Journal Features Reports from Timely Seminars on Security and Counterterrorism

The latest issue of Terrorism: An Electronic Journal & Knowledge Base is now available and features summaries and reports of seven important seminars on vital topics impacting security and counterterrorism efforts, including “Combating Hizballah’s Global Network,” “The Anniversary of 9/11: Lessons Learned,” and “The Terrorists-Prisoners Challenge,” to name a few.

Launched again in its current form in August 2012, Terrorism: An Electronic Journal & Knowledge Base provides continuity to earlier studies on the “Age of Terrorism” and closes research gaps in the growing literature on the manifold aspects of the subject. This electronic resource  -- found at www.terrorismelectronicjournal.org -- focuses on identifying warning signals on conventional and unconventional terrorism in the post-9/11 era and recommends national, regional, and global strategies to confront the potential challenges to all societies.

These and related global topics were discussed at different seminars and conferences organized by the Inter-University Center for Terrorism Studies during January to September 2013 that were co-sponsored particularly by the International Center for Terrorism Studies at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies and the Inter-University Center for Legal Studies at the International Law Institute. Some of the presentations delivered at the academic gatherings are offered in this issue of Terrorism: An Electronic Journal & Knowledge Base. A list of those are available here, and those presentations, in expanded versions, will be published in hard copy during the following months by the Inter-University Center for Terrorism Studies.

The current issue also includes an article on “After NATO’s Libya Intervention: Any Implications for International Law?” written by Colonel Ugur Gungor of NATO’s Centre for Excellence—Defence Against Terrorism in Ankara, Turkey. Since the study was completed in May 2013, several researchers at the Inter-University Center for Terrorism Studies prepared a “Libya Timeline” that was completed in September, 2013. This updated document is attached as an appendix to the peer review article.

Finally, a special report on “Terrorism in North Africa and the Sahel in 2012: Global Reach and Implications” as well as a new study on “Canada and Terrorism: Selected Perpetrators” are incorporated into this issue.

Another issue of the Terrorism: An Electronic Journal & Knowledge Base will be published in December 2013 with several new articles and selected seminar presentations.

Terrorism: An Electronic Journal and Knowledge Base was initially developed in 1998 as an on-line follow-up to Terrorism: An International Journal published in 1977 by Crane, Russak and subsequently by Taylor and Francis. Yonah Alexander, Professor and Director, State University of New York’s Institute for Studies in International Terrorism, founded these two publications and served as their Editor-in-Chief.

Mike S. Swetnam, CEO of The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies is the Senior Advisor; Prof. Yonah Alexander, Director, Inter University for Terrorism Studies is Editor-in-Chief; and Prof. Don Wallace, Jr. Chairman, International Law Institute, is the Academic Advisor. Members of the International Advisory Board and the Editorial Staff consist of academics, former government officials, journalists, and young researchers.

Canada's experience with homegrown "foreign affinity" terrorism, namely threats with international connections, is expanding.  In 2013, for example, Canadian citizens inspired by Al-Qa’ida's ideology, plotted to bomb the British Columbia legislature in Victoria as well as derail a New York City-Montreal train filled with innocent passengers.  And it has been reported that Canadian nationals have joined the al-Shabaab terrorist group that attacked a mall in Nairobi (Kenya) and others have participated in operations elsewhere, including Algeria, Yemen, Syria, and Pakistan.    

The report on “Canada and Terrorism: Selected Perpetrators” (published in September 2013) provides a context for understanding the challenge of radicalization, extremism and violence in Canada that is rooted in regional, ethnic and political conflicts at home and abroad.  Selected profiles of Canadian citizens as well as foreigners residing in Canada personify the ugly face of the terrorist challenges.

The research for this study initially began in 2006 and was completed in Spring 2013.  A larger study on "Canada and Terrorism: Threats and Responses" is expected to be completed in 2014.  This work is undertaken by the Inter-University Center for Terrorism Studies (administered by both the International Center for Terrorism Studies at Potomac Institute for Policy Studies and the Inter-University Center for Legal Studies at the International Law Institute).  Professor Edgar  H. Brenner, the late co-director of the Inter-University Center for Legal Studies and Professor Yonah Alexander, director of the Inter-University Center for Terrorism Studies are the principal investigators of the study.  Academic support is provided by Professor Don Wallace Jr., Chairman, International Law Institute; Bill Mays, International Law Institute; and Marie-Aude Ferrière, Université Paris II Pantheon Assas- France.  

For further information, please contact the Inter-University Center for Terrorism Studies at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, 901 North Stuart Street, Suite 200, Arlington, VA 22203, Tel.: 703-525-0770 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., ICTS@ potomacinstitute.org

The CReST blog is active, and posts started this week with an overview of how the Center intends to develop new ideas about the future directions of science and technology, formulate strategies on how to achieve revolutionary gains in science and technology - and more.

The Potomac Institute has become a leader in providing meaningful policy options for science and technology, including national security, defense initiatives and S&T forecasting.  The Institute invests in development of research on science and technology trends to identify the key science and technology developments that could radically change or affect our society and/or national security.

Tapping into the expertise of individuals from a variety of backgrounds, CReST produces briefings and reports on trending science and technolgoy topics in society - Big Daga Analytics, Neuroscience and Technology, Threats to the Human Race, and Mental Health in the Age of Technology.

The blog will highlight key conversations and bold ideas addressing key societal, national and international science and technology issues.  Visit the CReST site and the CReST blog for more information and informative discussions and bold ideas.

Accurate and consistent data collection on climate change is critical to helping develop effective disaster preparedness plans, and it impacts national security, food and water security, as well as immigration, according to Dr. Victoria Keener, Research Fellow at the East-West Center in Honolulu.

Speaking at the Potomac Institute during a seminar titled “Effects of Climate Change in the Pacific Region,” Dr. Keener said that underinvestment in the systems that gather data on climate in the Pacific weakens research.  This in turn impacts the predictability profiles that affect food and water security, which can result in increased numbers of climate migrants.  The cycle also makes it more difficult to get policymakers the information needed to make decisions on how to address the effects of climate change.  Partnerships between scientists and decision makers are crucial to understand the impacts of climate change, she reinforced.

U.S. and world leaders are increasingly focused on climate change challenges.  Recently, the commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific identified climate change as the greatest security threat to the future of the Asia-Pacific region. President Obama introduced a new national climate action plan in June, prioritizing federal-level coordination to address the multidimensional problems raised by a warming planet.

Dr. Keener highlighted Pacific regional challenges and adaptations, along with a number of innovative ways islanders are addressing these issues, and the broader importance of the region with respect to such issues as climate security, environmental sustainability, public health, coastal adaptations, and immigration.

The video of the presentation is available here. {noembedvideo}