Running the Blockade: Information Technology,Terrorism, and the Transformation of Islamic Mass Culture

Arab media is no longer limited to state-sponsored sources, opening a door of opportunity to the Muslim world. Islamic terrorist groups leverage information technology to form resilient, networked organizations that influence how many Muslims perceive events and U.S. political goals. This article looks at the connection between information technology and cultural transformation in the Middle East. It focuses on how information technology—as the major weapon system in the battle of ideas—has been used effectively by Islamic extremists and less so by the U.S. Important conclusions are drawn regarding the necessity of culturally-attuned uses of information technology.     

Alessandro Orsini. Anatomy of the Red Brigades: The Religious Mind-Set of Modern Terrorists

ABSTRACT

Those who study terrorism are familiar with the claim that suicide attacks are the most lethal form of terrorism today. Suicide attacks kill more people on average than non-suicide attacks, thereby justifying why terrorist organizations use this costly method of attack and explaining in part why suicide tactics have proliferated. However, extant empirical support for this claim is largely insufficient, focusing only on macro-level analysis of lethality data. Using data from the Global Terrorism Database, this study examines variation in lethality among suicide and non-suicide attacks based on geographic location, attack type, and target/victim type. It also introduces a new metric—the lethality ratio—to measure costs and benefits of attacks in terms of lives lost. It finds that, although suicide tactics are generally more lethal than non-suicide tactics, they also come at greater costs to the organization. This analysis also finds behavior that is inconsistent with the premise that terrorist groups are focused on maximizing lethality while reducing costs in all cases; that despite certain advantages, suicide attacks may remain a suboptimal tactic from the perspective of the terrorist group; and that additional criteria may help explain why suicide tactics are used.     

Islam and Attitudes toward U.S. Policy in the Middle East: Evidence from Survey Research in Lebanon

This study examines the impact of religious orientation on attitudes toward U.S. Middle Eastern policy among Muslim Lebanese. The data came from a stratified random sample, consisting of 262 Sunni and Shi'i respondents of both genders, conducted in the Greater Beirut area during February and March of 2002. Consistent with the literature about Islamism, the present analysis reveals an empirical distinction between personal and political dimensions of religion in Lebanon. Specifically, support for political Islam is associated with unfavorable attitudes toward U.S. policy in the region, but personal religiosity is unrelated to attitudes toward foreign policy. The study findings contribute in clarifying the debate that has been raging since the September 11 attacks, pitting Islam against the West and associating Islam with political violence.     

Contributors

Abstract

Socioeconomic data supplied by the FBI on the backgrounds of 280 known right‐ and left‐wing terrorists active in the United States during the late 1960s and early 1970s was tabulated. Isolating for right‐left affiliation, membership status, and gender, seven variables were examined and used to confirm prevailing assumptions regarding the socioeconomic status of right‐ versus left‐wing terrorists active during this period. Findings support clear socioeconomic differences between right‐wing and left‐wing terrorists and emphasize the dominant position of women within left‐wing organizations. Surprising evidence revealed that considerable class differences exist within right‐wing groups between rank‐and‐file members and the leadership core.     

The sublime and the cultures of the extreme: An exploration

Abstract

The article traces the relationship between the concept of the traditional sublime and the contemporary cultures of the extreme and their fascination with unlimitation. It is asked to what degree the aesthetic category of the sublime, generally defined as a ‘formlessness’, can assist in exploring and making sense of the cultures of the extreme. The cultures of the extreme are analysed by means of three tropes, namely the ecstasy of speed, the immersion into immediacy, and the shrinking of the natural landscape. By utilising these three tropes or hermeneutical tools, the author attempts to show how these events typify the contemporary obsession with extremes, and can indeed be likened to a pseudo-sublime or kitsch sublime.     

Hitting the right target: EU and Security Council pursuit of terrorist financing

This article analyses one specific instance of the use of targeted sanctions to combat the financing of terrorism by the European Union on behalf of the United Nations Security Council. The case raised a number of issues involving the use of sanctions against non-state actors and provoked a legal challenge at the European Court of Justice. These European court cases have been portrayed as a challenge to the use of targeted sanctions by the Security Council to maintain international peace and security. The fundamental critique here is that targeted sanctions must adhere to due process and the rule of law in order to protect individual human rights.     

边境民族地区群体性械斗事件的特点及处置对策

边境民族地区群体性械斗事件原因复杂,械斗双方法律意识淡薄,械斗后果严重,后期容易反弹。公安边防部队应快速机动,运用防暴战术,坚决果断处置,尽量减少伤亡。处置结束后,要积极协助地方政府做好善后工作,防止反弹,妥善处理该类事件,维护边境地区的安全稳定和民族团结。     

一种网络安全事件管理平台的设计与实现

网络在方便人们的同时,也带来了安全方面的问题。网络安全事件管理平台是为保障网络安全而开发的网络安全事件管理与响应平台,针对网络安全事件展开需求分析,从性能、功能以及灵活性等方面进行一系列的系统设计,实现一种实用的、可以灵活地部署在各个组织的网络安全事件管理平台系统。     

论我国涉恐资产冻结法律制度之发展性思考

涉恐资产冻结是金融反恐的重要组成部分,对于防治恐怖活动犯罪具有重大意义。随着反恐法治的逐步完善,我国确立了以金融制裁为目的的涉恐资产冻结制度。相关法律对涉恐资产、金融机构等概念进行了精细化的界定,明确了相关主体的法律责任,遵守了正当程序的相关要求并且注重加强国际合作。但是,我国涉恐资产冻结法律应当进一步注重相关法律制度之间的衔接,协调好涉恐资产冻结与其他保全措施之间的关系,同时应当注重涉恐资产冻结中的权利保障,以便有效地防治恐怖活动犯罪。     

法制视野下的我国暴恐犯罪问题研究

“暴恐犯罪”,是暴力恐怖主义犯罪的简称,有其特定的内涵与特点;当前我国暴恐犯罪呈现出新的趋势,原因是多方面的;暴恐犯罪具有反社会、反人类、反文明的本质,以及巨大的社会危害性;应当在立法层面制定完善的反暴恐立法体系,为反暴恐犯罪提供法律依据,在实践层面构建高效的反暴恐体制和机制,依法防范和严厉打击国内的暴恐犯罪活动。