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7/28/2019 A New Paradigm: Homeland Security in the 21st Century
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The Champion Brand | Global is Local | Know Whats Next | Integrated Insights | Return on Reputation
A New Paradigm:Homeland Security in the 21st CenturyMarc Ginsberg, ormer U.S. ambassador to Morocco
and noted Middle East expert, provided context or the
alleged attackers stating that Dagestan is ground zero or
Al Qaeda operations in Russia and the northern Caucasus.
There is a direct connection among Aghanistan, Pakistan,
Al Qaeda and the separatist insurgency that is ghting
Russia in that region; evidenced in the recent attacks in
Moscow and St. Petersburg.
In February 2011, the organization that one o the allegedBoston bombers went to visit in Dagestan was declared
a terrorist organization by the United States. There have
been several instances where unassimilated youth who
have radicalized themselves on the internet take trips
to Pakistan or in this case extensively or six months to a
place like Dagestan, where visiting grandma was not the
rst objective. The U.S. ederal government should have
a way o more eectively fagging extended trips to known
regions o terrorist training, particularly where there is a
direct connection with radicalizing websites. This gap in
the system needs to be lled.
John Magaw, ounding director o the TransportationSecurity Administration and ormer director o the U.S.
Secret Service, remarked that any high-prole event
around the world is not without risk. Terrorism is here to
stay and is here or the oreseeable uture. The best hope
we have is intelligence, better communication, better
evaluation and sharing this inormation among appropriate
agencies. The United States is still not perect at sharing
inormation - even between local law enorcement. It is
improving, and, as that intelligence is better shared, we
are better able to connect the dots and prevent attacks.
With regard to the older brother, U.S. systems broke
down because there was a misspelling in his name. Thatis not excusable, and, with todays technology, we can
quickly correct those kinds o situations. Regardless, no
amount o precautionary measures will ever make an event
completely sae, but we should always work to reduce the
threat as much as we can.
Former 9/11 commissioner and U.S. ambassador to India
Tim Roemer laid out ve key questions that need to be
answered thoughtully and thoroughly by the global
Ten days ater the terrorist attack at the BostonMarathon, APCO Worldwides InternationalAdvisory Council met to discuss homeland security
around the globe. Is the global community saer ater
9/11? What are some lessons learned rom earlier terror
attacks in London, Madrid and Mumbai that can make
us all more secure? Was the Boston bombing a sign that
America has become complacent? These questions and
more were addressed by our distinguished IAC when
they gathered in April 2013.>>
7/28/2019 A New Paradigm: Homeland Security in the 21st Century
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community in the wake o Boston. First, what does the 9/11
experience teach us about radicalization and what have we
learned rom events like the 2008 Mumbai attack and 7/7
in the UK? The 9/11 Commission recommended a layered
security system with checks, balances and resilience.
A key point among this was improving intelligence in
local communities and intelligence overseas to learn o
potential terror plots. We ultimately need to determine
what worked well here and what did not.
Second, was there an intelligence ailure at the FBI,
or was there a ailure to share inormation among the
FBI, DHS and the CIA? As we learn how and where the
alleged Boston bombers were radicalized, the U.S.
ederal government should examine whether actionable
intelligence was shared appropriately between agencies
and governments. We know that the liaison services, in
this case in Russia, shared certain inormation with the
United States, but we do not know the thoroughness o
that inormation. We need to know precisely what this
inormation was and what details were provided to the FBI
and CIA beore we can conclude i mistakes were made.
Third, what was their lie like on the internet? As the FBI
continues its investigation, it will be very important to learn
i they were radicalized primarily on the web. Previous
cases in the UK, Germany and France could help us
investigate this process o radicalization.
Fourth, what eect will the bombings in Boston have on
immigration? The United States is presently engaged in an
immigration debate as the Gang o Eight pushes orward
a comprehensive immigration bill in Congress. The
Boston bombers were both immigrants, and we already
knew there were faws in the present system. We should
take the opportunity with immigration reorm to x those
problems. We also know there are 11 million people in
the United States living outside the system. Lets x that.
However, as a nation o immigrants, we should not turn
our backs on a vital resource to our country that helps us
grow economically, that brings in some o the smartest
people in the world and that helps us oster greater
innovation. For every two terrorists, there are thousands
o good people that come into this country and help build
our economy and our universities. We will continue to
have home-grown terrorists; it is not a problem that will go
away. The United States has suered the attacks o Eric
Rudolph, a home-grown terrorist who bombed the AtlantaOlympics; Timothy McVeigh, who bombed the Alred P.
Murrah ederal building in Oklahoma City; and Michael
Page, a white supremacist who attacked the Sikh temple
in Wisconsin. We have to be able to deal with both, and
shutting our borders will not solve our security problems.
Fith, what is the balance between civil liberties and
national security? There are going to be more cameras
and security sensors. It is quite possible next year that
hand-launched drones, disguised as seagulls, will track
the entire 26.2 miles o the marathon course in Boston.
There is going to be an eort to do increasingly more with
technology, which will also create many new opportunities
or the private sector operating in the elds o homeland
security and cybersecurity. Much o this needs to be done;
however, it should be structured so that our civil libertiesand civil rights are protected.
Laurens Jan Brinkhorst, ormer minister o economic aairs
in the Netherlands and director general with the European
Commission, remarked that Europe and America are
basically in the same boat. Europe had a terrible event last
year in Norway where about 70 youngsters were killed.
Very recently in Holland, a cell o Jihadist immigrants has
gone to Syria to join the ght, probably on the side o Al
Qaeda against President Assad, so we are aced with a
very complex issue.
Although we have made a lot o improvements since 9/11,
there are limits to the extraordinary deenses which have
been erected over the last 12 years, including the
sel-radicalization o individuals, both oreign and
domestic. There is a balance to be struck between the
impact on civil liberties and the impact which can be made
by security, intelligence gathering and so on. Democracy
is what binds us and is the crucial element; we must never
bow to the threats o terrorism.
In sum, the main challenges to homeland security, and the
key takeaways rom our discussion include:
1) The United States needs to be more vigilant and
develop a ramework or better fagging travel to areas o
known terrorist activity. Our best deense is better sharing
o inormation, less stove-piping o sensitive inormation
and improved intelligence gathering, including human
intelligence.
2) The development o new technologies and new
communications unctions provide opportunity or the
private sector, particularly in the eld o homeland security
and cybersecurity.
3) Congress should debate this issue contemplatively
and not reactively. There is a need to strike a balancebetween security and liberty, bearing in mind the words
o one o Americas great ounders, Benjamin Franklin.
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little
temporary saety deserve neither liberty nor saety.
2013 APCO Worldwide Inc. All rights reserved.
For more inormation, please visit www.apcoworldwide.com/orum
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