Terrorism Annotated Bibliography Gardner, K.L. (2007). Fighting

Terrorism Annotated Bibliography

Gardner, K.L. (2007). Fighting terrorism the FATF way. Global Governance: a Review of Multilateralism and International Organizations. (13:3). 325-45. FATF, or Financial Task Force, is considered a successful organization in terms of investigating how global terrorism is funded. Without financial backing, the complexities required that go into terrorism attacks would not be possible. Kathryn Gardner argues that other aspects of investigation into potential terrorist organization could benefit from duplicating the FATF model. The three factors Gardner identifies that are most pertinent to these investigations are: coordination, flexibility, and commitment by the government.

Identification of terrorist threats and fighting global terror must be a joint effort. Only through coordinated efforts on the part of law enforcement agencies can terrorism be properly tracked and the threats evaluated. Although differing scholars have not decided upon a universal protocol for conduct, what they do all concur with is the idea that terrorist cells are interconnected. It is very rare to have a terrorist action performed by a single individual or a small unit, as in the Oklahoma City Bombings. Organizations can be widespread, too far for a single group to monitor. The only way to fight is to work together as a cohesive team.

Jenkins, P. (2003). Images of Terror: What we Can and Can't Know about Terrorism. Walter de

Gruyter, Inc.: Hawthorne, NY. The purpose of Jenkins's work is to explain many of the modern issues related to terrorism, particularly in explaining post-9/11 legal protocol and how the government determines potential threats as serious and which they classify as unlikely. One of the most important aspects of this text is identifying what those who fight against terrorism can and cannot know regarding the ongoing war on terror. While the government has means by which to ascertain information, there are some organizations which have yet to be penetrated and thus the threats from these avenues cannot be discerned ahead of time. There are other real limitations which will make it impossible to eliminate all terrorist actions throughout the world. Jenkins posits that it is only through true understanding can we enact change.

Jenkins books discusses many aspects of terrorism which can help people understand something that many laypeople cannot comprehend, the attitude of the enemy that any death is acceptable, even their own. Terrorism is a complicated issue and there are many aspects which have to be broken down and explained in order for the totality to be understood. Of particular interest to the issue of potential future terrorist threats is the concept of false flag, which is where Americans might discredit genuine terrorist threats, instead blaming the government for carrying them out. These assertions of false flags were prevalent in the Boston Bombing of 2013 for example. There is a faction of Americans who still assert that 9/11 was a false flag event and that Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda were scapegoats for actions performed by the American government. The false flag theory impedes government action because it makes it harder to convince the citizenry of threats and indicates the increasing distrust in the government, which in turn makes it easier for terrorist organizations to target and severely damage the country.

Nacos, B.L. (2003). The terrorist calculus behind 9-11: a model for future terrorism? Studies in Conflict and Terrorism. (26.1). 1-16. The September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks were the most horrific attacks on American soil in recent history. Arguably, they could be considered the worst attacks in the nation's entire history. The Middle East had been a hotbed for terrorist organization for decades, but it was not believed that these factions could do any horrific or meaningful damage because of preconceived notions of their organization. Although fundamentalist Muslims have been of concern for some decades, it was not until this event that they became the primary concern for the safety of the United States and its interests. According to the article by Brigette Narcos, the attack was, from the perspective of the terrorists, an unmitigated success because it both broad universal attentions to their cause and in proving they could conduct such an attack solidified those who were opposed to the United States.

In addition to their legacy of bloodshed, the attacks shaped international relations between the U.S. And the rest of the world, particularly the Middle East ever since and will continue to shape how the government reacts to potential terrorist threats. The way in which the attacks were carried out also served as a blueprint for other acts of terrorism. Those committed since both in the U.S. And elsewhere have had certain commonalities with 9/11 including the network of terrorists involved and how they were financially supported. Thus, the government has learned ways to predict and prevent potential threats by continuing to study how 9/11 was conducted.

Ranstorp, M. (2007). Introduction: mapping terrorism research -- challenges and priorities.

Mapping Terrorism Research: State of the Art, Gaps, and Future Direction. Ed. Magnus Ranstorp. Routledge: New York, NY. 1-29. This text is a collection of various research into the issue of terrorism, but this particular piece discusses specific issues which impede this research. First and foremost according to Ranstorp is that people tend to think that focusing on past incidences of terrorism will allow people to predict future attacks. While past trends might indicate potential threats or groups which are threatening, there is no way to use trending data to suggest where and when another attack might occur. This can only be done by examining current information and collecting data by currently acting groups. Instead of focusing on outmoded methods, Ranstorp believes more attention should be given to the social and communication aspects of terrorist organizations.

In order to find ways to combat terrorism in the future, there should be increased focus on research into currently functioning organizations, how they communicate, and how they can access dangerous technologies. In this day and age, the world is changing rapidly and while we can learn about our own country's mistakes from past terrorist attacks, there is little else that can be gained in terms of combating terrorism or in predicting future attacks. By taking Ranstorp's suggestions seriously, emphasis can be placed on identification and proper research methodologies, thereby performing efficient work into prevention.