Young men with strong social and family supports are far more likely to drop-out of terrorist organisations, says Michael Jacobson… before less-helpfully suggesting Israel should therefore recruit terrorists from good homes as spies.
Terrorism
revealed 
How the CIA tried to turn a “gay terrorist” spy against Al Qaeda
The NY Observer has the bizarre inside scoop on how the CIA’s failed attempt to recruit a “fat”, “gay” terrorist as a spy to penetrate Al Qaeda, and how the whole saga may have prevented the FBI from foiling 9/11.
It is December 2010 and Australia is under martial law
Prime Minister Gillard calls on Lieutenant Colonel Jasper
Mungo MacCallum: Rudd spies an election year bonus in ASIO
Terrorism, we were warned portentously, had emerged as a permanent feature of Australia’s security environment. Well, in an election year it would, wouldn’t it? Our pollies love to get patriotic when elections swing around.
The answer is ASIO
Another security announcement, another boost for ASIO. It doesn’t take an alfoil-wearing conspiracy theorist to see a pattern, the Government is keen to bolster its security credentials.
Should the US put a child soldier on trial?
Omar Khadr was just 15 when he was arrested for allegedly throwing a grenade at a US soldier in Afghanistan. Is it right to try him as an adult war criminal? The Washington Post tells his tale, you decide: dangerous terrorist, or victim of circumstance?
How an all-American kid became a jihadist
As a teenager, Omar Hammami was the class president, attended Bible Camp, and dated the most popular girl in school. Now he’s Abu Mansoor Al-Amriki, a key leader in a ruthless Islamist guerrilla army in Somalia.
How I survived a Baghdad bomb
Don’t believe the press: Baghdad is just as dangerous as ever, says journalist Paul McGeough with a terrifying first-hand account of living through a bombing in the Iraqi capital.
Bob Ellis: Guns don’t kill people, people kill nature and nature kills people
When are we going to get our priorities and our tax payer dollars in order? The Haiti earthquake just reiterates that natural disasters are killing more people than terrorism, yet we spend billions on a war against terrorism, argues Bob Ellis.
The Flight 253 bomb plot: what did Obama know?
In the run-up to the attempted attack on Northwest Airlines Flight 253, US intelligence knew al-Qaeda was planning to deploy a new, dangerous type of bomb, and that a radical Nigerian in Yemen might be planning some kind of jihad against the US. Did anyone tell the President?
Henderson: Different leaders, same ideas
Although Kevin Rudd and Barack Obama lead supposedly more progressive governments than their predecessors, national security and terrorism policies have remained essentially the same, writes Gerard Henderson.
CIA chief: We’re proud to be getting blown up in Afghanistan
CIA director Leon Panetta pens an op-ed for the Washington Post in the wake of news that eight of his employees were killed by an Afghan suicide bomber: that’s the price of war.
Warning to the US: tip toe softly, softly into Yemen
It’s still not clear exactly what US military intervention is going to occur in Yemen, but Barack Obama needs to be careful of the ripple effect that intervention will have in the Horn of Africa, writes Simon Tisdall.
The greatest lies we’ve been told about terrorism
It’s highly unlikely terrorists kill you and border control is not really making us any safer from terrorist attacks anyway. The Washington Post debunks the five biggest myths about keeping citizens safe from terrorism.
Yemen: next stop for the War on Terror?
The would-be-bomber on the Northwest Amsterdam-Detroit flight claims he was trained and armed by al-Qaeda in Yemen. How did Yemen become the destination of choice for international jihadi’s planning terrorist attacks?
VIDEO: The terror-fying new bowel cancer ad
A new ad to raise awareness of bowel cancer from the Gut Foundation features a very realistic looking terrorist attack on Sydney. It’s bound to get lots of people talking — but will it be for the right reasons?
Turkey debates a deal with terrorists
Turkey’s government is showing that an “Islamist” party can become a force for democracy and progress, challenging so many of our usual assumptions about Muslims, terrorism and the Middle East.
The repugnant case of Omar Khadr
The US is still refusing to release or repatriate Canadian citizen and terror suspect Omar Khadr, who was arrested in 2002 in Afghanistan at the age of 15 and has been detained in Guantanamo Bay ever since, says Greg Barns.
The Taliban grows more powerful than Al Qaeda
The power balance between the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan has flipped, with the latter’s numbers dwindling to fewer than 100 members in the country. Some Taliban factions are now shunning the terrorist group in an effort to win over local civilians.
Why we shouldn’t destroy Al Qaeda
As tempting as it is to pull the trigger on the world’s most notorious terrorist network, keeping Al Qaeda intact may be in the world’s best interests: by funnelling extremists into one “social network”, it’s easier to spot, track and contain them.
The FBI’s 400,000-strong terrorist watch list
Recently released FBI data shows 1600 new names are nominated every day for the agency’s terrorist watch list, which contains more than 400,000 unique names and over a million entries.
My father, Osama bin Laden
Read a chapter from the new book by Omar bin Laden, son of the world’s most infamous terrorist leader, Osama bin Laden, who he describes (amongst other things) as a mathematical genius who showed little affection and didn’t believe in refrigerators.
The difference between a terrorist and a terrorist
When is a terrorist deemed a genuine refugee who doesn’t pose any threat to Australia? When they’re not a Muslim, apparently. But what makes the Tamil Tigers any different to Hamas, Hezbollah or the Taliban?
Rocky Pakistan terrain gets even more unstable
Pakistan’s military have taken a risky move: they’ve launched an offensive in the Taliban-Al Qaeda stronghold of South Waziristan. Will the move unleash a new wave of terror attacks in major cities?
