The Responsibilities of Department of Homeland Security - Essay Example

Terrorism Q The Department of Homeland Security manages the activities of many federal agencies, and White suggests inclusion of state and local law enforcement in this security effort makes sense, but several factors work against change. Discus these factors and suggest changes that should be made. Since the September 11 terrorist attack in the U.S., the Department of Homeland Security was created and has been challenged in terms of finding ways to strengthen its local and state security against terrorism. Although the suggestion made by White may sound reasonable at first, promoting the need for inclusion of the state and local law enforcement may not always work effectively in terms of enabling the Department of Homeland Security to manage and prevent the untoward incidence of terrorist attacks. Since the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, it is the Office of State and Local Governments Cooperation and Preparedness (SLGCP) has been officially in-charge of developing the terrorism preparedness plan. (RAND, 2009) Although it is easy for the Homeland Security to develop a universal plan on how to counteract possible terrorist attack, it will remain a challenge on the part of Homeland Security to successfully implement and monitor the adaptation of a universal terrorism preparedness strategy given that the United States has as much as 50 state and 209 local law enforcement agencies. To be able to successfully implement the inclusion of the state and local law enforcement agencies, the Homeland Security will need to invest a large sum of money on the training costs and good quality communication equipments (RAND, 2009). Aside from hiring competitive individuals who will work as secret agents, the use of good communication equipments will enable the newly trained professionals to effectively monitor any possible signs of terrorist attack. By tracking down possible treats coming from terrorist attackers, the U.S. government via Homeland Security will be able to protect the civilians from becoming a victim of violent acts. Other suggested recommendations include: (1) the promotion of intelligence-led policing; (2) community policing; (3) developing a good partnership role with the private business sector; and (4) investing on the use of closed-circuit cameras which will be placed on the streets among others (Safe Cities Project 2006, pp. 3 – 5). Q.2 Discuss at length why the media, including movies and the Internet, are considered a force multiplier for terrorists. Provide one example of this multiplier in action. Terrorism is defined as “political violence in an asymmetrical conflict designed to induce terror and psychic fear through violent victimization and destruction of non-combatant targets” (Bockstette, 2008). Since the terrorists are unable to kill their target political and military figures, these people usually end up attacking and killing the civilians to capture the attention of the government. In other words, the terrorists’ effort to cause physical harm and fear to the general public can force the government to compromise with what the terrorists demanded (Pfaff, 2002). For many years, the close relationship between terrorism and the media has been considered as an effective force multiplier for terrorists (Kachan, 2009). Since the use of the media enables the terrorists to capture the attention of its target viewers, some terrorists had been trying to manipulate the media as a way of getting their message either within a geographic region, a society, a country or all over the world. Aiming to reach a short- and mid-term political goal(s), the media is considered as a force multiplier for terrorism (Bockstette, 2008). In general, television news report can be used as a primary tool to arouse the anger of the opponent. This can be done by exaggerating or twisting the truth behind the news report. For instance: During and right after the September 11 tragedy, television networks were very active in delivering news report within the national and international level. Since the Bush administration was able to successfully manipulate and make use of the media to capture the sentiment of the Americans who were a victim of the tragic event, the Bush administration was able to make use of the incidence as an excuse to cause tragedy in Afghanistan and Iraq which they claim as the terrorist attackers (Purpura 2008, p. 5; Kazoun, 2003). In this particular example, President Bush labeled their opponents as ‘terrorists’ which increases their political power to convince the people to support the war in Iraq (White 2001, p. 6). Q.3 Discuss the differences between ethnic and nationalistic terrorism and provide at least one example for both types. When we talk about ethnic group, we are actually referring to a group of human beings that has identical ancestry or identity related to cultural similarities, language used, religious beliefs and practices, or behavioral patterns (Smith, 1987). For instance: A group of migrants residing in a country can be considered as an ethnic group. On the other hand, a nationality is referring to “a person’s legal relationship to a legal system or a set of laws” (Wilson, 2008). Legally speaking, a nationality can be acquired either by birth, by blood, or by naturalization. Based on the definition of ethnic group, ethnic terrorism is referring to a situation that arises when a political or social struggle is present within a particular ethnic group. For instance: With the purpose of economic exploitation, a group of military people could easily conquer an ethnic tribe by inflicting ethnic terrorism (Smith J. B., 2005). This is possible provided that the ethnic tribe does not have a strong group of leaders that can effectively rule and protect the people from abusive group of individuals. On the other hand, a national terrorism occurs when terrorists attack not only within an ethnic tribe but within a countrywide context. A good example of a nationalistic terrorism is the case of Chechen nationalists who fought for its separation from Russia. (Pfaff, 2002) The group of terrorists would be very happy to jeopardize the administration of President Putin. However, the security that surrounds the president was strong enough not to give the terrorists a chance to take actions. Q.4 Many American police departments have not prepared for terrorism. The author of your text Terrorism and Homeland Security by Jonathan R. White suggests the problem lies in conceptualizing terrorism in the U.S. Discuss the problems local law enforcement have in conceiving of terrorism. There are many reasons that can cause the local police department unable to prepare themselves for terrorist attacks. One of the main problems lies behind the duties and responsibilities of the local law enforcement agencies to secure the safety of the local people against criminal activities like stealing, homicide, vandalizing of public and private properties, rape cases, drug dealings or the use of illegal drugs, and domestic violence among others. In general, the local law enforcement group unable to protect the people against terrorism because of the fact that most of the local American police officers are more focused on solving and preventing petty crimes rather than searching for strategic ways to counteract terrorism. Due to the high number of local crime that occurs each day, the local U.S. law enforcement agencies are left with no other choice but to maintain its focus on solving a long list of local issues. *** End *** References: Bockstette, C. (2008, December). Retrieved January 12, 2009, from Geprge C. Marshall: European Center for Securitiy Studies. Jihadist Terrorist Use of strategic Communication Management Techniques. No. 20. ISSN 1863-6039: http://www.marshallcenter.org/site-graphic/lang-de/page-pubs-index-1/static/xdocs/research/static/occpapers/occ-paper_20-en.pdf Kachan, L. (2009). Retrieved January 12, 2009, from The Media in Terror Analysing Reportage from Theatres of Conflict: http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/publication/faultlines/volume8/Article2.htm Kazoun, J. (2003, June 2). Arabic News. Retrieved January 12, 2009, from The politics of terrorism is very bad politics: http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/030602/2003060227.html Pfaff, W. (2002, January 10). International Herald Tribune. Retrieved January 12, 2009, from The Politics of Terrorism, or Civilians vs. Civilians: http://www.commondreams.org/views02/0110-03.htm Purpura, P. P. (2008). Terrorism and Homeland Security: An Introduction with Applications. Butterworth-Heinemann . RAND Infrastructure, Sfety, and Environment. (2009). Retrieved January 13, 2009, from How Prepared Are State and Local Law Enforcement for Terrorism?: http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9093/RAND_RB9093.pdf Safe Cities Project. (2006, January). Retrieved January 13, 2009, from HARD WON LESSONS: THE NEW PARADIGM—MERGING LAW ENFORCEMENT AND COUNTERTERRORISM STRATEGIES: http://www.manhattan-institute.org/pdf/scr_04.pdf Smith, A. (1987). The Ethnic Origins of Nations. Oxford: Blackwell. Smith, J. B. (2005, March 6). Retrieved January 13, 2009, from Colonialism - A Catalyst for Ethnic Terrorism. How has colonialism influenced the development of terrorism?? : http://www.whisprwave.com/msu-hs-class/issues-in-terrorism/colonialism-ethnic-terrorism.htm White, J. R. (2001). Terrorism: An Introduction. 3rd Ed. Wadsworth Thomson Learning . Wilson, W. (2008, November 28). APSU. Retrieved January 13, 2009, from Ethno-nationalist Terrorism: A nations honor is dearer than a nations comfort: http://www.apsu.edu/oconnort/3400/3400lect03.htm Read More