Earlier this week the CIA announced it had thwarted plans for an Al Qaeda operative sent to destroy a US-bound plane with a complicated underwear bomb. It’s now been revealed that the operative was a double agent …
Terrorism
The government takes on violent extremism — sort of
On one hand, we want governments to be alert to the risk of an Anders Breivik appearing in our midst. On the other hand, there are some fairly obvious dangers in having the government monitoring people’s political beliefs and deciding what counts as “extremism”.
Richardson: if this isn’t terrorism, what is?
In addition to the horror of Friday’s slaughter in Norway, there has been the secondary shock of what it has revealed about so much of the west’s attitude to terrorism.
War on terror: how to calculate if it has been worth it
There’s a way to calculate how much value we’ve got from our war on terror spending. The result isn’t encouraging.
The winners from the war on terror
Our $16.7 billion spending on the war on terror had ended up in some interesting hands — and hasn’t necessarily reduced the threat of terrorism.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: Common sense is cheap, which is why it has no lobby group
Crikey readers have their say.
What has the war on terror cost taxpayers, and did they get value for money?
Spending on the war on terror is higher now than at the height of 9/11 hysteria. Budget papers show the Howard, Rudd and Gillard governments have spent more than $15 billion on the war since 2001.
In Congress, Americans debate patriotism and enforcement
A showdown in the US House of Representatives over extending the controversial Patriot Act fell narrowly to civil libertarians today, foreshadowing a larger fight over a permanent extension. Perhaps for the first time since September 11, Americans are questioning the need for heightened security, says Harley Dennett.
Liquid explosive scanners at airport leave way open for other attacks
There will be tens of thousands of opportunities at all domestic and international terminals in Australia today for baggage handlers, cleaners, caterers, retailers, refuellers, police officers and security company staff to pass bombs, guns, knives, and vials of germs to passengers once they have passed through the security checks.
Political snippets: Swan and the OZ strange bedfellows
Treasurer Wayne Swan cannot be accused of preaching to the converted by taking his thoughts on the future of the Labor Party to the op-ed pages of The Australian.
Why Britain should completely cut its armed forces
Britain spends £45 billion annually on Defence against “fantasy enemies”, says Simon Jenkins. Soldiers are no protection against terrorists.
How to make a bomb: with al-Qaeda
The AfPak Channel has an al-Qaeda propaganda video showing bombmakers assembling IEDs, plus insight from a demolition and pyrotechnics expert into just how much (or little) skill it takes to construct a DIY bomb.
What do you learn at terrorist training camp?
The Times Square would-be carbomber says he learned to make bombs at a terrorist training camp in Pakistan. So what else do you learn? Paper mache grenades? One-way canoe trips? Foreign Policy explains.
What’s with all the stupid terrorists?
The foiled shoe bomber, the Christmas Day undie-bomber, and now the wanna-be Times Square car bomber — is blowing yourself up really that hard? Actually, it is, say experts, and terrorist outfits are probably saving up their best and brightest for much bigger missions.
How to stop terrorist attacks in crowded places
Times Square is a tourist destination for thousands of people, how can you possibly keep it safe? NY Times asks security experts for advice, who say cameras and training help but sometimes not much can be done.
How to survive a terrorist attack
The director of Columbia University’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness explains what to do when the bomb drops. Start building your fallout shelter now.
Times Square car bombing: I was there
The Guardian’s theatre critic Emma Brockes was out in Broadway when the Times Square car bombing attempt was made. She gives a first-hand account of how it unfolded.
Why it’s time to give up on bin Laden
US government and military leaders have been obsessed with capturing Osama bin Laden for ten years now. They’re wasting their time, says Rafia Zakaria: it won’t make one iota of difference in the war on terrorism.
The best way to defeat terrorists is to take the piss out of them
A new study has found that the most effective way to deter young Muslims from joining extremist groups is to make them “uncool”. Just like drugs — and governments have done such a job with that problem…
Why assassinating terrorists won’t win the war on terror
Sending targeted missiles into Pakistan to kill individual terrorists isn’t just legally dubious — it’s counterproductive, explains Robert Wright: they’ll just be replaced by newer, angrier terrorists.
Could terrorists actually acquire a nuclear weapon?
It’s the West’s big nightmare: terrorists getting their hands on a nuclear weapon. But could it actually happen? Probably not, explain experts, but if they do, the nuke will probably come from Pakistan or North Korea.
Why are Chechen women so dangerous?
Over 40% of Chechen suicide bombers over the past decade have been women, almost all of them from the Caucases. This isn’t about global jihad, say a team of Chicago University researchers — it’s women hitting back against the occupation of their land and slaughter of their families.
The hunt for Russia’s black widows
Russia believes the women who blew themselves up on Moscow trains on Monday were part of a 30-person “black widow” cell of suicide bombers. Nine are dead — so where are the other 21 waiting? And when will they strike?
www.jihad.ru: Russia’s internet mujahideen
Terrorism in Russia’s North Caucasus has “gone viral”, says Foreign Policy, with Muslim extremists becoming online celebrities. Yesterday’s Moscow bombings may be just he start of this deadly internet meme.
