Information
Combating terrorism and prosecuting terrorist organizations is a cumbersome task for many countries and the international community. Definitional ambiguity, legislative constraints, and lack of resources are just some of the factors that limit governments. Comparably, technology, illegal funding, and the new media enable terrorist organizations to continue their operations. It is asymmetrical warfare with great implications for the United States’ homeland security. By now, you are familiar with a handful of terrorist organizations that have been engaging in terrorist activities across the world. Not all of them want to spread terror to the United States, but those that do are highly motivated and resourceful.
Instructions
For this assignment, you are required to use The Global Terrorism Database (GTD) (Links to an external site.)to identify recent terrorist attacks committed by an international terrorist organization. You have to report 2-3 attacks that this terrorist organization is responsible for. You can focus on one region, or a country, or pick any other category. Please watch the syllabus video to review the steps on how to navigate the database. You can use any organization examined by the GTD. For additional help with locating a group and seeing how the U.S. government designates terrorist organizations visit the Department of State’s Foreign Terrorist Organizations (Links to an external site.)website OR Office of the Director of National Intelligence-Counterterrorism (Links to an external site.).
Once you identify an international terrorist organization, you have to research the group’s historical and ideological background. That includes the group’s social and political contexts, motivation, and cultural characteristics. As you are doing your research consider the following questions:
Which tactics do they use?
What type category (according to the textbook) of terrorism does the group engage in? How does the GTD classify it?
Is the group’s strength/presence increasing globally?
How does the terrorist organization fund its operations?
Do they utilize the technology/media? And how? Were the attacks covered by the media?
Is the terrorist organization interacting with the technology to spread their ideologies and/or spread terror?
What is the relationship between the group and force multipliers?
What is the purpose of the group (motivation)
What is the ideology of the group?
Is the group is small-cell or a large cell? Do they have the capabilities to engage in a large-scale attack, and if yes, where?
The goal is to critically assess whether the terrorist organization you picked has the resources and motivations to threaten the United States. More importantly, does the group even have a reason to take on an enemy such as the United States? You can be creative and innovative, a small terrorist cell can specialize in cyberterrorism and attack the U.S. critical infrastructure. Likewise, an international terrorist group with resources and funding might not target the United States for fear of reciprocity.
Parameters
To receive full points for this assignment, you will have to submit:
A poster/iconography/print (10 points)
For example, 1-page poster can include a map, a graph, a table, or any other visual that is important to the understanding of the group’s ability to threaten the United States. The visual can cover the group’s operational capabilities, geographical and social relevance, or global impact. A visual, such as a graph or table, can include the number of injuries they caused, and the economic, human or social toll. You can analyze their organization chart or leadership structure. Is it their location, structure, operational capabilities, or funding that is making them dangerous? Your poster should catch the attention of the reader and be presented with a sense of urgency. The components you must include on your poster are the group name, a clear visual representation, and major talking points covered in the essay (bullet points or a list).
Short essay (10 points)
The paper, containing 3 paragraphs (14-20 sentences), should briefly explain the group’s historical development, ideological premise, operational capabilities, etc. The essay should answer the questions that guided your research. Why did you pick this group? Is it the group’s historical significance or potential for growth that makes this group stand out for you as a threat to the United States? Refer to the questions above. The goal is to critically assess whether the international terrorism will threaten the United States in the future.
Include these major points on your poster and use the paper as support or complementary material for the poster/visual. The essay should elaborate on the topic you presented with the poster and provide more substance to the topic. Provide an argument and support your position with evidence from the textbook. Follow general APA guidelines (12 font, Times-New Roman, double spaced; Introduction, Body, Conclusion) and include the Reference Page.
Submit the poster and the essay together as one submission. You can upload multiple files at once.