choking agents are usually absorbed through the respiratory system, and blistering agent’s burn skin and internal tissue upon contact. While as in terms of Radiological weapons they produce short term burns and long term contamination which could later lead to health problems. According to Jonathan White chemical attack is an attractive weapon for terrorists because they are easy to control. One type of radiological WMD that is very lethal and feared by all is nuclear weapons. WMD are used worldwide by terrorists to achieve their political agenda.
As we have seen technology has become a big enhancer in the types of tactics that terrorists employ while carrying out an attack. The common forms that were discussed are cyberterrorism, chemical and radiological weapons. As society progresses and becomes sophisticated technologically so do the types of attacks that are carried out by terrorist groups. There needs to be a way that networking systems can be monitored so that sites under high security can’t be breached and attacked terrorist groups on the World Wide Web. Unlike cyberterrorism WMD is hard to monitor because any person at home can make a bomb, by buying supplies at their local hardware store. The problem that we face as a society is that not only has technology become more sophisticated so has the tactical approaches of terrorists.
Websites:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cyberwar/vulnerable/threat.html
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/9184.pdf
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The first tactic is Cyberterrorism where computers are used to attack technological targets such as a physical attack on computer networks. The National Conference of State Legislatures defines cyberterrorism as the use of information technology by terrorists to promote a political agenda. We could say that cyberterrorism could also be considered another form of computer hacking but by terrorist groups trying to achieve a political agenda. Cyberterrorism targets: computers, computer networks, and information storage and retrieval systems. The most common cyberterrorism has been the defacement of websites. Some tactics that have been used in cyberterrorism has been Trojan horses, or malicious programs that appear harmless, can contain malevolent codes that can destroy a system by allowing terrorists to enter computer systems thought to be secure. Michael Whine believes that computers allow terrorist groups to remain connected, providing a means for covert discussions and anonymity. Cyberterrorism has made informational networks very vulnerable because terrorist groups utilize the internet more than ever to launch attacks.
Another type of tactic that terrorists utilize is Chemical and Radiological Weapons, which are also called Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). There are four types of chemical agents: nerve agents, blood agents, choking agents, and blistering agents. Nerve agents enter the body through ingestion, respiration, or contact. Blood and choking agents are usually absorbed through the respiratory system, and blistering agent’s burn skin and internal tissue upon contact. While as in terms of Radiological weapons they produce short term burns and long term contamination which could later lead to health problems. According to Jonathan White chemical attack is an attractive weapon for terrorists because they are easy to control. One type of radiological WMD that is very lethal and feared by all is nuclear weapons. WMD are used worldwide by terrorists to achieve their political agenda.
As we have seen technology has become a big enhancer in the types of tactics that terrorists employ while carrying out an attack. The common forms that were discussed are cyberterrorism, chemical and radiological weapons. As society progresses and becomes sophisticated technologically so do the types of attacks that are carried out by terrorist groups. There needs to be a way that networking systems can be monitored so that sites under high security can’t be breached and attacked terrorist groups on the World Wide Web. Unlike cyberterrorism WMD is hard to monitor because any person at home can make a bomb, by buying supplies at their local hardware store. The problem that we face as a society is that not only has technology become more sophisticated so has the tactical approaches of terrorists.
Websites:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cyberwar/vulnerable/threat.html
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/9184.pdf
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