Al Qaeda and Jihadist Networks Al Qaeda and other Jihadist networks are a serious threat to other nations and groups of people who do not think in the same ways they do. Because of that, it is important that more is understood about them, so that they can be studied. That study will allow opinions to be drawn and decisions to be made that are based on the true danger they present and what can be done in order to mitigate that danger. From the standpoint of homeland security, Al Qaeda is the enemy. Knowing the enemy is one of the best ways to keep a country safe from harm.

Al Qaeda and Jihadist Networks

According to White (2014), there is a significant threat to homeland security from Al Qaeda and other Jihadist networks. Terrorists exist to inflict terror, often based on their belief systems and their opinions of those who do not hold to the same beliefs. Because that is the issue with networks such as Al Qaeda, and because there is no negotiating or reasoning with terrorist cells, it is important that homeland security work to understand what the terrorists are planning, who they are targeting, and when they will strike (White, 2014). Many terrorist organizations pride themselves on being able to get past the defenses of those who they target, which is part of the reason they cause so much actual terror. People feel safe, and then they find that they are suddenly not safe because a Jihadist network got to them. They know at that point that they are vulnerable, which can be very uncomfortable and can also cause a person to feel disheartened and afraid.

Keeping the country safe from terror is the work of every citizen,...

Without being able to protect the country and its people from harm, the Department will feel as though it is not doing its job, and the value it has will be questionable. Those who know the Department well know how much it can do for the country and how much it works to ensure the safety of every person in that country, but for those who are the victims of Jihadist networks such as Al Qaeda, the main feeling may be that they were let down by an organization that was sworn to protect and defend them. In order to protect as many people as possible, however, anyone who is involved in homeland security has to have intelligence about the enemy and know their moves. That can be very hard to do when Jihadist groups are so tight knit and careful regarding who gets any information on them, but it can be done.
One of the more serious mistakes that can be made by homeland security is going off of assumption instead of actual knowledge (White, 2014). It is important that security personnel of any kind not assume what is going to take place or what a Jihadist network may be doing. Without true knowledge about the issue, there is too much risk that the assumption could be wrong -- and a wrong assumption could become potentially disastrous for a country and deadly for thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people. Most of that kind of risk can be avoided, but only if those who are part of homeland security are focused on the value of knowledge. They also have to understand how to take that knowledge and extrapolate it out to what is the most likely to happen. While that, technically,…