Threat Of Terrorist Attacks Research Articles

Design methods of blast resistant façades, windows, and doors in Germany: a review

Explosion events represent an extraordinary action for buildings and especially for the building envelope. In addition to accidents in chemical plants or during transport of explosive substances, the threat of terrorist attacks has increased in recent years. Façade constructions, windows, and doors represent weak points in the event of an incident, through which blast waves can enter the building. Debris and fragments resulting from the failure of building components endanger people inside and outside the building. For structures that are threatened, appropriate elements with protective properties must be chosen so that an acceptable level of safety is achieved. The design and execution of a sufficiently blast-resistant building envelope is not a trivial task. In limited cases, necessary protection can be achieved by use of certified products. Since buildings in need of protection mostly have high architectural demands, standard elements can usually not be used. Or the blast load used for certification deviates greatly from the assumed blast load for the threat scenario. There are several methods to verify the explosion resistant properties of façades, windows, doors, etc., e. g. experimental methods, numerical methods, engineering approaches and empirical methods. In this article, an introduction to explosions and their effect on the building envelope is given. Methods for verification of blast resistance are presented and critical discussed. The article presents an overview of the state of the art in practice with a focus on Germany.

The use of UAV interceptors to increase the detection range of intruder drones

Various threats of terrorist attacks on the social infrastructure arise due to strengthening of terrorist organizations, both in the context of their coming to power in certain countries (Afghanistan), and their association with the drug business, which significantly increases the financing of terrorist structures, allowing them to acquire modern weapons. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are cheap, readily available and capable of carrying containers of lethal agents, what make them a common means of terrorist attack. Effective protection of critical industrial facilities from UAV terrorist attacks is an important task for improving systems and means of electronic warfare against terrorism.
 This paper considers the possibility of detecting an UAV near a critically important industrial facility using small-sized radar stations (SRS) placed on board of UAV-interceptors. Typically, SRS are placed on board drones for radio mapping of the terrain, operational-tactical and reconnaissance combat missions, and rescue operations. The possibility of using SRS on board interceptor drones to detect intruder drones as an additional channel to a remote radar channel has not been considered anywhere before.
 The paper provides a review of existing small-sized radar stations (SRS) that can be used or are used on-board of UAVs, as well as a review of existing UAV-interceptors. It is shown that UAV-interceptors equipped with SRS can be used to fly around the area about a critical industrial facility, by analogy with overflights performed by multicopters around agricultural areas, with recharging in specially equipped places for this at different distances from the control center and from critical industrial facility.
 A method is proposed to increase the existing optical and acoustic channel for detecting an intruder drone by an order of magnitude, and the radar channel by 5 km, if not only small-sized radar, but also optoelectronic with the acoustic UAV detection system are installed on the UAV-interceptor with the integrated use of these channels with remote radar UAV detection system.

Awareness of damage control surgery and resuscitation practice: Rational emergency surgical trends in mass trauma events in Syria.

Mass trauma is an event in which the number of patients temporarily exceeds the capacity of medical personnel to provide optimal care. Looking at the global terrorism index, Syria is one of the most terrorism-affected countries in the Middle East, and the threat of terrorist attacks that can cause mass trauma persists. When it comes to dealing with mass trauma, the damage control approach has come to the forefront in recent years. In our study, we aimed to assess the awareness and training effectiveness of emergency physicians and surgeons on damage control surgery and resuscitation in Northwest Syria, where mass trauma due to terrorist attacks and social events is common. A trauma team from Çobanbey Hospital in Northwest Syria conducted training on damage control and resuscitation. Syrian physicians who participated in this training were administered a damage control and resuscitation questionnaire before and after the training. A total of 43 subjects were enrolled in the study, and their mean age was 44.04±9.01 years. The majority of the physicians who participated in the training were from Elbab (23.3%), Afrin (23.3%), and Çobanbey (20.9%). The average work experience of the physicians was 14 years and the average number of non-elective surgeries performed in the last year was 47.5. While the average total score (pre-test) before the training was 67, the average total score (post-test) after the training increased to 72, and this difference was statistically significant (p=0.008). While the pre-test and post-test scores of those who were trained and had practiced placing intrathoracic clamp-wound clamp and trauma laparotomy were significantly higher than those who were not trained and had not used them (p<0.05), the difference between the pre-test and post-test scores of those who were not trained and had not used them was statistically significant (p<0.05). It is well known that there have been internal unrest and terrorist attacks in Northwest Syria for more than 10 years. It is important for physicians in this region to know the damage control strategies. In this regard, we have found that awareness among physicians has increased as a result of the training we have provided on damage control.

Exploring the Underlying Drivers of Transnational Terrorism in Africa’s Sahel Region and Counter-terrorism Policy Interventions

Contemporary global affairs are faced with one of the most malicious phenomena in human history that has evolved over time at a pace unrivalled by its present outlook. Terrorism and the war against it have come to define the age in which we live. Threats of terrorist attacks and counterterrorism interventions are now part of our daily lives from Paris to Bamako, from New York to Ouagadougou and from Indonesia to Mauritania. Transnational terrorism is redefining the international security landscape and, in the Sahel, this phenomenon has made its existence felt on the security and stability of the region, owing largely to other pressing factors that the study identifies as preconditions and determinant drivers of terrorism. These preconditions and determinants are categorised into structural drivers, enabling drivers, stimulating drivers and precipitating drivers of terrorism. The paper is a qualitative analysis of existing literature on the drivers and counter-policy interventions on transnational terrorism in the Sahel. The paper begins by unpacking reasons for adopting the underlying drivers approach to terrorism in the Sahel. It then provides a brief background and origins of terror in the Sahel, followed by a detailed examination of the underlying drivers of terrorism in the region. The paper concludes by highlighting policy interventions ushered in by relevant actors in the region.

Blast Loaded Columns—State of the Art Review

The ever-present threat of terrorist attacks in recent decades gives way to research towards blast-resistant design of structures. Columns, as one of the main load-bearing elements in residential buildings and bridges, are becoming interesting targets in bombing attacks. Research of column blast load behavior leads toward increased safety by identifying shortcomings and problems of those elements and acting accordingly. Field tests and numerical simulations lead to the development of new blast load mitigation technics, either in the design process or as a retrofit and strengthening of existing elements. The article provides a state-of-the-art literature review of filed blast load tests and numerical simulations of a bridge and building columns.

Exposure to Terrorism-related News: Associations with Beliefs about Terrorism and Self-protective Action

ABSTRACT This study examined how exposure to terrorism-related news is associated with perceived threat of terrorist attacks and self-protective actions taken in response to terrorism. Data were obtained from a nationwide survey of U.S. residents. Results indicated that more frequent exposure to terrorism news was associated with higher perceived terrorism threat and more intended self-protective actions. The frequency of local television-based news exposure was positively associated with self-protective actions. There was no association between the news medium and perceived threat, with the exception of radio. Discussing news with others was positively associated with self-protective actions. Higher trust in the news was associated with increased perceived threat and greater intent to take self-protective action. Thinking critically about the news was associated with lower intent to engage in self-protection.

Zombies as an Allegory for Terrorism: Understanding the Social Impact of Post-9/11 Security Theatre and the Existential Threat of Terrorism through the Work of Mira Grant

This paper seeks to understand the impact upon society of “security theatre”: being the proliferation of security legislation and processes, particularly in the context of airport security screening. Security theatre is a response to the ongoing threat of terrorist attack without warning since September 11, 2001. While as lawyers we have a clear understanding of the laws have been put in place in response to these issues, we often have very little real grasp of how these laws impact society at large. Responses to social change are often first documented in popular literature. This paper seeks to explore the social impact of security theatre through examining bestselling popular literature that was intended as an allegory of these issues. Thus, the approach taken is to use such literature as a sociological text to provide insight into social responses. To that end Mira Grant’s apocalyptic Newsflesh trilogy and interviews with Grant about these topics within the books will be analysed and explored with a view to understanding the social impact of security theatre. My hope that we gain greater insight into the social perception of these issues, and the ability to view them from a different perspective.

Structural performance of a wood-sand-wood wall for blast protection

In recent years, a noticeable increase in the number of suicide bombing attacks has been noticed. These incidents have targeted civilians and civil infrastructure leaving numerous victims and huge losses in property. Residential complexes and commercial buildings are generally not designed to resist abnormal loads such as explosions. Blast wall systems, also known blast barriers, have been required to mitigate the destructive effects of blast wave in regions where they are most likely to occur. The present study considers the response of a wood-sand-wood (WSaW) blast wall as an example of low-cost blast walls made of readily available materials that can be installed with minimal effort to be used around individuals houses when threat of terrorist attacks is probable. The performance of this WSaW blast wall under blast loading was evaluated experimentally. An open-space blast test was conducted to measure the distribution of blast pressure around/behind the WSaW wall as well as its response. The test results were compared with the results of finite element simulations. The WSaW wall showed significant promise in mitigating the blast wave energy. This study recommends further exploration of WSaW blast walls to potentially reduce casualties and losses in properties in different attack scenarios. Moreover, it is important to draw the attention of researchers and designers to start investigating the performance of simple blast walls made of other readily available materials since it is an urgent need in most areas threatened by terrorism.

Addressing Terrorism in The XXI Century Case of Albania

Terrorism is a worldwide phenomeon. The strategy against it has become increasingly intense in the last two decades. This article is focused on a systematic legal analysis of terrorism as a global phenomenon, its definition under international law and the Albanian Criminal Code, including forms of terrorism, analysis of funding sources, the interrelations of terrorism with drug trafficking and money laundering, and the role played by media in helping or combating terrorism. The conceptual legal analysis on terrorism law and practices at international level and Albanian case study are used as research methods. Juridical definitions on terrorism are not unique, because states do not use the same methods to deal with the threat of terrorist attacks. In addition, international laws and treaties are valid only for participating states, meanwhile other states avoid cooperation on security issues. Terrorism, as an international criminal offense, is unlikely to be totally stopped in the near future, because multilateral responses are hampered by complexity of national laws and are not binding for all, because of unavailability of some governments to relinquish a level of power to an international body. New national and global strategies are needed to fight terrorism in light of information technologies. Being a global partner in fighting terrorism, Albania has improved the legal framework on terrorism acts in line with EU guidelines which contributes in eliminating the consequences of organized crime and drug trafficking, as the means which fuel criminal and terrorism acts.

СПОРТИВНО-СОБЫТИЙНЫЙ ТУРИЗМ В КОНТЕКСТЕ МАРКЕТИНГА

The article is devoted to the study of the problems of tourism marketing in terms of tourist consumer behavior that arise during the preparation and holding of major sports events, which are little studied in the Russian scientific literature. It focuses on the disclosure of such behavioral characteristics of consumers of tourist services, such as the motives of tourists and their perceived barriers to travel. These problems are considered through the prism of foreign studies, which present various aspects of the impact of major sporting events on the development of tourism in their host cities and regions. Among the sports motives studied, as a rule, within the framework of sports marketing, the factor of fans ' loyalty to their favorite team is highlighted, which is considered by many foreign researchers from the standpoint of the theory of social identity theory. At the same time, each of the potential tourists intending to go to a sports event is more or less guided directly by tourist motives, which is of interest from the point of view of tourism marketing. It is noted that the interest in a sports event is not always translated into a real trip because of possible barriers. The interpretations of the latter, presented in foreign publications, are given. Based on the empirical data contained in these publications, the author notes the increased negative impact of the threat of terrorist attacks, crime and other anti-social manifestations on the development of sports and event tourism. Examples of the unequal attitude of local residents to the holding of major sports competitions in their places of residence are given. Based on the generalization of foreign publications, it is concluded that it is necessary to take into account the entire set of factors that affect the consumer behavior of potential tourists in the process of developing marketing strategies in this area.

Bioterrorism and Chemoterrorism as the Forms of Contemporary Terrorism. Attacks Prevention in the Republic of Poland

The article discusses the issues of bioterrorism and chemoterrorism. Based on the analysis of source literature, biological weapons and chemical weapons are briefly characterized, as well as their historical outline and examples of use known from history are presented. Additionally, the systems of preventing terrorist attacks with the use of these types of weapons are discussed on the example of the Republic of Poland. Considerations lead to the conclusion that the threat of terrorist attacks using weapon of mass destruction is currently very high, therefore there is the high need for perfectly functioning and proven mechanisms of action. Poland, as a country that has not yet experienced serious terrorist attacks, must pays particular attention to the continuous development of defense systems and cooperate in that area with international organizations.

The Impact of Risk, Uncertainty, and the Perceived Threat of Terrorist Attacks on Equity Markets

The Impact of Risk, Uncertainty, and the Perceived Threat of Terrorist Attacks on Equity Markets

The Security of the Republic of Poland’s Maritime Areas and the Polish Coast in the Context of Terrorist Attacks

The threat of terrorist attack posed to the Republic of Poland is of a potential character and possible targets for such attacks include also objects located in the area of the Baltic Sea. Terrorist activities may be carried out in order to destroy or render vessels such as passenger, cargo and the navy ships, hydraulic structures and port facilities inoperative, as well as to take control over them. A terrorist attack may also aim at causing an environmental disaster. Direct targets of terrorist attacks may be passengers or crew members, but attempts of cargo seizure may also be expected. Potential forms of terrorist attack possible to carry out on the sea include among other things: bomb attacks, hijacking, shooting incidents, mines, and underwater sabotage. Terrorist attacks may be undertaken by both separate terrorist groups and the ones that are linked with international terrorist organizations serving their ideological purposes. Activities performed by organized terrorist groups may mainly aim at money extortion. Perpetrators of terror attacks may also include special forces of foreign countries that conduct their activities in order to deteriorate the economy of the other country, disparage it or complicate its internal or international situation. To combat terrorist threats on the sea effectively it is necessary to undertake complementary and coordinated activities, and the tasks of preventing such threats and counteracting the effects of possible terror attacks are to be carried out by relevant forces and entities that act under particular government departments, as well as government administration bodies and special forces.

How Terrorism Affects Attitudes toward Democracy: Tunisia in 2015.

Tunisia is the only country that emerged from the Arab Spring as a democracy. However, Tunisian democracy is threatened by political divisions, economic problems, and the threat of terrorist attacks. We shed light on Tunisia's democratic prospects by examining (1) the degree to which major terrorist attacks in 2015 influenced Tunisian public opinion on democracy and (2) the extent to which preference for a democratic system affected opinions on the prospects for democracy in Tunisia. We use data from three waves of a nationwide survey conducted just before and just after Tunisia's first major terrorist attack, and just after the country's second major terrorist attack. We demonstrate that after the attacks the Tunisian public became less favourable toward democracy and less optimistic that Tunisia would soon be ready for it. Such scepticism was widespread, affecting people who preferred democracy as much as those who did not. We conclude that the prospects for Tunisian democracy are more precarious than is sometimes assumed.

Crisis of Privacy and Sacrifice of Personal Data in the Name of National Security: The CJEU Rulings Strengthening EU Data Protection Standards

Snowden’s surveillance revelations in 2013 raised the issue of privacy and security in the public spotlight. These revelations underlined the need for strong data protection framework. At the same time, the pressing demand to address security concerns and the threat of terrorist attacks might weaken privacy and data protection standards. Two landmark judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union (the CJEU), namely, the Digital rights Ireland judgment which invalidates Data Retention Directive, and the Schrems judgment which invalidates Safe Harbour Decision forming a legal basis for transatlantic data transfers are of great significance in strengthening the rights to privacy and data protection in the context of digital mass surveillance. They will have far-reaching implications on EU and national data retention mechanisms, as well on cross-border data transfer framework. Through the lens of the CJEU the paper seeks to reveal the key challenges data protection law faces both at national and EU level that have to be overcome in response to mass surveillance in order to maintain a proper balance between privacy and national security.

Protection of flying vehicles against blast loads

Aircraft safety and security is a very important problem of nowadays. Terrorist bomb attacks on transport are most dangerous and often result in numerous victims. Threat of terrorist attacks on air transport is a nagging problem. The goal of the present paper is to present results of developing efficient air bomb inhibitors that preserve aircraft safety in case of onboard detonation of explosive equal of 2kg TNT.Methods for protection developed within the present paper could be successfully used for developing effective and lightweight shield for a spacecraft against high velocity impact of space debris fragments, which could also induce blast loads.

Risk, Uncertainty, and the Perceived Threat of Terrorist Attacks: Evidence of Flight-to-Quality

Information provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security regarding potential terrorist attacks significantly affects U.S. Treasury securities markets. When the government announces heightened terror alert levels, investors’ perceptions of risk increase and investors purchase 1-month and 1-year Treasury bills and 3-year, 5-year, 7-year, and 10-year U.S. Treasuries in a “flight-to-quality” episode. Partial anticipation of increased threat level announcements is stronger than the anticipation of announcements regarding the federal funds rate during the 10 days prior to an announcement.

Risk, Uncertainty, and the Perceived Threat of Terrorist Attacks: Evidence of Flight-to-Quality

Information provided by the US Department of Homeland Security regarding potential terrorist attacks significantly affects US Treasury securities markets. When the government announces heightened terror alert levels, investors' perceptions of risk increase and investors purchase 1-month and 1-year Treasury bills and 3-year, 5-year, 7-year, and 10-year US Treasuries in a "flight-to-quality" episode. Partial anticipation of increased threat level announcements is stronger than the anticipation of announcements regarding the federal funds rate during the 10 days prior to an announcement.

Stealthy Information Transmission in the Terrestrial GMDSS Radiotelephone Communication

Audio watermarking (AW) technology is considered for stealthy information embedding directly into audio signal. Inherent in analog radiotelephone channel interferences against watermarks are analyzed. Robust encoding/decoding algorithms are presented and appropriate project of AW system named as Automatic Radio Telephone Identification System (ARTIS) is proposed. Experimental results for the practical VHF radio channel are presented. Relating on processing complexity the designed system enables imperceptibly transmit data on a rate up to 260 bit/sec in the standard VHF radio channel. ARTIS provides the full compatibility with the existing radio installation, and doesn’t require replacement of standard VHF transceivers and operational procedures. Besides, automatic identification the system may be used in the special applications, for example, under the threat of terrorist attack; generally contributes to navigation safety and information security.

Development of Concretes with Resistance to High Temperatures in the Czech Republic and Surrounding European Countries

The resistance of concrete constructions to high temperatures at present is a much monitored issue for many scientific teams and experts in the stated area. This fact is mainly caused by fatal consequences originating in the case when concrete constructions are loaded by the effect of fire and consequent loss of their load-bearing capacity, for the population and the environment of our planet, in which we live in. The development of society goes hand in hand with the development of new building materials and as a consequence the requirements for building constructions increase which bring about extraordinary strict regulations in the area of fire safety. So, many high, non-traditional or specific constructions originate, e.g. nuclear power plants due to permanently higher demand for transport linkage and many tunnels have originated between European countries as a result. Unfortunately, in this relation the threat of terrorist attacks increases and unexpected natural disasters which also threaten the stability of the mentioned constructions. The objective of the article is to familiarize readers with the results of research concerning the improvement of the resistance of the concrete to high temperatures originated during fire instances.