A New Paradigm: Homeland Security in the 21st Century

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  • 7/28/2019 A New Paradigm: Homeland Security in the 21st Century

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    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.>>

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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.

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