Program Related Publication Feeds

Needed: A National Economic Security Lens

ecurran — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Last October, a U.S. intelligence report to Congress revealed that foreign economic espionage worth billions of dollars is being driven by China and Russia and represents a “significant and growing” threat to the nation’s prosperity and security.

CQ HOMELAND SECURITY—Homeland Security Experts Weigh In

ian — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Reprinted with permission.

With the New Year beginning, CQ has asked dozens of homeland security experts in the public, private, and academic sectors to weigh in on the lessons of 2011 and what 2012 holds in store. The answers provided by Rick “Ozzie” Nelson of CSIS are excerpted here.

Abu Sayyaf Group

jdunton — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Founded in the early 1990s as a Filipino Muslim (Moro) terrorist organization, the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) emerged as a more violent Islamist alternative to the stagnated political movements of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). ASG strove to create an independent Islamic state in the southern Philippines.

Jemaah Islamiyah

jdunton — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) was created by Abdullah Sungkar and Abu Bakar Ba’asyir, two Indonesian extremists who fled to Malaysia in 1985. In exile, the two men began dispatching fighters to join the growing ranks of international Muslim volunteers seeking to repel the Red Army from Afghanistan.

The New Executive Order on Information Security: Managing the Balance between Sharing and Safeguarding

sherry — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

On Friday, October 7, the White House released a new Executive Order, “Structural Reforms to Improve the Security of Classified Networks and the Responsible Sharing and Safeguarding of Classified Information.” This order, signed by the president and carrying the force of law, seeks to improve the governance of classified systems and reduce network vulnerabilities to ensure that the

TSA PreCheck Screening Initiative

sherry — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

On October 4, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced a new pilot program to pre-screen domestic airline passengers. The TSA PreCheck Initiative will provide expedited screening to individuals who voluntarily provide information about themselves to security officials.

Maghrebian Militant Maneuvers: AQIM as a Strategic Challenge

ecurran — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Even as Libyan rebels seize Tripoli and Colonel Muammar el-Qaddafi’s repressive regime crumbles, the potential for violence stemming from North Africa may be growing. The Libyan conflict and the larger “Arab Spring” may represent a boon for one of al Qaeda’s most seasoned affiliates, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

Information Sharing in Security and Counterterrorism

ian — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

This fall, the CSIS Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Program continues its second year-long series on information sharing in security and counterterrorism, sponsored by IBM.

Confronting an Uncertain Threat

jdunton — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Al Qaeda and associated movements (AQAM) have become an increasingly diffuse security threat. Although the Afghanistan-Pakistan borderlands may have represented the epicenter of global terrorism in the past decade, al Qaeda’s various regional affiliates are growing in prominence.

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb

jdunton — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) emerged from a decades-long militant Islamist tradition in Algeria. In 1998, the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (Groupe Salafiste pour la Prédication et le Combat, or GSPC) broke away from the Armed Islamic Group (Groupe Islamique Armé, or GIA) because of the GIA’s extensive targeting of civilians.

International Standardization of Air Passenger and Cargo Screening

sherry — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Despite efforts by the United States and other nations to strengthen passenger and cargo screening procedures and technology, civil aviation remains a favored target of international terrorists.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula

jdunton — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) emerged in January 2009 from the union of two preexisting militant groups: al Qaeda in Yemen (AQY) and al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia.1 Both organizations included several combatants that fought against the Soviets in Afghanistan with Osama bin Laden.

Al Shabaab

jdunton — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Al Shabaab is an al Qaeda-affiliated organization that has risen rapidly to prominence in the midst of Somalia’s decades-long anarchy. The group has experienced two dramatic transformations in its short history.

Information Sharing in 2011 and Beyond: Remaining Challenges and Opportunities

sherry — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

This summer, the CSIS Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Program begins its second annual year-long series on information sharing in security and counterterrorism, sponsored by IBM. Last year’s events examined information sharing from a range of perspectives.

The New National Strategy for Counterterrorism

sherry — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

On Wednesday, the White House released the new National Strategy for Counterterrorism.

Global Forecast 2011

jdunton — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

What Bin Laden’s Death Means for Al Qaeda

ian — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Intelligence exploited from Osama bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, revealed that the late al Qaeda leader exerted greater operational and tactical infl uence on the organization than previously thought.

Al Qaeda in Iraq

jdunton — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Founded in October 2004, al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) emerged from a transnational terrorist group created and led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The original iteration of the group, Bayat al Imam, began in Jordan in the early 1990s. The group first associated with al Qaeda’s senior leadership in 1999 and fought alongside al Qaeda core and the Taliban during the U.S.

Continuing to Do More with Less? DHS and the FY2012 Budget

sherry — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Last Thursday, the House of Representatives passed a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations bill for the coming fiscal year. By some estimates, H.R. 2017 would cut around $1 billion in DHS funding from FY2011 levels.

Natural Disasters: Strategic Rhetoric and Practical Action In The EU, U.S., and Transatlantic Partnership

ian — Tue, 24 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The human costs of natural disasters are well-known. The January 2010 Haiti earthquake has
accounted for around 250,000 fatalities, drawing comparisons to the equally-tragic 2004 Indian Ocean
tsunami, which killed more than 230,000 people. And natural disasters do not merely strike poor or
developing countries; the 2010 Chilean earthquake killed more than 500 people, and more than 1,800

The FY2011 Budget and Homeland Security Grant Funding

sherry — Thu, 19 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Congress recently passed a budget that cuts billions in spending through the end of the 2011 fiscal year. Among the federal departments and agencies that must make do with less is the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Counter-Piracy in the Arabian Sea

Mon, 09 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Piracy not only threatens to disrupt maritime trade in the region that Gulf economies depend on, it also undermines confidence in the ability of regional governmnets to address security challenges in their own "backyard." The problem provides a unique opportunity for local actors, most importantly the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations, to demonstrate initiative and exercise

What Bin Laden's death means for U.S. policy

mentman — Tue, 03 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

For most of the past decade, Osama bin Laden defined U.S. national security policy. Now that the man behind the 11 September 2001 attacks has finally been brought to justice, President Barack Obama has an opportunity to re-shape the direction of his foreign policy.

The March 11 Earthquake: Where Things Stand

ian — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Q1: Where do things stand in Japan?

A Threat Transformed

jdunton — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

National Information Sharing Initiatives and the Department of State:

mentman — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

On December 25, 2009, a 23-year old Nigerian named Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab unsuccessfully tried to detonate an improvised explosive device aboard a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. The so-called “Christmas Day plot” put counterterrorism-related information sharing in the national spotlight once again. A May 2010 report on the incident by the U.S.

Global Migration, Border Security, and Information Sharing

ian — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) established the United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) Program in 2003. US-VISIT underpins DHS’s immigration management and border control efforts by collecting biometric information, such as digital fingerprints and photographs, on most non-U.S.

AQAP in Yemen

mentman — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Q1: Last Friday, two suspicious packages were discovered aboard cargo and passenger flights originating in Yemen and bound for the United States. Reports suggest this may have been a failed bombing attempt by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), a terrorist group based in Yemen. What do we know about AQAP and its role in this plot?

The End of SBInet?

mentman — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Q1: There was growing evidence last week that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will scrap plans for a “virtual fence” along the U.S.-Mexico border. Why?

Five Years After Katrina

mentman — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The recent five-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina brought about a flurry of public retrospectives on what has and has not changed since one of America’s most tragic natural disasters. The most prominent of these was President Obama’s speech at Xavier University on August 29.

The First DHS Bottom-up Review

mentman — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400

In February, at the direction of Congress, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued its first Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR), which outlined high-level, national strategic priorities for the country’s “homeland security enterprise.” In July, DHS issued a follow-up report, the Bottom-Up R

An Ambitious Approach to Information Sharing

mentman — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400

In the midst of two major wars and international counterterrorism operations, it may be difficult to recall that the September 11, 2001, attacks had roots not only in Afghanistan but also in Florida and Minnesota. That is a point stressed by developers of the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) Initiative, or the NSI.Policymakers have spent the last few years shaping the NSI.

About that Oil Spill … Welcome to Washington, Mr. Cameron

ian — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Q1: British prime minister David Cameron will visit with President Obama on July 20. What will they talk about?

Border Security in a Time of Transformation

jdunton — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The September 11, 2001, attacks transformed American and international conceptions of border control. The U.S. government, for instance, had traditionally viewed border control as a mostly customs- and immigration-based challenge. But after 9/11, policymakers and officials increasingly viewed borders as potential points of entry for would-be terrorists.

A Growing Terrorist Threat?

jdunton — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Five events during the fall of 2009 thrust concerns over “homegrown” terrorism—or extremist violence perpetrated by U.S. legal residents and citizens1 —into public view:

The First Quadrennial Homeland Security Review

sherry — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Q1: What is the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review?

Homegrown Terrorism Fact Sheet

ian — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Five events during the fall of 2009 thrust concerns over “homegrown extremism”—or terrorist activity perpetrated by U.S. legal residents and citizens—into public view:

The Case for an Afghanistan Timeline

sherry — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Q1: Last week President Obama announced that U.S. troops will begin withdrawing from Afghanistan in July 2011. What exactly does this entail?

President Obama at West Point

sherry — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

After much anticipation, President Obama last night announced his revamped war strategy for Afghanistan: a 30,000-troop buildup intended to reverse Taliban gains, increase the capability of the Afghan National Army and police, shore up the Karzai government, and begin withdrawals of U.S. forces by 2011.

Q1: What does the new strategy entail?

The Global Forum on Biorisks

jdunton — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

For more than 15 years, policymakers and security analysts have been concerned that governments, terrorists, or even a crazed individual would misuse the rapid advances in the life sciences to cause widespread death and disruption.

Iraq versus Afghanistan: A Surge Is Not a Surge Is Not a Surge

ian — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400

One critical component in the current debate on whether to surge more U.S. forces into Afghanistan centers on popular conceptions about the surge in Iraq. Those advocating an Afghan surge argue that what worked in Iraq will work in Afghanistan; skeptics contend that conditions are quite different.

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Intelligence Gathering Is Compatible with Counterterrorism

ian — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Q1: Proponents of counterinsurgency, or COIN, argue that intelligence gathering in support of operations against al Qaeda and Taliban militants will be irreparably damaged if the Obama administration pursues a counterterrorism strategy instead of COIN in Afghanistan. Is this necessarily true?

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The Other Side of the COIN

sherry — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400

On the heels of General Stanley McChrystal’s proposal for an overhaul of U.S. and NATO strategy in Afghanistan, the Obama administration is holding a series of high-level meetings to review the war. They will confront no shortage of questions and concerns about the direction of the current policy.

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The Other-White-Meat Flu

Fri, 01 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400

The 100-day president is going through some tough times: a crashed economy, two foreign wars, and now an outbreak of influenza that is on the verge of being declared a pandemic.

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Restoring American Influence and Security through Service, Education, and Exchange

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Standing before a special joint session of the United States Congress on September 20th shortly after the 2001 terrorist attacks on America, President George W. Bush posed the following seminal question of America’s post 9-11 experience: “Why do they hate us?” Why do terrorists, inspired by a perversion of Islam, seek to kill Americans on a massive scale?

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Special Brief: Homeland Security in an Obama Administration

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0500

With all the pageantry of presidential conventions, the intensity of the financial crisis and bailing out of Wall Street, the off-again-on-again debates about Iraq and the surge, the discussions on health care, taxes, and energy policy, one critical issue was absent from the national dialogue in the campaigns this year: homeland security.

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Homeland Security 3.0

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

In 2004, a task force chaired by homeland security experts from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the Heritage Foundation (and consisting of representatives from academia, research centers, the private sector, and congressional staffs) presented its conclusions in “DHS 2.0: Rethinking the Department of Homeland Security.” Their report evaluated the capaci

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Analysis of the National Counterterrorism Center Annual Report on Terrorism

Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Despite local and international efforts, the number of attacks worldwide have remained constant and still up sharply since 2005.

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Science and Technology

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0500

American excellence in science and technology underlies this nation’s economic performance, quality of life, and national security, contributing both to its ability to project hard power and to articulate and enhance soft power.

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Synthetic Genomics

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Gene and genome synthesis, that is, constructing long stretches of DNA from constituent chemicals, provides scientists with new and unparalleled capabilities both for understanding biology and for using it for beneficial purposes. But along with new capabilities come new risks.

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