Terrorism and counter-terrorism: perspectives on prediction, prevention, and response

Terrorism

The efforts to outdo terrorists are seemingly falling off, leaving with it underprivileged notion of the prospective for a proper psychological involvement to terrorist perception only. However, the bulk research within this circumference have brought about hopeful as well as exhilarating beginning for an intangible progress in coming to terms to psychological procedure transversely to all ranks of terrorist activities. An argument has come up for much considerable detachment with a clearer task for psychological study to inform as well as improve realistic counterterrorism activities. This paper demonstrates knowledge and assimilation of terrorism perspectives, counter- and anti-terrorism, and aspects relating to prediction, prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and post-response (recovery) activities and analyze it in terms of how it would be dealt with it in terms of a counterterrorism plan that includes orientation (diplomatic, military, law enforcement, etc.) and specific strategies and tactics you would develop relating to prediction, prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and post-response recovery.

It is clear that beliefs of terrorism aggravation comes to play the moment moral correspondence fails to receive contemplation and the moment it turns out to be of less concern. With the view that the challenge is deep in the restraining indulgent of beliefs that dwell on the confusion of beliefs as well as morals, it therefore follows understandably that such a reductive commencement of beliefs prohibits moral correspondence as well as punctual aggravation. This comes from the semantic logical point-of-view that views moral uniformity of opposite beliefs as based on assessment, endorsement as well as displeasure of peoples activities. It is important to note that beliefs do hold the coordination or the assemblage of evocative suggestions regarding noticeable specifics such as uniformity as well as the relativity of moral stands on terrorism as they are manufactured in catchphrases that are distinctive to terrorism dialogue as scientific debate as well as public documentation of beliefs of terrorism rages on.

According to U.S. Department of State, terrorism refers to calculated politically aggravated violence committed against noncombatants. There are four things that come out in this definition, the first one is that violence is involved in terrorism which means there is destruction, and two is that there are political motive in such attacks, thirdly, the purpose of the attack is to instill fear in the victim community and finally, is that these attacks are aimed at the civilians. It has been established that terrorists are motivated by a number of diverse intentions which can be classified as rational, culture as well as psychological. And it is combination of this classification that shapes up a terrorist.

According to Whittaker, D.J. (2012), one who thinks through his objectives as well as options, working on his cost benefit analysis is termed as a rational terrorist. They are more into knowing whether there are less pricey and further efficient means to attain their goal than terrorists. They undertake this through weighing the target's defensive abilities against their own abilities to strike factoring their groups abilities to contain the effort. It is true that culture transforms values as well as individuals actions that tend to be perverse of foreign observers. We tend to embrace the myth that coherent behavior directs nearly entire human action. However much unreasonable behavior occurs in our own tradition, people seek to express them by other ways. The treatment of life in broad-spectrum as well as individual life specifically is a cultural distinctive that bears remarkable impact on terrorism. Often terrorists offer their life for the sake of their group or organization's objective. The main cultural determinate of terrorism tend to be the discernment of strangers as well as expectation of a danger to a particular ethnic's survival. Every human being is sensitive to what threatens the value by which they identify themselves and most of these values are language, group membership, and religion as well as native territory. It is clear that among all these, religion seems to be the most volatile culture identifiers simply because it encompasses deeply held values hence any threat to an individual's religion not only exerts pressure to the present but to his past as well as future. In this manner terrorism in the name of religion can truly be violent (Whittaker, D.J. 2012).

As mentioned in the Ground Zero case study, the impact of September 11 attack was immense and it did impacted the world in a number of ways. The most sensitive and instantaneous effects turned out to be the shock as well as the loss of innocent life. This was followed by the affected economy due to the damage, air travel disruption, as well as increasing uncertainty security wise and world financial markets. A number of recommendations were highlighted in the report on the 9/11 recovery operation and it was very clear that thousands of people suffered adverse and mental health effects in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attack. Whereas a good number have regained their health, others keep on experiencing tough times from a variety of circumstances that are linked with WTC exposure, including greater and minor respiratory infirmity as well as rational health state like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

While the full range of Ground Zero problems are indefinite, an emergent body of indication suggests that considerable health situation did emerged that were associated with the disaster, particularly the victims who were open to the elements during the collapse of the towers as well as those who took part to a large extent in rescue, recovery and clean-up operations. There was a need for the industrial hygienists to evaluate the risk of exposure to chemicals and physical hazards around the Ground zero, a method for eliminating and controlling those hazards was also to be developed.

The major potential health hazards present at Ground Zero were that lots of unknown complications that were feared to be air borne could have been transmitted without the knowledge of the New York residence and this was due to the faulted reports by the environmental protection agency conveyed to the New York dwellers that the air around the Ground Zero is safe. In confirmation of the above EPA Inspector General Nikki Tinsley did came up with a report dated August 21, 2003 acknowledging that the reassurances were unsubstantiated. If precautions will not be taken this may end up causing more harm than good to the society around Ground Zero. And lots of the families will continue nursing wounds that the cures may not be found due to the fear releasing founded information to the public on the contaminated air and communicable disease by the Environmental Protection Agency. This kind of hazards should be well understood mostly by the workers and managers and also to know how to minimize them and to be aware of possible development of new hazards. Major hazard being toxic dust and chemicals that can cause death and serious illness preventive measures should be observed. Other possible hazards are toxic gases such as carbon monoxide and flammable gases this may come from ruptured gas lines or stored chemicals.