Terrorism Studies and Counter Terrorism Training Terrorism and counter terrorism are currently at the summit of global security issues; governments, national militaries, private security companies and even educational institutions all have deep vested interests in terrorism studies and counter terrorism training as a means of protection and prevention against potential devastating losses in the future. However, there are wide disparities in the interpretations of what terrorism is and how it should be addressed. The September 11, 2001 attacks on the Twin Towers galvanized the U.S. Government to actions that effectively set the nation in a state of quasi-war with a variety of transnational terror groups and state sponsors of terrorism. The US military, in collaboration with the CIA and other US Intelligence Community agencies, have had to continuously modify their strategies over the past decade as they engaged in overt and covert missions against terrorist groups. Education and training are the critical pillars supporting both current and future capabilities to defeat the forthcoming terrorism threats. The definition of terrorism is the first hurdle in terrorism studies. The differences in the definitions of terrorism are not matters of nuance but directly affect actions and beliefs. The classic confrontation follows as one side designates a certain group as a “terrorist organization;” while an opposing view calls the same group “freedom fighters” or “mujahedin (holy warriors)” or “revolutionaries.” There are several “official” definitions of terrorism used by the US Government: The US Department of Defense defines terrorism as “the calculated use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological.” The CIA defines terrorism as “premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by sub national groups or clandestine agents.” The definitions of terrorism may differ, but the US State Department publishes a list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and these are the targets against which the Intelligence Community must collect and analyze information. As each player in the terrorism and counterterrorism arena strives for ascendency there will be countervailing programs in terrorism studies and counter terrorism training. Al Qaeda uses the internet and publishes documents to promote actions consistent with the al Qaeda ideology and plans. Hezbollah and Hamas have published manifestos and statements of doctrine to justify current and future actions. A majority of these documents are available for public consumption, so it is up to the analyst to interpret how the terror groups’ words may reveal future actions that threaten the US. The US Government has invested substantial resources to develop and maintain counterterrorist capabilities. The US Intelligence Community (IC) conducts worldwide collection activities against terrorist targets. Collectors and analysts alike are provided incentives to become fluent in the languages and the cultures associated with terror agents; target languages include Arabic, Farsi/Persian, and Korean. This makes for more precise interpretations of printed, audio and other materials. Once the material is translated, the IC analyzes these collected data to produce terrorism studies and provides assessments and warnings for policy makers. The US military is continuously involved in counter terrorism training; the most recent payoff from this training was the Bin Laden operation. The private sector also has a part in the education and training efforts to build and sustain a national counterterrorism capability. In particular, on-line education institutions provide opportunities for students to learn from faculties which include instructors that have both the theoretical knowledge and have served in the field applying the knowledge practically in actual “hot situations.” This allows the students to have a form of “experience-transference” and build their knowledge based on this solid foundation.
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