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Journal of Strategic Security

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This is an Open Access Journal

Open Access journal
ISSN (Print) 1944-0464 - ISSN (Online) 1944-0472
Published by Henley-Putnam University

[1 journal]

Iran's Revolutionary Guard: The Threat That Grows While America Sleeps. By Steven O’Hern. Washington: Potomac Books, 2012.
- Authors: Martin Scott Catino; Ph.D.
  PubDate: Tue, 11 Jun 2013 10:29:14 PDT
Invisible Armies: An Epic History of Guerrilla Warfare from Ancient Times to the Present. By Max Boot, New York & London, Liveright Publishing Corporation, a Division of W.W. Norton & Company, 2013.
- Authors: Millard E. Moon Ed.D.
  PubDate: Tue, 11 Jun 2013 10:29:13 PDT
Lessons from Japan: Resilience after Tokyo and Fukushima
- Authors: Michelle L. Spencer
  Abstract: In the spring of 1995 Japan experienced the world’s first major terrorist attack using chemical weapons by a little-known religious cult called Aum Shinrikyo. The attack on the Tokyo subway, which killed 13 people, was the first lethal case of a non-state actor using a chemical agent against a civilian population. In March 2011, following a 9.0 magnitude earthquake in Japan, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor experienced a full meltdown releasing radiation into the surrounding area. The seemingly unhurried government reaction provided conflicting information to Japanese citizens, slowing evacuation and protective actions. Government failure is cited as a significant factor in the severity of the nuclear disaster in three investigations conducted after the incident. This article defines resilience and raises the question of whether the U.S. government has the ability to address the issues raised by the two case studies. There are four primary lessons of these two case studies from Japan: Trust is essential; two-way communications are vital; someone or something will always unexpectedly fail to act appropriately, while others will provide surprising support and; finally, recovery is long-term.
  PubDate: Tue, 11 Jun 2013 10:29:11 PDT
Disaster, Resilience and Security in Global Cities
- Authors: Tim Prior et al.
  Abstract: Today the majority of the globe’s inhabitants live in urban areas, and according to all prognoses, cities will continue to grow in the coming decades. Global cities are also becoming increasingly connected as a result of economic, political, cultural and demographic globalization. In the context of urban security management, the growing complexity these connections bring may present a double-edged sword: global cities can be both the most secure and the most dangerous places to be when disaster strikes. Developing appropriate mechanisms to prepare for and cope with complex crises in cities will, in the future, be a key aspect of security policy-making. In this article we explore current trends in research and practice concerning the management of disasters in eight global cities, particularly focusing on aspects of preparedness, response, urban resilience and cooperation. The results of the study indicate that cities must improve the capacity to predict new or unforeseen risk by diversifying capabilities for risk assessment and improving inter-agency collaborations. In addition, cities must adopt new approaches to disaster management that are sufficiently flexible to adapt to a changing risk environment and to safeguard urban security.
  PubDate: Tue, 11 Jun 2013 10:29:10 PDT
DigiNotar: Dissecting the First Dutch Digital Disaster
- Authors: Nicole van der Meulen
  Abstract: In the middle of the night on September 2, 2011, the Dutch Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations held an emergency press conference. DigiNotar, a Certificate Authority (CA), had been electronically ‘broken into’ and as a result intruders had managed to generate falsified certificates. As a CA, DigiNotar issued digital certificates to secure digital communication, but as a result of the breach the authenticity of such certificates could no longer be verified. The Dutch government subsequently revoked its trust in all certificates issued by DigiNotar. This was the beginning of the first digital disaster in the Netherlands. As a pioneering disaster, this article focuses on the implications of DigiNotar as a vital case study for future scenarios of digital disaster management. The main focus of this article is on the underlying ‘weaknesses’ of the DigiNotar incident, which allowed the situation to evolve from a problem into a disaster. These include lack of oversight, lack of security attention and risk awareness and the absence of an effective mitigation strategy. By identifying and subsequently analyzing the underlying problems, this article aims to demonstrate how future situations can be better contained if sufficient attention is granted to these factors and subsequent changes are introduced.
  PubDate: Tue, 11 Jun 2013 10:29:08 PDT
Beyond the Storms: Strengthening Preparedness, Response, & Resilience in the 21st Century
- Authors: Dane S. Egli
  Abstract: Looking Beyond the Storms of major events and reactionary tendencies to prevent future disasters—and continuing to fix things—the author introduces a fresh assessment in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, the vexing challenge of domestic shootings, and a persistent nationwide drought. This paper offers a refreshing perspective on the need for transformational and innovative thinking on preparedness, response, and resilience, as well as disaster management. Against the backdrop of 9-11 terrorist attacks and natural disasters such as hurricanes Katrina, Irene, and Sandy, this paper, highlights that we—as homeland security planners and policymakers—must look beyond the immediate demands of grant proposals and a narrow focus on “prevention” and “protection” to a systemic analysis of “mitigation, response, and recovery”—based upon required functions and capabilities. It asserts the need for change from spending scarce dollars to prevent that which is inevitable and nervously trying to protect physical locations—in an environment of growing complexity and uncertainty—to a posture that integrates resilience as an active virtue in all elements of the homeland security enterprise. There is a sense of urgency that challenges leaders to understand the strategic imperatives and unique opportunities in building all-hazards community resilience.
  PubDate: Tue, 11 Jun 2013 10:29:07 PDT
Emerging Media Crisis Value Model: A Comparison of Relevant, Timely Message Strategies for Emergency Events
- Authors: Sabrina Page et al.
  Abstract: Communication during an emergency or crisis event is essential for emergency responders, the community involved, and those watching on television as well as receiving information via social media from family members, friends or other community members. The evolution of communication during an emergency/crisis event now includes utilizing social media. To better understand this evolution the Emerging Media Crisis Value Model (EMCVM) is used in comparing two emergency events; Hurricane Irene (2011), a natural disaster, and the theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado (2012), a man-made crisis. The EMCVM provides a foundation for future studies focusing on the use of social media, emergency responders at the local, state and national levels are better prepared to educate a community thus, counteracting public uncertainty, fear, while providing timely, accurate information.
  PubDate: Tue, 11 Jun 2013 10:29:03 PDT
Achieving Resilience in Disaster Management: The Role of Public-Private Partnerships
- Authors: Nathan E. Busch et al.
  Abstract: This article examines the current status of public-private partnerships in disaster management, as well as the emerging opportunities and challenges that need to be addressed for these partnerships to achieve their full potential. The article begins with a systematic overview of the strategic, operational, and tactical effects of public-private partnerships in disaster management today and describes how these effects can increase societal resilience. Next, the article discusses several of the emerging opportunities and challenges that these partnerships will have to work through in the coming years. The article concludes with a set of policy recommendations to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of public-private partnerships in disaster management.
  PubDate: Tue, 11 Jun 2013 10:28:55 PDT
Former Members’ Perspectives are Key to Impacting the FARC
- Authors: Paul S. Nader
  Abstract: The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia — Ejército del Pueblo (FARC–EP or FARC) is one of the world’s longest surviving insurgency groups. They have worked endlessly to topple the Colombian Government since 1964. [1] The group began like many anti-government socialist groups did at the time, in the shadow of Fidel Castro’s Cuba. The FARC’s story however, is different from most insurgent groups due to their longevity and ability to survive. Their flexibility has allowed them to remain active and adapt to environmental changes. Since Colombia remains a major world producer of cocaine, with the FARC being the leading producer, this group’s eradication is a major responsibility of the world community. Interviews conducted in Bogota July 7-17, 2012 revealed evidence that the FARC operates much like a secular cult. The structure of its internal operations, and how members relate to each other and to leadership are similar to traits in religious cults. Examining these traits may shed light on how to better strategize military and civil forces fighting not only the physical attributes, but also the psychological ones to resist the FARC and similar groups. [1] This date is debated among scholars as the FARC claims inception in 1964, the date of Operation MARQUETALIA, although they did not organize themselves as the FARC until 1966 during the Second Guerilla Conference.
  PubDate: Fri, 08 Mar 2013 06:12:24 PST
Cultural Theory and Acceptance-Based Security Strategies for Humanitarian Aid Workers
- Authors: Adam K. Childs
  Abstract: Humanitarian aid agencies have relied primarily on acceptance as their primary risk, or security, management strategy for well over a decade. Evidence suggests, however, that this strategy has become ineffective, as the number of targeted attacks against humanitarian aid workers has been steadily increasing over the past two decades. Despite the urgency of the situation, aid agencies have struggled to effectively implement new strategies and still rely primarily on acceptance as a mitigating strategy. This article examines the limitations of acceptance as practiced by humanitarian aid agencies as a strategy against targeted attacks and the challenges in adopting new strategies. The article uses Cultural Theory to explain these limitations and challenges and concludes with recommendations based on that theory for a new approach to security strategies that takes into account the social milieu of both aid workers and their potential attackers.
  PubDate: Fri, 08 Mar 2013 06:12:23 PST
Somalia’s “Pirate Cycle”: The Three Phases of Somali Piracy
- Authors: Edward R. Lucas
  Abstract: This article provides a theoretical framework for examining Somali piracy from its origins in the 1990s to the present. This analysis provides both a detailed description of the changing nature of piracy, as well as explanations for why these changes have occurred. The increase in pirate activity off Somalia from 1991 to 2011 did not occur in a steady linear progression, but took place in three separate phases. These three phases can be viewed in terms of a “cycle of piracy,” based on a theory developed by the pirate historian Philip Gosse in 1932. By employing this framework, policy-makers in the U.S. and elsewhere would be better able to judge when counter-piracy intervention is necessary. By preventing piracy from developing into large-scale professionalized operations, as witnessed in Somalia since 2007, the international community will be able carryout more efficient and effective piracy suppression operations in future.
  PubDate: Fri, 08 Mar 2013 06:12:22 PST
How Piracy is Affecting Economic Development in Puntland, Somalia
- Authors: Jonathan R. Beloff
  Abstract: The international community has united in its mission to halt the hijacking of merchant ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea with a massive naval presence that monitors the vast, strategic seas in which Somali pirates operate. This naval presence consequently has had some success in reducing pirate attacks in 2012, but why are the Somalis turning to piracy in the first place? The economic history of piracy has been well documented with other former “pirate hotspots” worldwide; however, there is little data available on the microeconomic affects of piracy. This article explores the underlying reasons of why Somalis have turned to piracy as a “profession,” and offers recommendations for the international community to eliminate piracy effectively through non-military means.
  PubDate: Fri, 08 Mar 2013 06:12:19 PST
Iranian Democratization Part II: The Green Movement - Revolution or Civil Rights Movement?
- Authors: Victor H. Sundquist
  Abstract: The fundamental question of whether or not the Green Movement’s opposition leaders were successful in their attempts to change the political landscape in Iran first lies in understanding the premise behind the organization and secondly recognizing the actual goals of the leadership. Consequently, this article analyzes these questions as a framework for developing a comparative analysis between revolutions and civil rights movements as a means to understand both the intent and outcomes of the Green Movement. From this analysis, lessons learned are put forth as a means to establish a series of recommendations for future Western political engagements with Iran. In doing so, the hope is that a political dialogue will emerge between Western governments that both alleviate the current tensions while also addressing security concerns in the region.
  PubDate: Fri, 08 Mar 2013 06:12:14 PST
Iranian Democratization Part I: A Historical Case Study of the Iranian Green Movement
- Authors: Victor H. Sundquist
  Abstract: The 2009 Iranian Presidential Elections represented one of the most contentious displays of the evolving Iranian democracy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that led to the removal of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi – the nation’s last shah. This tumultuous political event not only exposed a growing rift between the political and religious ruling elite in that country; it also led to the emergence of an opposition movement that would later be known as the Green Revolution. Viewed through a Western political lens, this revolution represented yet another opportunity for the demise of the ruling Iranian Islamic Regime. Recently, some scholars have questioned whether this movement was ever intended to topple the government in the first place, and have argued instead that it represented the beginning of a long-term civil rights push. To better understand why the Green Movement emerged one must first understand what the original intent of the movement was, as well as the political factors that led to its rapid growth. In order to answer these questions, this article will compare and contrast identified similarities and differences between the 1979 Islamic Revolution and 2009 Green Movement in order to isolate the true intent behind this perceived Iranian political revolt
  PubDate: Fri, 08 Mar 2013 06:12:11 PST
Terrorism: The Basics. By James Lutz, and Brenda Lutz. New York: Routledge, 2011.
- Authors: Martin Scott Catino Ph.D.
  PubDate: Fri, 08 Mar 2013 06:12:09 PST
An Analysis of Abu Mus’ab al-Suri’s “Call to Global Islamic Resistance”
- Authors: M.W. Zackie
  Abstract: This article is a contribution to the study of religious radicalization, in particular, religious radicalization that promotes violence. The term “radicalization” will be used here to refer to the process through which individuals adopt or promote an “extremist belief system for the purpose of facilitating ideologically-based violence to advance political, religious, or social change.”[1] This study applies discourse analysis[2] to a prominent radical Islamic text published after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 (9/11): Mustafa bin Abd al-Qadir Setmariam Nasar’s Call to Global Islamic Resistance (2004) – hereafter referred to as GIR (Global Islamic Resistance). As will be detailed in the sections to come, this study analyses the beliefs and worldview evident in GIR, and seeks to elucidate its persuasiveness. [1] Rogers, L., Big Brother: House passes the “Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act,” 2007, available at: http://www.nogw.com/download/_07_thought_crime_bill.pdf. [2] In particular, the frame and narrative (thematic) analysis aspects of discourse analysis will be utilized.
  PubDate: Fri, 08 Mar 2013 06:12:09 PST
The Terrorism Lectures: A Comprehensive Collection for Students of Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and National Security. By Dr. James J.F. Forest. Santa Ana, CA: Nortia Press, 2012.
- Authors: Mark Roberts
  PubDate: Fri, 08 Mar 2013 06:12:08 PST
Weapons of Mass Destruction and Terrorism, 2nd edition, by James J.F. Forest and Russell D. Howard, co-editors. New York: McGraw Hill, 2013.
- Authors: Jeffrey A. James Ph.D.
  PubDate: Fri, 08 Mar 2013 06:12:07 PST
A Primer of Middle Eastern Leadership Culture
- Authors: Sheldon Greaves
  Abstract: It is natural for someone looking in on a foreign culture from the outside to interpret what they see and frame their reactions based on their own background and assumptions. With cultures as a different as those of the Middle East and the West, the potential for blunders increases dramatically, made worse by the high political, diplomatic, military, and commercial stakes involved. Leadership culture in this region has been shaped over centuries through a variety of factors, such as reputation, family, and religion, which continue to influence decision making. The present study posits that an understanding of these factors and how they work is crucial for intelligence analysts, policy and decision makers, strategists, and scholars who must find their way through a very unfamiliar cultural landscape in the Middle East. It is hoped that this discussion will in some way assist in the creation of more effective interaction, policies, and analysis associated with the Middle East.
  PubDate: Thu, 03 Jan 2013 06:10:39 PST
In Their Own Words' Methodological Considerations in the Analysis of Terrorist Autobiographies
- Authors: Mary Beth Altier et al.
  Abstract: Despite the growth of terrorism literature in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, there remain several methodological challenges to studying certain aspects of terrorism. This is perhaps most evident in attempts to uncover the attitudes, motivations, and intentions of individuals engaged in violent extremism and how they are sometimes expressed in problematic behavior. Such challenges invariably stem from the fact that terrorists and the organizations to which they belong represent clandestine populations engaged in illegal activity. Unsurprisingly, these qualities make it difficult for the researcher to identify and locate willing subjects of study—let alone a representative sample. In this research note, we suggest the systematic analysis of terrorist autobiographies offers a promising means of investigating difficult-to-study areas of terrorism-related phenomena. Investigation of autobiographical accounts not only offers additional data points for the study of individual psychological issues, but also provides valuable perspectives on the internal structures, processes, and dynamics of terrorist organizations more broadly. Moreover, given most autobiographies cover critical events and personal experiences across the life course, they provide a unique lens into how terrorists perceive their world and insight into their decision-making processes. We support our advocacy of this approach by highlighting its methodological strengths and shortcomings.
  PubDate: Thu, 03 Jan 2013 06:10:37 PST