The United States has seen a change in its security situation over the last three decades. Before the 9/11 attack, U.S. concentrated on preventing the attack of its citizens and property by jihadists who were mostly affiliated to Muslim countries. Still, U.S. authorities tracked the footsteps of all foreign-grown movements that posed a danger to the property and U.S. citizens working out the United States. After 9/11 attack, the U.S. began focusing on a more comprehensive and robust system to protect the United States from both domestic and international terrorism attacks. At this juncture, domestic and international groups carried a similar security risk and threat. The country, therefore, needed a robust security structure to counter both international and domestic terrorism activities (The White House, 2011). The robust plan saw the formation of homeland security bringing together several agencies to share intelligence and in so doing boost security. To this end, this paper examines terrorism, domestic terrorism, and homeland security and the histories connecting them before and after 9/11 attack. The synergy between terrorism, domestic terrorism, and homeland security also demonstrate how the homeland security will save the U.S. from domestic terrorism.
Terrorism, in the realm of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, is an unlawful use of violence and force against people or property to coerce a ruling government or intimidate people, civilians, or any other group of people to achieve a political or social objective. Terrorism can be domestic or international depending on the objectives, origin, and the base of the terrorist organizations. Domestic terrorism is the unauthorized use or threatening the use of violence and force by a group of people or an individual operating in the United States without foreign aid or directions. The violent and forceful activities must also be committed against property or persons or civilian population or coerce the government of the United States for political or social objectives.
The FBI describes international terrorism as violent actions or any other act dangerous to human life that is in violation of any criminal law of the United States or any state. Still, an act is regarded as international terrorism if its occurrence elsewhere could have violated the criminal laws of the United States or states if it occurred with the jurisdiction of the United States or any state. Further, actions are labeled as acts of international terrorism if actors wanted to intimidate or coerce civilians, influence the policies of the government by coercing or intimidating or disrupting the conduct of normal businesses of the government through kidnapping or assassinations (FBI, 2014). The broad scope of international terrorism implies that international terrorism occurs within and outside the United States and transcends national boundaries via the means by which organized groups accomplish their mission. Terrorism further extends to activities that are not violent to include preventative measures for activities that would, otherwise, lead to the destruction of property, coercion, and other ill motives. For example, financing, aiding in the planning, or any other non-material or material support is also categorized as an act of terrorism.
The United States witnessed most terrorist incidents from domestic-related extremists during 2002 through to 2005. Twenty-three accidents were perpetrated by domestic extremists targeting property rather than people. The incidents were carried out by tax protestor, right-wing extremism, and constitutionalist. Still, anti-abortion movements and militia groups were involved in the destruction of property. Law enforcement officer also prevented a plan to attack an Islamic center, a bomb attack on U.S. Coast Guard station, and planned attack by Muslim converts on U.S. military (FBI, 2014). Further, law enforcement officers disrupted several incidences where individuals sought to finance foreign terrorist organizations for attacks that were focused towards the United States.
The United States has for a long time been preventing the violent activities of global jihadist movements. Specifically, the United States has been preventing and sharing intelligence with all countries to prevent attacks on American citizens and property (FBI, 2014). The country has mainly monitored and prevented the incidents perpetrated by regional jihadist groups that operate primarily from Muslim countries. Still, the United States has deterred the destructive activities of foreign grown jihadists on American citizens and property.
Before 9/11 attack, FBI was the key counterterrorism agency. The agency prevented and swiftly investigated any terrorist act if terrorists were lucky to execute an incident. After its formation in the year 1908, the agency dealt with pressing criminal activities that were mainly domestic and political including anarchism and communism. After World War I, the agency’s role changed to that of a counterintelligence agency due to war and several domestic terrorist bombings incidents. Intensifying industrial activities and the birth of gangster era, in the year 1930, changed the role of the agency to focus on property and violent crimes. Later on, the beginning of Vietnam War in the year 1960 resulted in resistance from various groups against FBI implying the agency had to fight organized criminal activities (Homeland Security, 2008). Intensifying crimes in the form of organized groups created left and right-wing extremist groups that began to fight for supremacy and embraced antigovernment beliefs. FBI also had to counter-rebellion against the adverse effects foreign policies and the disparities brought by capitalism. Elsewhere, the 1971 bombing of Senate building by anti-Castro Cuban group symbolized the existence of state-sponsored terrorism. Later on, in the year 1983, international terrorism emerged as retraction activities against U.S. foreign policies. The attacks, by state-sponsored or autonomous terrorist organizations, were directed towards any location where U.S. had overseas interest.
The 9/11 attack underscored the global status of terrorism and the ability of the world terrorism movement to plan, coordinate, and execute its operations worldwide. For this reason, in the year 2002 to 2005, U.S. authorities prosecuted high-profile suspects to fight international terrorism. For example, on October 4, 2002, John Walker Lindh was sentenced to twenty years in prison for planning or conspiring to kill a United States citizen. The intensifying threats of international terrorism also led to the identification of several terrorist breeding grounds including Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Libya.
Counterterrorism activities, after 9/11 attack, have focused on preventing attacks through gathering, analyzing and disseminating information. As a result, the United States established homeland security to facilitate the sharing of terrorism-related information domestically and worldwide (Homeland Security, 2016). From a domestic perspective, the government initiated several initiatives to work on intelligence related issues and in so doing prevent domestic terrorism. First, the government set up an intelligence sharing structure between local, state and federal authorities as well as with law enforcement authorities worldwide. Secondly, the government created The National Joint Terrorism Task Force and instituted The Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force (FBI, 2014). Third, authorities consolidated a terrorist watch list in all Terrorist Screening Centers. Fourth, the government created Department of Homeland Security as a way of establishing a united Intelligence Community. The government also created the post of Director of National Intelligence.
A report relating to the 9/11 attack underscores the crucial role of intelligence sharing in efforts to fight domestic and international terrorism. The report emphasizes the need for international and national sharing of intelligence to counter all terrorism. Special emphasizes should be placed on vulnerable countries that lack the rule of law and therefore serve as training and breeding grounds for terrorism activities. In this manner, terrorism is revealed as a multifactorial act that requires concerted activities to contain. Vulnerable communities such as the poor, uneducated and marginalized communities are potential targets of terrorist movements implying the groups should receive special attention from the world and the United States to win the war against domestic and international terrorism. Aid organizations should, therefore, direct their donations to vulnerable groups to kill the intergenerational handing over of terrorist activities. Specifically, world leaders should set aside funds to educate marginalized and poor groups in Pakistan and other terrorist breeding grounds as they are vulnerable to recruitment by terrorist groups (Kean, 2005). Further, the world should discourage terrorism by establishing the rule of law in all countries. Unlawful or unstable countries form a conducive environment for terrorists to operate, recruit and expand their network worldwide. In a similar manner, the world should unite in discouraging the spread of extremist ideologies and cut any other facilitation channel. Specifically, modern technologies such as electronic money transfer and communication platforms should not be used to recruit or support terrorism activities.
References
Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] (2014). Terrorism 2002/2005 Retrieved from https://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/terrorism-2002-2005
Homeland Security (2008). Brief Documentary History of the Department of Homeland Security Retrieved from https://www.historyassociates.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/US-Department-of-Homeland-Security-Brief-History-2001-2008.pdf
Homeland Security (2016). Prevent Terrorism and Enhance Security Retrieved from https://www.dhs.gov/prevent-terrorism-and-enhance-security
Kean, H. T. (2005). THE 9/11 COMMISSION REPORT Retrieved from http://avalon.law.yale.edu/sept11/911Report.pdf
The White House (2011). National Strategy for Counterterrorism Retrieved from https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/counterterrorism_strategy.pdf
