Terrorism Today (Essay Sample)

Terrorism Today Student’s Name: Institutional Affiliation: Course Name/Number: Instructor’s Name: Due Date: Terrorism Today Introduction Recent years have seen an increasing threat to the United States posed by terrorist organizations both domestic and international. This poses a unique challenge to national security and counter terrorism efforts, as the actors and practices used by these organizations are often new, unexpected, and difficult to predict. To help better understand this emerging threat, this discussion will explore some of the emerging terrorist threats and practices influencing the United States. This discussion will make use of reliable, up to date publications and news sources in order to examine the changing landscape of terrorist organizations and activities. Question One The greatest source of terrorism faced by the United States of America is transnational terrorism, according to a 2020 report from the RAND Corporation. Transnational terrorism, also known as “global terrorism” or “global jihad,” is defined as the coordinated attacks of ideologically motivated actors in different countries for causing political, religious, or economic change. In particular, the US is at heightened risk for transnational terrorism, since the US is a major global power, exerting influence and pressure on many different countries in a wide variety of ways. This has made the US a major target for transnational terrorism, and a top priority for organizations such as al-Qaeda, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and other extremist and militant groups (Krahman, 2020). Transnational terrorism has evolved over time, with the number and scale of attacks increasing, the techniques of terrorist organizations becoming more sophisticated, and the ability of terrorist groups to expand into different countries increasing as well. According to the RAND Corporation report, transnational terrorism “is evolving in nature, scope, and sophistication” and has “increasingly adopted new forms and methods.” These new forms of terrorism have included cyber attacks, using social media and the internet to spread propaganda and recruit, and developing more effective techniques to exploit porous borders, weak immigration laws, and underdeveloped transportation systems (Krahman, 2020). Question 2 One of the biggest threats that terrorists have recently started exploiting is the manipulation of the online environment. For example, terrorists have increasingly taken advantage of the spread of propaganda and disinformation on social media networks like Twitter, Face book, and YouTube in order to manipulate public opinion (Al-Rawi, 2020). In addition, these networks have been used to recruit new members, spread radical messages, and spread extremist content that can easily influence susceptible audiences. Furthermore, terrorists are leveraging technologies like block chain, cloud computing, and encrypted communication tools in order to increase their operational capabilities and anonymity. At the same time, the threat of weaponized drones and the prospect of deploying them against targets in the US is also growing. This is due to their affordability and the easy availability of parts and instructions for building drones. As such, the risk of attacks on critical infrastructure, public areas, and other places using drones is rising significantly. Furthermore, terrorist groups may use these drones as delivery platforms for weapons such as chemical or biological agents. Finally, terrorism experts have warned of an increasing reliance by terrorist groups on cyber terrorism. As cyber infrastructure is being increasingly connected and integrated, it is becoming an attractive target for malicious actors (Pottinger, 2019). By compromising cyber networks, attackers can inflict serious harm on the economic, military, and civil structures of the country. Furthermore, terrorists can take advantage of technologies like ransom ware to extort victims and use encrypted communication methods to hide their activities (Fernandez, 2020). Question 3 Recently, one of the emerging terrorist threats that have been influencing the United States is cyber-terrorism activities. Cyber-terrorism activities can involve a wide range of criminal activities that target critical infrastructure and government networks, such as through online communication and online transactions (Sun, Su, Xing & Zhou, 2016). These activities can involve malware or virus infections, identity theft, and unauthorized access, extortion, or phishing frauds, to name a few. In particular, hackers have been utilizing the capabilities of botnets, computer programs that are installed to automate malicious activities, such as sending out large numbers of emails that can contain malicious attachments and links (Sun et al., 2016). Furthermore, these malicious activities can be manifested in various ways such as, disruption of a target's communication infrastructure, loss of confidential data, destruction of a network, or taking down of systems for ransom payments. As these malicious activities can have detrimental effects to the government or critical infrastructure, it is essential for government and security personnel to remain vigilant against the threats of cyber-terrorism. Question 4 Recently, terrorism is emerging as a greater threat for the USA than ever before, as terrorist activities of different nations are being observed. Terrorists from foreign nations have been active in the USA for some time, primarily in the form of lone wolves, domestic terror cells, and even directed or sponsored attacks. Countries that pose the greatest threats for the USA include Iran, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. These countries are primarily concerned with attempting to disrupt the West's actions in the Middle East and their support of other regional allies (Burki, 2013). Furthermore, some experts feel that a resurgence of attacks originating from countries such as North Korea, Russia, China, and even non-state terrorist organizations could be an additional factor of concern (Counter Extremism Project, 2016). It is important to note that these terrorist threats are highly dynamic, requiring us to stay vigilant to be able to detect any changes that could potentially arise. Question 5 Recent reports from organizations such as the U.S. Department of State, United Nations Counter Terrorism Center, and Europol show that emerging terrorist threats to the United States are on the rise. Many of these threats, including non-conventional warfare and small arms proliferation, involve highly mobile actors and a multitude of advanced methods for operational support. The U.S. government must continue to keep abreast of these trends and their implications, as the level of coordination and resources needed to combat them require active measures beyond traditional diplomatic and law enforcement means (Du Preez, 2019). To effectively combat...