Homeland Security Policy - Assignment Example

Analyze Homeland Security Policy/Specific to a Certain Terrorist Group Analyze Homeland Security Policy/Specific to a Certain Terrorist Group Introduction Homeland security is a branch of the United States department of defense that works with the aim of combating all the possible terrorist forces. The branch has the responsibility of protecting the United States from any looming threats and demands from terrorists. It also works to ensure a reduction in the vulnerability that the country has to terrorists. Moreover, in case of an attack by terrorists or any related occurrence, the branch of government tries its best to ensure that the effects of the attack are not exaggerated. It works to reduce the damages done by the attack and ensure a quick and full recovery from the trauma while still figuring out ways of preventing the repetition of such attacks. Al- Qaeda group One of the most feared terrorist groups that threaten the United States is the Al- Qaeda group. The group is made up of terrorists mostly from the Middle East that is mostly Muslims with the claim that what they do is the call of Allah, their God. The group was formed around the year 1988 with Osama Bin Laden as the major founder. The group works as a network that has many armies in different countries all over the world under small subdivisions and hence it is not very easy to intercept their communications. Their first major and shocking attack that was felt throughout the world was their attack on the twin towers in the United States of America back in 2001. The attack left scores of people dead and others wounded and this is what made the United States acknowledge the importance of the department of homeland security. Characteristics that make the group stand out from the rest are its suicide attacks. The group beliefs in the utter completion of a mission failure to which, their life is of no use. The group does not believe in hell. The group is of the notion that after their death, they go to heaven and meet Allah waiting for them with the 40 virgins that they are promised. The Al-Qaeda group believes in complete allegiance to the rules that are offered by their leaders without any questions asked. This is for the assurance of their families’ safekeeping and ensuring that they carry out their tasks to the prime of their capabilities, (Bruno 2011). Organization The organization of the group has most of the times been described as being centralized when it comes to decision making but however, the ideology changes to decentralization when it comes to the execution of the decisions made. Experts in the field have argued that the group has over the years broken down into smaller groups that are no longer affiliated with the major organization. It is after these breakdowns that the leadership of the organization is kept in question. Decisions are said to be made from a central headquarters but the implementation of the decisions most often does not happen as planned and hence their activities are not entirely carried out. Leadership Up to the month of May, 2011, the leader of the Al-Qaeda was the much feared and renowned Osama Bin Laden. The rebel had been in hiding for the past ten years and it was only after a 2 year survey that the United States government was able to locate his position, went in and killed him. It was after his death that the movement acquired a new leader, the former assistant commander of the group, Ayman al-Zawahiri. To occupy his position as the second in command, he chose Saif al-Adel to be his assistant. For the running of the organization, the leader of the organization is usually advised by the Shura Council. This is a group of highly intelligent Al-Qaeda operatives that is estimated to have around twenty to thirty members. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was the initial leader of the Al-Qaeda group in Iraq. However, the United States of America raided his home killing him instantaneously. It was at that juncture that Ayyub al-Masri took over. However, it was not long before he was also captured and murdered in the year 2010. Structure The structure of the Al-Qaeda is such that it is very hard to crack their codes of operation and it is the reason it has been going strong ever since the year 1989. The organization has a very large number of field operatives located in different parts of the world. The operatives work under secret code names and other operation codes that ensure they stay hibernated. By the year 2009, the group was said to have over three thousand field operatives and recruits spread over 40 different countries in the world. Despite the wide ranging arrests made on the members of the Al-Qaeda gang, it is hard to say that the gang has proved weak over the years as there are new recruits every time. The Al-Qaeda operates two different armies of war both in Iraq and in Pakistan. The first one that is estimated to have over thirty thousand soldiers was trained and armored in the Soviet War. Mujahedeen were the main members of the organization. Many of them had gone to war in the war torn Somalia with the claim that it was a jihad that they were taking part in. The other army has about ten thousand soldiers and is well distributed in western countries. In the countries, the team is offered with military training and goes to a further extent of providing the main army and their leaders with intelligence about the plans that the western countries have come up with as a means of countering them. Financing The major source of finance of the Al-Qaeda was usually the money coming from their former leader, Osama Bin Laden. This is because the leader had acquired a lot of wealth throughout the years that he had engaged in war and had accumulated to about 300 million United States Dollars. The group used the money to acquire new recruits and also to buy the much needed necessities such as food while in hiding and also water. The high technological machines that are put to use by the Al-Qaeda come from large investments made into armory. Despite the major source of finance being their former leader, the group is also usually able to acquire a great deal of money from their illegal trades. In these trades, they carry out the sale of hardcore drugs such as cocaine and heroin. Ideology The Al-Qaeda group and the Islamic movement came up and developed fast over the last thirty years of the last century. Some people go with the ideology that without Sayyid Qutb, an Islamic author, the Al-Qaeda could not have even come up. Sayyid claimed that due to lack of the Sharia Law, the Muslim community was losing its faith and that it had started converting back to the era when there was no faith in religion and a lot of ignorance prevailed. To bring back Islam, the author had claimed that a group of truly religious Muslims had to come together and form genuine Islamic States. These states were bound to employ the Sharia laws in all their operations. Qutb was said to be one of the most influential people in the life of Osama. One of Sayyid’s most famous ideas was that the Muslim community was not as widespread as it seemed. This was due to the fact that many of the people that claimed to be Muslims were actually not genuine Muslims. Homeland Security Policy and Terrorism One of the policies employed by the Homeland Security is the Foreign policy. The policy involves consultations with foreign nations for the achievement of peace and understanding in the world. The foreign policy aims at increasing the security of the United State’s citizens from any attacks from outside countries with the major fears being an attack from the Middle East. Without a doubt, the fears are of an attack from the Al-Qaeda group. The policy is guided under the security strategy and national defense, (Mark, 2010). The Foreign policy usually involves a series of talks with international countries with the aim of reducing the involvement of military and related factors. The Middle East over the past few years has seen many of its countries develop highly sophisticated machinery. This has grown to be an issue of concern to the United States knowing very well that it is considered an enemy to the Muslim community who occupy most of the lands in the Middle East. It is due to this that the United States decided to have this policy that involves a series of talks with the involved countries of the Middle East on the best way to control the usage of the weapons, (Fly, 2011). As the countries continue developing the machinery, it is very risky as it might fall in the wrong hands which would lead to a global crisis. It is also expected that through the foreign policy, the United States government will be able to reach out to the countries and convince them to subsequently convince the terrorist groups, in this case the Al-Qaeda to control their adverse attacks on the west. The policy hopes to make the governments reach an understanding on the way to counter the terrorist groups. As an example, the United States through the policy is at the moment having a series of talks with the Iraq government on a trade policy where it tends to try and build a business dealing with the country in an effort to increase their connection. This is with the hope of capturing the attention of the Al-Qaeda to try and make them understand that the United States has no harm intentions on the group or rather on the entire Middle East. These efforts are found to be very imperative in building the relations between the west and the Middle East. To some extent, they have been found to be working. However, the policy does not leave any gap for chances and hence has an extended capacity for allowing tactical force. These forces are imperative as they provide for the increased safety of the United States against the threat of insurgents. However, it is important to note that force is not used unless provoked, so states the terms of the policy. In the event of force resulting, the policy provides for the reasoning with the people that are involved in the war so as to ensure there is minimal damage to an extent to which it might lead to a greater war. The policy provides for the negotiation with the opposing teams to reconsider the resulting war and stop it as soon as possible as it may go ahead to ruin the talks that they may have already reached at previously. In general, the Foreign policy is a policy aimed at ensuring the maintenance of peace between the United States and other countries and is aimed at doing this at a peaceful manner unless forced by circumstances. As it does this, it ensures for the provision of a safe environment with minimal injuries or even in the worst case scenario, deaths, (Aston, 2011) References Fly, J. (2011). Why National Security Conservatives and the World May Miss In the GOP Race. Shadow Government. Retrieved on 22nd August 2011 from http://shadow.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/08/19/why_national_security_conservatives _and_the_world_will_miss_pawlenty_in_the_gop_rac Aston, M. (2011).The Department of Homeland Security. Federal Register, 76(137). Pg 41993- 42467. Mark, R. (2010).The Department of Homeland Security Intelligence Enterprise: Operational Overview and Oversight Challenges for Congress. International Journal for Terrorism and Political Hot Spots, 5(3). Pg 387-446. Bruno, G. (2011). Al-Qaeda. The Backgrounder. Retrieved on 22nd August 2011 from http://www.cfr.org/terrorist-organizations/al-qaeda-k-al-qaida-al-qaida/p9126 Read More