Good Intelligence Is Critical to a Successful Counter-Terrorism Strategy - Essay Example

Good intelligence is critical to a successful counter terrorism strategy. Discuss the challenges in collecting and analyzing intelligence relating toterrorist activities. Characterization The fall of the Soviet Union marked the end of the Cold War. For most liberal social scientists, the world have been much safer compared before considering that the threat of nuclear extinction is not anymore present in the globe; yet the realist scholars would choose to differ. For them, the end of the Soviet bloc has marked more enemies for the rest of the world, state and non-state actors alike. This means that countries all over the world are not anymore aware of who could pose threats against them. Most thinkers would call this scenario as the ‘New World Order’ in which there is United States of America as the lone super power, although several countries around the world are vying for dominance such as China, Russia, Great Britain and France. The purpose of the existence of these countries is to oppose any threat against the peace and harmony in the world hence there is an importance to look for the balance between security and order. This is something which could only be achieved if the defenders know how to get proper intelligence from their enemies (Addicott and McCaul n.d.). Whenever the nation faces problems, it is a must for the rule of law to prevail. This is the guiding principle for almost all democratic states around the world which aim to oppose the continuing growth of both states and non-state groups that endanger the people; and because terrorist groups also have the blessings of technological advancement, it is necessary for all the nations around the world especially United States of America to improve. Not all threats around the world right now are common knowledge. Terrorist groups hide in the darkness whenever they perform their operations making it harder for operatives to arrest them (Addicott and McCaul n.d.). Analysis Intelligence is one of the most crucial aspects of counter terrorism in all ages. For most crises situations, it shapes the success or the failure of an operation against militant groups that aim to destabilize the governments around the world. Terrorists have an array of intelligence gathering operations too and it is the duty of the states to always be one step ahead of the terrorists’ activities. The lives of the people and the sustenance of nations are all contingent to countries’ capability to win the war against terrorism. Intelligence lets a country understand the situation of every conflict; thus, policy makers would know the best action to do. Not all problems could be solved by tanks and stealth bombers; there are certain conflicts that need a high level of intelligence gathering for terrorists will do their best to make sure that the death toll on their list is high. Now that these militant groups use different and unconventional tactics to win against counterterrorist, what is then the response of the world? The notion that intelligence is important in the counter terrorism effort needs no substantiation, but the bigger issue that this paper addresses is the different challenges while gathering intelligence. No matter how good a country is, it will always face problems regarding its intelligence operations. On top of the list is privacy issue. Most countries would agree that there is a need for wiretapping and other stealth measures to understand the situation of terrorism around the globe. However, some people argue that governments around the world are exceeding to their limitation to the point that they are already violating the privacy of the citizens. When police and the military intelligence group use surveillance cameras and wiretapping devices to those who they believe are connected to terrorist groups, they are in turn infringing on the right of the individual/s to privacy (Winston 2007). Another major problem that could be seen in intelligence gathering is when police and military officials are not cooperating with each other regarding their operations. While it is true that the armed forces of countries around the world oppose terrorism, some of the branches of these armies are not united and coordinated enough to solve terrorism. The CIA and FBI as classic examples: they are always on the run for terrorists but they will never share intelligence information because both of them think of becoming better than the other. This is the reason why a lot of operations fail sometimes. These groups must realize that the most effective method to defeat terrorism is to promote cooperation amongst group that aim to destabilize it. Until it is achieved, counterterrorism would always have a problem implementing its policies and plan of actions (Henry 2002). Moreover, most of the policies regarding anti terrorism around the world are being scrutinized by nations. The fact that September 11 attack was so sudden that nobody was able to foresee it questions the capability of the police, CIA and FBI. Now, the effectiveness of counterterrorism policies is in question. It even makes it hard for policy makers to gather intelligence information knowing that most of their policies which they have depended on for such a long time are starting to fail. This leads to a dilemma on whether or not the engagement rules of counterterrorist strategists must be changed (Shenon and Stout 2002, cited in Henry 2002). Conflicts around the world vary according to their nature and gravity. Therefore, every conflict has specific solution which cannot always be solved by bombing cities which the dominant forces feel as oppressors and counter-democratic. The single, short-sighted policy of the western hegemony has plowed hatred around the globe. If only the legislatures of the United Nations Security Council would pour painstaking intelligence effort to understand the real problem in a country, then there is a bigger probability that the conflict would not aggravate even more (Lee 2010). During the war in Korea, several personalities got involved in the intelligence gathering. Some lieutenants from Asia were sent to gain vital information for the war effort. Eventually, United States of America and South Korea learned that the People’s Republic of China and Russia were helping North Korea to win the war and take over the South. The plan could have been perfectly established if America had not known the tactics that the Chinese will do to prevent the reinforcements from other Southeast Asian countries to come. America was able to set-up a powerful blockade plan in the southern prefecture of Japan by sending hundreds of war ships and F-5 bombers at bay. South Korea on the other hand prepared land mines to be used against the advancing North. Had it not been for the intelligence gathering of United States and South Korea, the 38th parallel would have been inexistent today. Another important aspect of the war on terror is the digital warfare. Most terrorists are so good in computers that they could use it against the government through hacking and other web based propaganda. Therefore, it is only necessary for states to improve their digital technology. The problem now is that governments around the world cannot continue on limiting access of the internet because it is one of the civil liberties of the citizens. Without it, democracy would not be possible. It is a must for almost all democracies to strike a balance between civil liberty and application of security policies (Sims, 2007). There are glaring proofs that substantial intelligence in war could defeat even the strongest of the countries in the world; case in point is the Vietnam War. Also, through intelligence information, possible defeat despite the deceptions and dirty tactics of enemies could be prevented just like what happened in the Korean War. However, it must be taken into consideration that there are several challenges that countries face whenever they gather intelligence. First and foremost, terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas have ground level popular support because some of them are viewed as the heroes of their countries. This is exactly the reason how Osama bin Laden was able to support his activities. When Afghanistan was invaded by Russian forces, the CIA and FBI trained Afghan militias to fight against the Russians. This was the time when Osama bin Laden formed the Mujahideen, a group which aims to fight against the invading Russian forces. America gave them training and eventually left them when Russians were already driven out of Afghanistan. Mujahideen disintegrated to several groups which also aim to protect the people of Middle East. No wonder why the people of Afghanistan hate United States so much. America has tried several efforts to reconcile with the Islam region of the world but the people themselves do not want to integrate with the west. For US to effectively gather information from people it must either pay handsome amount to some non-credible sources or they have to torture suspected supporters of terrorists groups. Loyalty of the local populace is one of the biggest problems of intelligence gathering in whatever part of the globe. Blood is thicker than water. Sometimes, no matter how heavy the price is, the people of Afghanistan and other Middle Eastern countries are still willing to pay just so they could protect the militias of their lands. It will take time before the west could get the full support of the Islamic world. And until such time, the intelligence sources gathering will be hampered (Reed and Ward 2007). Another challenge in collecting intelligence from sources is the idea of an internal problem from the ones who are supposed to gather intelligence. This means that some of the government officials and security personnel are incompetent for their jobs. A good example would be how the Korean War lasted for almost two decades. It is primarily because of the lack of sufficient knowledge of the officials regarding the terrain; thus they did not know the best attack style to use. On the higher note, McArthur even ordered the use of Atomic Bomb in Korea, something that led to his dismissal as the highest in command during that war. Moreover, there are several people in the military who were not able to receive the proper training according to the duties they are attending. The conscription of young Americans during the Vietnam War has created a population of soldiers who did not even know how to properly use a gun. This has led to the failure of the supposed intelligence information that the troops could have gotten in the field. But because of the lack of training and desperation of the Allied forces to send more troops in Vietnam, the intelligence gathering operation of Vietnam was put into a halt. Finally, the attitudes of the troops at the ground make it impossible to get substantial information from people. The Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq is one of the best examples to show how incompetent troops are. They took several pictures of Iraqis that they were torturing to get information about the location of Saddam Hussein and the regime’s weapons of mass destruction. This has led to the deaths of several innocent Iraqis and the anger of many others. After several tortures, not a single weapon of mass destruction was found in Iraq (Hersh 2004). Conclusion Even in wars, it is necessary to treat the enemy combatants as people. Salvation of humanity and humanitarian principles are the main reason why countries go to war and these values must be preserved no matter what. Intelligence is crucial element of success of every war. Also, cooperation between the ones gathering intelligence is crucial because intelligence information makes or unmakes the war effort. Through intelligence, warring parties will be able to measure the capability of each other and proper responses and measures could be applied. The absence of intelligence information in war is like a country sending its soldiers to hell. The post-conflict Middle East after the ousting of Saddam Hussein and the installation of Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan is still in question until now. The way laws are being applied must always take into consideration the civil liberties of those affected. Once the people think that their government is there to spy on them and not to help them, loyalty and the mandate of the people will be in question. Homeland security could only be achieved if people themselves are cooperating with the counterterrorist units, until then, security will always be a question. People are continually supporting the militant groups who are seen as heroes to some parts of the country. The incompetence and brutal treatment of soldiers to the citizens of invaded states have increased the possibility of aggravating the conflict against the liberalizing force. Therefore it is a must for countries to study the proper actions in every situation and prevent the blocks along the way of intelligence gathering. This is the only way in which states could win the war against terrorism (Caruson 2004). References Addicott, Jeffrey F. and Michael T. McCaul. The protect america act of 2007: A framework for improving intelligence collection in the war on terror. Texas Review of Law & Politics 13, no. 1 (Fall2008, 2008). : 43-71, http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=aph&AN=36492364&site=ehost-live. Caruson, Kiki. Mission impossible? the challenge of implementing an integrated homeland security strategy. Journal of Homeland Security & Emergency Management 1, no. 4 (10, 2004). : 1-22, http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=tsh&AN=15215245&site=ehost-live. Henry, Vincent E. The need for a coordinated and strategic local police approach to terrorism: A practitioners perspective. Police Practice & Research 3, no. 4 (12, 2002). : 319-336, http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=aph&AN=11437326&site=ehost-live. Hersh, Seymour. 2004. Torture at Abu Ghraib. The New Yorker. May 10, 2004. http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2004/05/10/040510fa_fact. (accessed September 18, 2010) Lee, Roger. 2010. The war list. The History Guy. http://www.historyguy.com/War_list.html. (accessed September 18, 2010) Reed, Warren and Christopher J. Ward. Liberating intelligence from suffocating bureaucracy. National Observer no. 74 (Spring2007, 2007). : 37-53, http://search.ebscohost.com/ login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=27746026&site=ehost-live. Sims, Jennifer. Intelligence to counter terror: The importance of all-source fusion. Intelligence & National Security 22, no. 1 (02, 2007). : 38-56, http://search.ebscohost.com/ login.aspx?direct=true&db=tsh&AN=24404816&site=ehost-live. Winston, Thomas. Intelligence challenges in tracking terrorist internet fund transfer activities. International Journal of Intelligence & Counter Intelligence 20, no. 2 (Summer2007, 2007). : 327-343, http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=tsh&AN=24153790&site=ehost-live. Does the nexus between certain terrorist organizations and criminal activities present opportunities, obstacles or both to counterterrorism? Characterization Military strikes are not the only weapons of the West to destabilize terrorist groups around the world. It also employs tactics such as economic blockade and ransom money for those who could give information regarding the whereabouts of terrorists. The cooperation between terrorist groups and criminal activities are increasing every year primarily because both are seeking to sustain their existence. Criminal organizations think that it is best for their interest to get the help of terrorist groups which are highly experienced and fearless when it comes to criminal activities. Because of this, the goal of western countries around the world to exterminate terrorist groups is becoming more difficult. Therefore there is a need for more and more cooperation between anti-terrorist forces. Terrorist finds the post-conflict Middle Eastern fertile for annexing their cooperation with criminal activities for these places have people desperate to live and to be given life. The promise of a good cooperation between terrorist groups and criminal organizations makes the nexus between the two even stronger (Oehme 2008). Analysis The post-conflict Afghanistan left a lot of questions in its wake: what happens to the extremists now; what to do of the Jihadists and the nationalists. All of these questions were in the minds of people left in the Afghan grounds. It’s a common knowledge that after every conflict, locals are not trusting of the forces that did the intervention to the country for they do not see them as liberators. Terrorist groups such as the Al Qaeda are there to help build the nexus of terrorist activities thus making it harder for other states to oppose terrorism (Oehme 2008). The continuous loss of members of terrorist groups because of ground fighting or torture by their opponents, the terrorists resort to criminal activities such as kidnapping, hi-jacking, rape and assassination of important people around the world so that they could get more money. The most popular kidnap for ransom group in the world is the Somali pirates. It is said that they have mutual connections with Hezbollah and other terrorist groups. Somali pirates get cargoes, people and sometimes ships which happen to pass by Somali waters and neighboring seas. United Nations do not encourage countries and families affected to pay any amount. But nobody could blame the families and countries from paying especially if the one at stake is an important personality or expensive goods. This has become another challenge for the armies of the west to solve. United States and United Kingdom have sent several Navy SEALs missions to Somalia specifically to eradicate members of the Somali pirates, but it seems like Somali pirates are harder now because they have support from other terrorist groups. The major disadvantage of the nexus of terrorist groups to criminal activities is that the force of the terrorist groups and the gravity of the criminal activities are increasing overtime making it even harder for Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency to solve the problem. Moreover, terrorist groups already have a certain underground connection with each other making it harder for the military to run after them. Even if groups like Taliban will be kicked out of Afghanistan, they are more likely to go to another place and they will be openly welcomed by groups in which they have shared operations with. This means that these militants could literally go around the world without being captured. Terrorist groups around the world are focusing on methods and not motives. This means that they are doing their best to cooperate with each other to strengthen their holds in different parts of the world (Shelley et al. 2005). States around the world are so worried about the increasing contact of terrorist groups with criminal organizations because they would have more chance of financing themselves; thus, this would increase the vulnerability of countries (Rollins 2010). The nexus of terrorist and criminal groups has also reached other ventures such as drugs and prostitution which is very rampant in certain African nations. Local criminal groups are willing to give help to terrorist groups for they get benefits in return. This scenario has made it almost impossible for states around the world to know who their enemies and the friends of enemies are (Andres 2008). On the higher note, when terrorist groups choose to have links with criminal activities, what happens is that they get to use their expertise in terrorism such as bombing, assassination and the like to make sure that their criminal activities will even be more successful. Moreover, these terrorist groups do not have any fear in executing crimes considering that most of them are even willing to commit suicide bombing. The absence of fear and the presence of expertise are such a deadly combination which seems too much for the military to respond to. Even if they do, two things could happen: one, some terrorists could be killed on site ending a specific criminal activity or the military might take cautious steps when attacking the terrorist groups because they are aware that these people have hostages on hand. Counterterrorism then is even more weakened and challenged at the same time now that terrorists have a stable source of income (Farell 2010). On the other hand, there are advantages if terrorist groups will try to have links with criminal activities. The assumption when it comes to terrorism studies is that the terrorists only have a hundred percent capacity to perform terror (regardless of the level of power). This means that if they will deviate their attention from fighting the military troops in their homelands say South Waziristan in Afghanistan then terrorist will surely have hard time balancing the two activities which would result to the defeat of their forces to either or both of their activities. It is a good thing for counterterrorism now that there will be demise in the force of terrorist. Also, the nature of the terrorist groups is that they are hiding and are trying to stay out of the public eye as much as possible. If they will commit certain crimes around the globe, the possibility that they might be identified is high. To be able to mix with tourists, which are often the targets, terrorist have to show themselves as civilians, hence the people around them will be able to recognize them even if they have already done the job. Moreover, there is a possibility that terrorist groups will be having problems when it comes to the parting of their money from the criminal activities they have done. The nature of man is to be greedy and thus, the internal organization of the group will be endangered. Lastly, the support of the groups from the populace will be harmed. Terrorist groups are strong because they are supported by the people for they represent their ideology. But by the time that the people realize that the group works because of money and not of ideology then the grassroots support will be gone. Conclusion Links to criminal activities could strengthen a terrorist group in a sense that it would have more income than they usually had and that they could use their expertise to their criminal activities. On the other hand, it would be extremely advantageous for counterterrorism if terrorist groups will have several focal points of operation instead of just one, which would weaken the groups’ ground forces. Eventually, if the people would understand that the true intention of the group is not to represent the people’s ideology then terrorists would lose the support of the people that once treated them as heroes. References Andres, Amado Philip. West Africa under attack: drugs, organized crime and terrorism as the new threats to global security. UNISCI Discussion Papers 16 (01, 2008). : 203-227. Farell, Stephen. 2010. Suicide bomber kills dozens in attack on Iraqi army recruits. New York Times: Middle East. August 17, 2010. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/18/world/middleeast/18iraq.html?_r=1. (accessed September 17, 2010) Oehme, Chester G. Terrorists, insurgents, and criminals - growing nexus? Studies in Conflict & Terrorism 31, no. 1 (01, 2008). : 80-93, http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=tsh&AN=28111306&site=ehost-live. Rollins, John. 2010. International terrorism and transnational crime: security threat, U.S. policy, and considerations for congress. Congressional Research Service. Shelley, Louise. 2005. Methods and motives: exploring links between transnational organized crime and international terrorism. U.S. Department of Justice. Read More