Dangerous Terrorist Research Articles

Globalization and Nation State

Globalization has introduced new and diverse challenges for the nation state not only in terms of managing rapid economic and cultural integration, but also with respect to governance and decision-making. Globalization, as a concept, contradicts the traditional understanding of the primacy of the nation-state in the world order and introduces a possibility for parallel existence of various non-state actors such as Intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) and International non-governmental organizations (INGOs). In recent decades, the growth of transnational groups - both political activist groups and dangerous terrorist organizations - also shows the ways in which modern technologies and globalization can challenge and possibly undermine the state’s ability to protect its borders and pursue its goals. In other words, the sovereign state has been continuously challenged, both internally and externally. Therefore, globalization has a serious influence on the concept of sovereignty, which is a basic element upon which the existence of the nation-state depends. The present paper examines how globalization has impacted nation states on various fronts.

Ensuring information security of Ukraine in the conditions of modern challenges and threats from the Russian Federation

The article examines the issue of ensuring information security of Ukraine in the conditions of modern challenges and threats from the Russian Federation. It is noted that the stability of the functioning of institutions of public authority, the preservation of law and order is a necessary prerequisite for the observance of human rights. In the conditions of technological development, ensuring information security is one of the most important guarantees of human rights. The basis of such guarantees is the observance of the principles of confidentiality, integrity and availability of information and information systems. In order to ensure the information security of the individual, special legal frameworks for the protection of the right to the inviolability of private life are being developed, as well as additional mechanisms for its protection related to the establishment of specific requirements in the field of collection and processing of personal information. In order to ensure national security and information security of the state as one of its components, the most important guarantee of human rights is the observance of the principle of proportionality when restricting them. Most states have responded to the threats to national security that have grown recently by expanding the authorities' powers to access, collect and process personal information, which are now not limited to any particular categories of information. At the same time, approaches to ensuring the proportionality of measures taken to ensure national security may also differ in different states. It is emphasized that the actions of modern terrorists go beyond elementary humanitarian principles (in this context, we can talk about the Russian Federation as the most dangerous terrorist of the modern period of human development). There is contempt for the basics of humanity. In the conditions of such a struggle, it is difficult to call for respect for human rights, to apply this message to those who completely ignore it. Almost every day, state institutions, mass media, critical infrastructure objects, and the life support system are exposed to powerful cyber attacks using advanced information technologies. All this is part of a coordinated informational aggression against Ukraine. It was concluded that special attention should be paid to the tasks of protecting the relevant resources of the executive authorities, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. It is necessary to constantly improve the measures taken for this purpose, to establish day-to-day control of the execution of relevant assignments of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. It is emphasized that in the conditions of geopolitical instability and transformation of the world order, modern cyber­attacks, which are characterized by non-standard methods, methods and means of their perpetration, require, at the legislative level, prompt work to prevent and prevent a destructive impact on domestic information resources and the information infrastructure of the public and private sector.

Combating Intellectual Extremism and Terrorism Problems and Challenges

The human severe cost of terrorism has been seen in almost every corner of the world. Most of societies have suffered tragic human loss as a result of violent terrorist acts. Terrorism obviously has a significant real and direct effects on human rights, with overwhelming impact on the right to life, liberty and physical integrity of its victims. In addition, terrorism can jeopardize peace and security, threaten Governments, destabilize civil society, and threaten social and economic development of the nation. 
 Despite few successes, dangerous terrorist threats persisted around the Arab world, especially in Iraq. Even as some terrorist groups lost their leaders and some of their authorities, other groups and individuals kept continuing the fight from their affiliates across the world and by inspiring followers to commit attacks.
 In this paper, the author attempts to shed lights on the terrorism as an ideological threat that threatens the lives of millions, and confiscates people's ideas and beliefs.

Risk analysis sampling methods in terrorist networks based on the Banzhaf value.

This article introduces the Banzhaf and the Banzhaf-Owen values as novel measures of risk analysis of a terrorist attack, determining the most dangerous terrorists in a network. This new approach counts with the advantage of integrating at the same time the complete topology (i.e., nodes and edges) of the network and a coalitional structure on the nodes of the network. More precisely, the characteristics of the nodes (e.g., terrorists) of the network and their possible relationships (e.g., types of communication links), as well as coalitional information (e.g., level of hierarchies) independent of the network. First, for these two new measures of risk analysis, we provide and implement approximation algorithms. Second, as illustration, we rank the members of the Zerkani network, responsible for the attacks in Paris (2015) and Brussels (2016). Finally, we give a comparison between the rankings established by the Banzhaf and the Banzhaf-Owen values as measures of riskanalysis.

Extreme-Right Violence in the Portuguese Transition to Democracy

Abstract The Exército de Libertação de Portugal [ELP; Portugal’s Liberation Army] was one of the most infamous clandestine organizations active during the Portuguese transition to democracy, bringing together far-right militants from the deposed authoritarian regime. This organization has been considered the most dangerous terrorist group fighting for the restoration of Estado Novo’s regime. This article aims to challenge this statement, recurrently defended by international historiography, through an in-depth case study of the ELP, which is assessed in its genesis, structuring, ideological identity, strategy and operative capacity, permeability to repression, and dissolution. This study is based on a qualitative methodology triangulating data dispersed in the existing scientific and journalistic literature with data collected, unprecedently, in private archives and through face-to-face interviews with former ELP militants. Therefore, this paper is of importance to scholarship on the Portuguese transition to democracy, but also on the role of the extreme right in other post-authoritarian contexts, and on political violence in processes of democratization.

A GIS-Based Road-Mapping Network for Responding to Future Terrorist Activities in Colombo, Sri Lanka

The contemporary world has been moving to a new direction where anti-terrorist strategies are adopted intelligently to confront new challenges of global terrorism. Sri Lanka experienced a brutal terrorist attack again just recently after a decade of the total defeat of one of the dangerous terrorist organizations in the World, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in 2019. The LTTE demanded the Northern and Eastern provinces. Colombo had been a major vulnerable location and the LTTE had been frequently carrying out attacks against civilian targets, key politicians, government officials, military installations, as well as economic and commercial targets for about three decades. This paper therefore focuses on the applicability of GIS-based road-mapping analysisto respond to future terrorist activities based on the previous experience of terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka. Based on the methodology used in this study, 29 GN Divisions of Colombo DSD were selected as research sites and network, and hotspots analysis were then employed. Research results revealed that there were approximately 97 vulnerable locations at marginalized spaces. Distance from security installation to vulnerable location ranges from 0.8 km to 2.4 km. Average responding time to any adversary action varies from 3 to 5 minutes. Junctions within the 400 m to 500 m distance from all vulnerable locations in the study area were identified as suitable road blocking points. Six GNDs were identified as major potential areas for terrorist activities. Petta and its neighboring wards seem to be the most vulnerable locations for terrorist activities in the future. Based on the accurate information from particular areas, terrorist activities can be monitored and prevented by this risk and emergency management road network system.

From victims to suspects: Muslim women since 9/11

Shakira Hussein's From victims to suspects explores how, since the ‘war on terror’, Muslim women find themselves trapped between their perceived roles of helpless and docile beings on the one hand, and dangerous terrorists on the other. Drawing on relevant events such as the ‘burkini’ ban in France, the ‘ban the burka’ campaign in Australia and the Cronulla Riots in Sydney, Hussein's book is a necessary academic intervention on an often misunderstood contemporary issue. The preface to the book opens with a description of Oprah Winfrey's recitation of ‘Under the burqa’, a monologue written by the author of The vagina monologues, Eve Ensler. This recitation was followed by a powerful performance in which Oprah slowly lifted the burka off a young member of the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA). This event happened only a few months before the 11 September attacks and, in Hussein's view, rendered Muslim women into ‘icons of victimhood’—thus providing a pretext for the ‘American rescue mission’ in Afghanistan.

Chinese policies regarding anti-terrorism and the implications

근래의 테러는 일부 국가와 지역에 한정되지 않고 세계도처에서 발생하는 다극화 양상을 보이고 있다. 과거에는 민간인 지역이 아닌 특정 군사지역이나 종교나 정치시설을 노린 테러가 대부분이었지만, 지금은 방어능력이 없는 민간인에 대한 테러행위인 소프트 타깃 테러가 갈수록 증가하고 그 테러의 잔혹성과 횟수가 늘어나면서 지구상의 그 어떤 곳도 테러에서 자유롭지 못한 상황이 되었으며, 이러한 테러의 문제는 해결하기 어려운 문제 중에 하나이다. 중국은 최대인구를 가진 다민족 국가로서 수많은 국내테러 사건을 겪으면서 우리나라와 비교하여 볼 때 테러의 대책마련을 위하여 다양한 법제도와 대응정책을 마련하고 있는데, 특히 국내외에서 일어나는 모든 테러에 적극적으로 대응하기 위하여 2016년 반테러리즘법을 제정하였다. 새로운 반테러기구 및 정보센터를 설립하고, 테러조직이나 테러리스트를 지정하거나 자산을 동결하는 제도를 도입하였고, 경찰의 테러위험 인물에 대한 정보수집 권한과 무장한 테러리스트가 무기 로 공격해오는 ‘긴급상황’에 경찰의 무기사용권한을 부여하였으며, 해외테러현장에 중국군과 무장경찰부대의 해외 파병을 허용하였고, 중국의 반테러리즘법과 형법의 연계와 확장과 같은 중국의 테러대응 정책은 우리에게 시사하는 바가 크다.Terrorist crimes, which already became multi-polar aspects, not just happen in some countries and regions, but exist everywhere in the world recently. In the past, most terrorist attacks aimed at specific military areas, religious or political facilities rather than civilians. Nowadays, the number of soft target terrorist attacks on civilians who are not capable of defending has been increasing. The frequency and brutality of terrorist crimes have been increasing, too. As they became one of the worldwide problems difficult to solve, people on earth cannot be free from terrorism and terrorist crimes. As a multi-ethnic nation that has the largest population in the world, China has encountered many domestic terrorist incidents. Compared to Korea, Chinese government has developed various legal systems and countermeasures against terrorist crimes. Especially, in order to actively response to all the terrorist crimes both at home and abroad, Anti-Terrorism Law was legislated in 2016. China has established Anti-Terrorism Organization and Information Center which will point out the terror groups or terrorists, and has introduced property freezing system. The police are granted the right to use weapons to fight with terrorists in the emergency situation when terrorists attack with weapons. They are also granted the right to collect information about dangerous terrorists. Chinese government allows their armies and armed police force to be deployed to the terror sites overseas. Chinese Anti-Terrorism Law and counter-terrorism policies, which expand and link to criminal law, give us plenty of implications that can be applied in our context.

ALMSTKHALSASTRATEJAH ADDRESS ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL PROBLEMS OLNTEGH FOR TERRORIST OPERATIONS SISOLOGIH STUDY

Problem of the studyThe spread of terrorist operations in many countries, this picture confirms that there is a problem threatening the community but the entire world, terrorism, organized crime, which the problem is complicated, and contributed to the adoption of the illicit drug trade Tejarat weapon is a form of organized crime, as a result of political and economic conditions experienced by most countries, especially developing countries, these circumstances led to the inability of states to keep pace with this development in organized crime, modern and sophisticated style systematic followed by criminal organizations in achieving their goals, also contributed to the spread of this phenomenon are other factors branched workers to intensify efforts and cooperation at all levels, as appropriate, in order to improve security in the preparation and issuance of identification cards and travel documents and to prevent and detect manipulated or used a false, recognizing at the same time that States may require assistance to do so. In this regard, the International Criminal Police Organization call for the strengthening data on stolen and lost travel documents database, and we will seek to take full advantage of this tool, as appropriate, in particular through the exchange of information relating to this matter; the political and economic presidents. And terrorism is no longer just a simple phenomenon appear and then disappear. It has become a painful reality experienced by individuals, institutions and nations. And it became an individual suffering from a deterioration in the psychological structure, whether it be a spectator or a follower or a victim. So states recruit energies and capabilities to reduce this phenomenon and work to uproot man's humanity to preserve and maintain their dignity. Terrorism constitutes one of the important themes and contemporary which has great interest in the political, military, economic, social, and educational and psychological. Proof of this is what we read and we hear and see a day of events in various media so that terrorism has become a reality we live in and live with it in our daily lives. They have multiplied the means of terrorism and terrorists has proven their ability to use all the means of modern science and its applications in ways to reach their goals. And characterized dangerous terrorist operations, impact and this was due primarily dense coverage by the different media with consequent hype and excitement. In addition, information and communication technologies contribute to the rapid spread of news of terrorists, and this may help to exacerbate international terrorism.

Sharing security in an era of international cooperation: unmanned aerial vehicles and the United States’ Air Force

ABSTRACTThe United States’ Air Force (USAF) has developed and used unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology to monitor and assassinate dangerous terrorists in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen. Currently, there are few countries that possess armed UAV and since the US created much of this technology, the USAF is usually part of the training that automatically accompanies the purchase of its UAVs. The research question this article attempts to answer is, “What is the extent of the United States’ Air Force assistance in the training and proliferation of UAV technology to foreign militaries?”

Emergency management and homeland security: Exploring the relationship.

In the years after the 9/11 tragedy, the United States continues to face risks from all forms of major disasters, from potentially dangerous terrorist attacks to catastrophic acts of nature. Professionals in the fields of emergency management and homeland security have responsibilities for ensuring that all levels of government, urban areas and communities, nongovernmental organizations, businesses, and individual citizens are prepared to deal with such hazards though actions that reduce risks to lives and property. Regrettably, the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the nation's ability to deal with disasters is unnecessarily challenged by the absence of a common understanding on how these fields are related in the workforce and educational arenas. Complicating matters further is the fact that neither of these fields has developed agreed definitions. In many ways, homeland security and emergency management have come to represent two different worlds and cultures. These conditions can have a deleterious effect on preparedness planning for public and private stakeholders across the nation when coordinated responses among federal, state, and local activities are essential for dealing with consequential hazards. This article demonstrates that the fields of emergency management and homeland security share many responsibilities but are not identical in scope or skills. It argues that emergency management should be considered a critical subset of the far broader and more strategic field of homeland security. From analytically based conclusions, it recommends five steps that be taken to bring these fields closer together to benefit more from their synergist relationship as well as from their individual contributions.

Религиозный экстремизм и терроризм как угроза безопасности Казахстана и пути борьбы с ними

In this article about the destructive entity nature of modern religious extremism and terrorism. It shows, that in conditions of globalization they are demonstrating a real threat for the security of Kazakhstan. Reveals activities of particularly dangerous terrorist organizations like «Hib-ut-Tahrir», «Tablighi Jamaat », «Taliban»,ISIL, which circulate to a certain part of the population of the Republic fake ideas about the idea to build global Islamic state «Caliphate». Discusses ways of dealig with such extremist organization.

The Rise of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)

Europe and Hungary, currently faces multiple national threats in an environment of growing disorder. ISIS, the “State of Terror”, is executing a sophisticated strat- egy that involves simultaneous efforts and attacks in Iraq and Syria, the Middle East and North Africa, and the wider world. Civil wars are intensifying in Ukraine, Yemen, and Libya, causing massive migration waves. The recent terrorist attack in Paris has shown that ISIS supported homegrown terrorism is an increasing threat. This article discusses the development and internal issues of the most dangerous terrorist organization. Although it was not a purpose to analyze the international consequences of the recent ISIS attack in Paris, the authors express their hope that ISIS might make a strategic mistake. On 13rd November, 2015 can be a turning point in the fight against the Islamic State.

Security Assistance in Africa: The Case for More

Abstract: This article argues that political tampering with military recruitment and promotion practices, especially the construction and dismantling of ethnically based armies, has led African militaries to intervene in politics in order to block or reverse democratization efforts. The entrenchment of politically insulated, merit-based military institutions is thus necessary to deepen democracy in Africa. The United States can assist by offering protection, training, and financial incentives to encourage reform. ********** Promoting peace and security in Africa through the establishment of democratic institutions and good governance has been prioritized by the Obama administration as a key US foreign policy concern. (1) Weak and failed states threaten national security because they attract destabilizing forces. Unable to control their borders or police their territory internally, such states provide breeding grounds and transit routes for terrorist organizations, drug cartels, weapons traffickers, and other criminal networks. (2) For example, poor governance and rampant conflict in northern Nigeria and Somalia have given rise to two of the continent's most dangerous terrorist organizations, Boko Haram and al Shabaab, while persistent political instability and poverty in Guinea Bissau have led that country to become an international hub for drug trafficking. Democracy is seen as a long-term solution to this threat because democratic institutions remove many of the underlying causes of state weakness. Democracy creates peaceful channels for resolving social conflict, alleviating incentives for domestic strife. Democracies are more politically inclusive, remedying the systemic exclusion of ethnic groups from political power; this kind of exclusion is a known driver of insurgency, as often occurred at the hands of autocratic rulers. (3) Democracy is also associated with the rule of law, which both dampens popular grievances and provides a stable context for investment, entrepreneurship, and other determinants of economic growth, thereby raising populations out of poverty. Strengthening democratic institutions and protecting democratic gains have thus become core principles of both US policy toward Africa and the strategic approach adopted by Africa Command (AFRICOM). (4) Yet, democracy is in decline. Larry Diamond argues that since the turn of the 21st century, there has been a significant and, in fact, accelerating rate of democratic breakdown with at least 25 democracies having collapsed since 2000--a failure rate of 17.6 percent. (5) Africa, in particular, has struggled deeply with democratization. Despite the passing of over 20 years since most African countries took their indispensable first steps toward liberalization and adopting competitive elections, the latest Freedom House reports indicate that recent setbacks have left only 12 percent of the continent free today. (6) Of Diamond's collapsed democracies, 32 percent are in Africa, suggesting the continent contributes significantly to global trends of increasing authoritarianism. (7) Even Botswana, long considered a bulwark of democracy in Africa, has recently suffered government harassment of opposition candidates, interference with media reporting, and abuse of state resources during campaigning. (8) The continued absence of democracy in many African countries, and the loss of democratic institutions in others, threatens continued instability and conflict in a region already rife with the problems generated by weak states. For US policymakers and AFRICOM to reverse this trend, a deeper understanding of Africa's struggle to democratize is necessary. This article hopes to contribute to such an understanding by focusing on the role of African militaries in blocking or reversing democratization efforts. It then proposes a number of policy interventions that may help reform these institutions to be more compatible with democracy. …

The War Against the Taliban and Al–Qaeda. Afghanistan in the Years 1994–2012

The book by Łukasz Jureńczyk entitled: „The war against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. Afghanistan in the years 1994–2012” (original title: Wojna z talibami i Al-Kaidą. Afganistan w latach 1994–2012) presents a broad spectrum of actions that have been taken by the international community and local activists, who set themselves the goal of overthrowing the Taliban groups in Afghanistan and combat the world’s most dangerous terrorist organization – Al-Qaeda. The basis for author’s dissertation was the situation in the country since the seizure of power by Al-Qaeda through a period of keeping it, until the most recent period. Ł. Jureńczyk took into account cultural contexts, the international situation, and the differences in the exercise of power by the terrorist organization and the socioeconomic outline. The reviewed publication was released by Scientific Publishing ‘GRADO’ in Toruń in 2013 and partially funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. The book consists of 5 chapters – ‘The Taliban road to power’, ‘The Taliban regime’, ‘The causes of the war against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda’, ‘The Taliban war with AlQaeda” and ‘The attempt to democratize Afghanistan’.

Readers Respond: Letters from Summer 2011

Readers Respond: Letters from Summer 2011

Issa

photo Rooftops in the Piazza Venezia inRome, Italy. On week tive. a I Saturday of take April, the I 780 afternoon finally from become Piazza in the operaVene last weekofApril, I finally become operative .I takethe780from PiazzaVenezia andgetoff atPiazzadellaRadio.I walkto PiazzaEnrico Fermi. There aretoomany cars itwouldtakea smallmiracle tofind a parking place.Thesidewalks arecongested. Peopleare drawntotheclothing stores likeflies tohoney orgarbage. I stopinfront ofa display windowtostare at thereflection ofmyface.I'm struck byone detail: themustache. It'sthefirst time inmylife I've grownone,and I seemat leastfiveyears older.I've had myhairalmostall shavedoff, likea marine. ForsureI'll save on shampoo and gel!I gotsomecheapclothes, jeansand a sweater madeinChina,telling myusuallook togetlost.Inother words, I'munrecognizable. Fortheumpteenth timeI stickmyright handintotheinsidepocketofmyjacket.No panic:thewallet'sthere. Butwhat'shappening tome?AmI afraid ofbeingmugged, likesome tourist? Don'tberidiculous. Ijustwant toassure myself thatI haven'tlost my new identity papers.Without theresidency permit, I'm an illegalimmigrant at riskofexpulsion. Bynow I've memorized all thenewbiographical facts. Starting todayI havea newname,a newdate ofbirth, a newcitizenship, andI wasbornina different country. It takesa little timeto getintocharacter. Meanwhile, I havetogetusedtothiscrummy mustache. I havethestrange sensation ofbeing insidesomeoneelse'sbody,an intruder inmy own skin.In fact, in RomeI reallyam a foreigner , it'sa city I don'tknowwell.I must have beenherea dozen times, butalwayspassing through. Thefirst time, I cameona classtrip. I knowitas a tourist, nomoreorless.Ofcourse, I canclaimI've seentheColosseum, theTrevi Fountain, Piazza Navona,VillaBorghese - just likemillions ofother peopleintheworld. AndthenI shouldn't complain toomuch; feeling likea foreigner atthis particular moment isn'ta handicap, in factit'sa greatadvantage in playing myrole.Ofcourse, I don'tmeana rolein a film - I'm carrying out a dangerous mission. AndI haveno intention ofplaying at James BondorDonnieBrasco - I don'thavethe physique for it. o o 0 1 Q. 42 1 World Literature Today peace.I was often taken for oneofthem: I had typically Mediterranean features and I spoke Tunisian Arabic well. I visited Tunisfor thefirst time whenI was thirteen, with myfamily. Wetook the boatinthe lateafternoon andarrived attheportofTunis earlythenextmorning. Thatnight I couldn't sleep,I was so excited.We stayedfortwo weeks.Itwas an unforgettable journey forme: I finally saw thelandwheremygrandparents wereborn.SincethenI've beenbackseveral times. After highschool,no one was surprised whenI decidedtoenroll intheFaculty ofOrientalLanguages attheUniversity ofPalermo. I wanted toimprove myArabic. Attheuniversity I beganstudying classicalArabic; I was determinedbutalso enthusiastic. I reallylikedthe grammar, which droveeveryone elsecrazy, not justthestudents buttheprofessors. I wasoneof thebeststudents, and a lotofpeoplecouldn't believe that mynative language wasItalian. I wrote mythesis onGiuseppeGaribaldi's sojourn inTunisia. Theresearch wasvery difficult . I don'tknowwhyI likecomplicated things so much! WhatdoesGaribaldi havetodo with Tunisia? He doeshavesomething todo withit, hedoes.TheHerooftheTwoWorlds arrives in Tunisin 1834toescapethedeathsentence for insurrection pronounced bythecourt inGenoa. He spendsa yearintheTunisian capital under thefalsenameofGiuseppePane,working for thebeyofTunis. After hisTunisian stay hecontinues hisadventures as a revolutionary inBrazil ,where hesupports theindependence movements against thePortuguese andtheSpanish. In 1859hereturns toTunis, buttheauthorities denyhim entrance when the Frenchconsul intervenes. For his local admirers, Garibaldi continues tobea hero, a true revolutionary. For hisdetractors, ontheother hand, heismerely an outlaw, a dangerous terrorist. After I gotmydegree I often wenttoTunisia ,andI also had opportunities tovisitother Arabcountries: Algeria, Morocco, Yemen, Jordan ,Egypt, Lebanon, Syria. Obviously, people often continued totakemefor a Tunisian, butI didn't mindatall. I wouldhave likedto have an academic career, buta flunky no - I reallydidn'twant tobe theprofessor's servant andkisshisass.I tookseveral examsso I couldstudyfora doctorate , butwithout getting anywhere. I quickly understood that thesystem was oftheMafioso type, withall kindsofgodfathers, bosses,and affiliates. Inother words, there wasnothing left for me.So I wassatisfied witha jobatthecourt in Palermoas an Arabicinterpreter. Luckily, orunluckily, there area lotofArabcriminals (mostly fromtheMaghreb), and percentagewisethey havea largepresence inItalian prisons .So there was neveranyshortage ofwork. ThenCaptainJudasarrivedto turnmy life upsidedown. Itallbegana fewweeksago. I was coming outofthecourtroom during thelunch break whena guyina gray suitcame up to me;he was aroundforty, talland lean. Right awayI thought hewas a newjudgeora lawyer ona business trip. He saidtomeina serious tone: "Signor Christian Mazzari?" "Yes." "Hello. I'mCaptain Tassarotti from the SISMI, military intelligence. I'dliketotalk toyou." Theword"sismi" didn'tscareme.Inthree yearsofworkat thecourtit often happened thatI worked withtheantiterrorism squad.In particular, I'd beenaskedtotranslate telephone wiretaps andpropaganda flyers. Together we leftthecourt. We gotintoa waiting car,andthedriver immediately headed toward thesea. Thecaptain's wayofproceeding impressed me.He gotto thepointimmediately, without beating aroundthebush;maybehe was in a hurry...

Like Red Tulips at Springtime: Understanding the Absence of Female Martyrs in Afghanistan

In an era where female suicide terrorism is on the rise in conflict regions such as the Middle East, the North Caucasus, and South Asia, why has Afghanistan been largely immune to this trend? Why do some violent groups use female suicide terrorism and others avoid it? This is a critical question for policy makers and analysts attempting to understand a dangerous terrorist phenomenon and how it may evolve in Afghanistan. During the anti-Soviet jihad, narratives were woven of men and women marching through the mountains of Nuristan to “offer their blood for the Islamic revolution like red tulips at springtime.” But today, women are wholly absent from the Taliban and their jihad in Afghanistan. This article analyzes, in particular, the absence of women in Taliban martyrdom operations. There are three primary findings from this study that explain the low propensity for female suicide bombers in Afghanistan. First, a permissive social and geographic environment in Afghanistan gives insurgents freedom of mobility and a resistance capacity characterized by a reduced necessity for female suicide bombers; second, the capacity of a fiercely conservative culture restricts female participation in both Afghan society and within insurgent organizations; and third, the pronounced absence of a female culture of martyrdom limits women from participation in insurgent actions and narratives.

Young Muslims' Everyday Tactics and Strategies: Resisting Islamophobia, Negotiating Italianness, Becoming Citizens

This paper focuses on young Muslims who are the first Italian-born descendants of migrants. It aims to explore how they cope with their sense of belonging in a post-9/11 setting characterised by two dominant frames, one based on security issues (Muslims are suspected of being dangerous terrorists) and the other on the New Orientalism (Muslims are seen as the alien ‘Other’ by Europe and the Western world). It is argued that these young Muslims resist and challenge such frames in at least four ways, namely: visibility tactics, individual promotion tactics, local/national inclusion strategies, and new-global movement strategies. Despite the dominant representation of Italy as a homogeneous country in terms of its culture and Catholic religion, there are young people who contest such an exclusionary, ethnic idea of Italianness. In short, this paper is about cultural creativity and citizenship in the everyday life of a new generation of Muslim Italians.

Representing South Asian alterity? East London's Asian electronic music scene and the articulation of globally mediated identities

In the years since the London tube bombings, popular depictions of British Asians have been increasingly `othered' at best, and stereotyped as dangerous terrorists at worst. Asian self-representation continues to be a critically-needed intervention. East London's Asian electronic music scene serves as a means to represent the voices of young urban British Asians, attempting to bring them from peripheral alterity and render them visible in mainstream British popular culture. The music, which blends synthesized electronic music with South Asian musical stylings, has brought musicians from both the South Asian diaspora and the subcontinent to perform in `Banglatown', East London. These regular globalized performances of the scene, an aspect rarely investigated, have challenged locally bounded British Asian identities.