The Government or Mass Disruption of the Peace - Research Paper Example

? Essay on Asymmetric Threat and Differences between International and Domestic Terrorism Define asymmetricthreat. Provide a least two historic examples of asymmetric threats faced by the U.S., describe the nature and source of the threat, and evaluate where the threat ranks against the current threat of terrorism. Terrorism threats refer the use of terror against the citizens of a given country as a means of coercion. United States has been a fatality victim of terrorism over the past two decades where US citizens on foreign soil and in USA have been terrorized by the enemies of the country. This form of intimidated has caused the nation to suffer economically as the security of the citizens is compromised while working thus affecting productivity. Terrorism is among the asymmetrical risks affecting the United States. The term asymmetrical threat refers to a threat where the group causing the terror is widely spread and operates within a shadowy network. The group is difficult to identify as it is camouflaged within the citizens living in the country. The organized groups are at times well funded and possess technology and weapons that are used to cause terror within the country. In simpler terms, asymmetric treats can be used to refer the technique of warfare that is not fair. The term fair in war can be used to refer to the use of surprise or unconventional weapon during the war. Asymmetric treat is successful mainly due to the use of the attacker’s strength to exploit the opponent’s weakness. Politics plays a significant part in the nature of terrorism within a country. The United States have been attacked by many threats from Muslim nations. The world trade center came under attack from a Pakistani decedent in 1993 called Ramzi Yousef. The group parked an explosive filled rental van in the packing lot of tower one. His idea was to collapse the tower onto the second tower using urea nitrate. The bomb did a lot of destruction but did not collapse according to Ramzi’s plan (Post, Ruby & Shaw, 2002). The paper will evaluate some of the asymmetric threats in the history of the US and the cause of action taken by the government to counter these asymmetric threats. The government can act through legislative and executive means. This means that the legislative arm of government can create new law or the executive can make laws responding to the treat. One of the significant asymmetrical threats suffered by the US in the resent past includes the September Eleventh bombing of the trade towers. The threats become eminent due to the influence of the US on foreign Muslim nation and the war against terrorism. Prior to the bombing, a series of bombing aimed towards the US and its allies had been witnessed with bombing in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, claiming a total of 19 US casualties and a significant number of the nations citizens (Post, Ruby & Shaw, 2002). The organization responsible for this attack and the threat was the Al-Qaeda group headed by Osama Bin Laden. On September 11, the group hijacked four passenger airliners and attacked America’s trade center which doubled as a symbol of the nation’s economic and military strength. The air strike resulted to the destruction of the buildings and the killing of 2,726 people on American soil. The action taken by the legislature was aimed at ensuring that such an attack did not take place again and capturing the mastermind of the attack. The public law 107-40 was among the law passed giving the president the power to use force necessary to eliminate any organization responsible. Laws governing judicial detentions were amended to allow secret detention. The department of homeland security was created during this period. The USA patriotic Act allowed the USA government to interdict terrorist and also a criminal statute against those harboring terrorists (Monaghan, 2000). The post World War II world raised increasing concerns regarding the communism threat. Those accused of communism and involvement with the Soviet Union would not get employment easily. The fight against communism affected common workers as well as high level government officials. The threat from communism was dealt with the legislature by enacting laws that eliminate communism from the country. The executive order 9835 by President Truman created a program that evaluated federal employees and their exposure to communism. The Internal security Act required communist associations to be registered with the attorney general. The law also established a board to investigate communist activities in the nation. The immigration and Nationalism Act of 1952 gave the government the power to deport individuals involved in seditious activities. In 1954, the legislature formulated the communist control Act which outlawed the communist party. The law also prohibited the communist from leadership positions with regards to labor. Most of these laws were amended after this period. Terrorism, according to the federal government, can be categorized into domestic and international terrorism. Domestic terrorism can be defined as activities from a terrorist group aimed at the government of the United States without interference from any international organization. International terrorism affects the international community and the terrorist activities are influenced by a foreign group. Extremist groups in the Middle East made attacks of African nations allied to the United States can be viewed as an act of international terrorism. Some terrorism groups within the United States geared towards political gains may use terror to affect the operations of the government. Homeland security was formed to ensure that any form of terrorism is identified and dealt with in time (Neumann, 2007). References Neumann, P.R. (2007, January/February). Negotiating with terrorists. Foreign Affairs, 86(1), 128–138. Monaghan, R. (2000). Single issue terrorism: a neglected phenomenon? Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, 23, 255–265 Post, J.M., Ruby, K.G., Shaw, E.D. (2002). The radical group in context: an integrated framework for the analysis of group risk for terrorism. Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, 25, 73–100. . 2. Explain the differences between international and domestic terrorism. Provide an example of a terrorist group in each category and the potential impact of each type of terrorism on the U.S. A major difference between domestic and international terrorism is the funding of the organizations. Domestic terrorism is funded from operations within the country, and groups are usually small compared to international terrorism. International terrorism groups have many resources compared to domestic terrorists. Domestic terrorists are harder to trace and identify compared to international terrorist. International terrorism is wide spread and involves the nations allied to the United States. This form of terrorism is aimed at creating a gap between other nations and America, thus affecting economic growth in the global market. Domestic terrorism makes investors avoid a nation due to the high risk associated with the country. The federal government has been able to control domestic terrorism, but international terrorism is still high. International terrorism has been controlled by military incursions in foreign nations, like the ones operated in Afghanistan and Iraq, which have been costly to the US government (Kobach, 2006). The Islamic Jihad Union is one of the groups responsible for international terrorism. The group was founded in 2002 by a function of Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan in Pakistan. The group was initially called the Islamic Jihad Group until 2005 when it joined ranks with the Al-Qaida. The group has conducted high profile bombings in Uzbekistan, and Asia since its formation. The groups attack on the Uzbekistan government is aimed at ensuring that the nation becomes a Muslim state in the long run. The group claims that the attacks were aimed at punishing the government and its citizens for implementing policies of violence. The attacks have also been aimed at supporting the Holy War against the Western imperialist and the Jews, as a crucial step in achieving goals of Islam (Sandee, 2008). The organization recruits members from Muslim converts in Europe and Turks who attend distinct camps abroad. The trainees are taught to use fire arms and explosive devises apart from Islamic teachings. The organization union with the Al-Qaeda improved their funding that has helped the organization grow in strength. Increased funding from the Al-Qaeda has seen the organizations global operations increase. An example of attacks by the group is the 2006 bombing of Ayub Park, which is situated close to the president’s residence. The same year, live motors were found about 200 meters far from the president’s house. Since 2008, the organization’s operations have changed to support the Al-Qaida group in its operations (Sandee, 2008). The department of homeland security has implemented precautions to ensure that the US is prepared for any threats from international terrorism. The department ensures that there is adequate border and transport security within the nation. The department also ensures that the nation is prepared for emergencies and can respond to any terrorist activity in a timely manner. The department has also improved the efficiency of its resources through resource management and communication management. There have been over 200 cases of domestic terrorism reported in the United States over the last 20 years. Before the USA Patriotic Act defined the term domestic terrorism, it was believed that many cases had occurred and claimed many lives. The Act defines the act as intimidation the general population or policies of the government or mass disruption of the peace. A notable example of domestic terrorism is the Austin IRS attack in 2010 (U.S. General Accounting Office, 2004). In this attack, Andrew Joseph flew a plane into IRS building in Austin taking the life of one person and injuring a greater number. Andrew stated reasons such as politics, grievances against the government, congress and other conglomerates for his actions. This is among the isolated cases where individuals take matters into their own hands to create terror within a nation. The attack caused the department of homeland security to evaluate their strategies in identifying and preventing domestic terrorism. Domestic terrorism can be prevented through ensuring that the government puts up adequate worker evaluation and counseling center to identify stress which can cause terrorist activities. References Sandee, Ronald. (2008). The Islamic Jihad Union (IJU). Retrieved 1 April 2012 from http://www.nefafoundation.org/file/FeaturedDocs/nefaijuoct08.pdf. Kobach, Kris W. (2006). Terrorist Loophole: Senate Bill Disarms Law Enforcement. Retrieved May 17, 2007, from http://www.heritage.org/Research/Immigration/wm1092.cfm U.S. General Accounting Office. (2004). Security Clearances: FBI has enhanced its process for State and local law enforcement officials. Retrieved May 18, 2007, from http://www.gao.gov/docsearch/abstract.php?rptno=GAO-04-596 Read More