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Terrorist Bombings

Terrorism Threat Assessment
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Terrorism Research: How RAND Defined and Built a New Field of Knowledge
Mar 9, 2022
In the early 1970s, amid a worldwide rash of bombings, hijackings, and hostage-takings, RAND researchers began creating the first international database of terrorist incidents. Maintained until 2009, it chronicles more than 40,000 terrorist attacks since 1968.
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Terrorism Threat Assessment
commentary
Deadly Terrorist Threats Abound in U.S. and Abroad. Here Are Key Dangers
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Jul 20, 2020
Fox News Channel
Today's self-selecting solo terrorists answer only to their god, whether seeking to destroy all government, pursuing racial separation or genocidal goals, expressing sexual dissatisfaction, or simply wanting to leave their mark. Military operations are irrelevant. This is a deeper societal problem.
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The Islamic State (Terrorist Organization)
commentary
Baghdadi Resurfaces: What It Means for ISIS's Global Terror Campaign
Colin P. Clarke
May 6, 2019
Los Angeles Times
With last week's release of a video of Abu Bakr Baghdadi, ISIS showed that it's still got some life left—literally. The most important message to take away from the Baghdadi video may be that the Islamic State does not need territory to survive and even thrive.
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Terrorist Bombings
commentary
Sri Lanka's Easter Attacks: Dismantling Myths to Prevent the Next Attack
Jonah Blank
May 6, 2019
Fox News Channel
On Easter Sunday, suicide bombers hit six locations across Sri Lanka, killing more than 250 people. Even before ISIS claimed responsibility, there was no obvious connection to the quarter-century of violence that afflicted the nation until 2009. It is worth dismantling a few myths that might prevent better preparation for future attacks.
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Terrorist Bombings
commentary
Austin Bombings Highlight a Potential Vulnerability in the Mail Delivery System
Lois M. Davis @LoisMDavis, Michael S. Pollard @MichaelSPollard
Apr 17, 2018
Inside Sources
USPS is better than private couriers at identifying and detecting suspicious packages. Given that they are increasingly handling
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Al Qaida
commentary
Will Al Qaeda Make a Comeback?
Seth G. Jones
Aug 7, 2017
Foreign Affairs
Al Qaeda's revival will likely hinge on its ability to take advantage of opportunities such as the withdrawal of counterterrorism forces from key battlefields, more revolt in the Middle East, U.S. or European policies that feed the perception of Muslim oppression, or the rise of a charismatic jihadist leader.
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Counterterrorism
commentary
How to Harden America's Soft Targets
Colin P. Clarke, Chad C. Serena
Jul 5, 2017
The National Interest
The U.S. government must choose where to apply limited resources to defend soft targets. But it could expand its information-sharing efforts with other governments and local law enforcement. Broad intelligence sharing and more training could help identify potential attackers before they can execute their plans.
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Terrorist Bombings
commentary
How Russia Became the Jihadists' No. 1 Target
Colin P. Clarke
Apr 3, 2017
Politico
Russia is fast replacing the United States as the number-one enemy of Al Qaeda, ISIS, and other Sunni jihadist groups motivated by violent and puritanical Salafist ideology. This shift is rooted in recent Russian actions in the Middle East.
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The Islamic State (Terrorist Organization)
commentary
How Will Jihadist Strategy Evolve As the Islamic State Declines?
Colin P. Clarke, Daveed Gartenstein-Ross
Nov 10, 2016
War on the Rocks
As ISIL experiences ongoing battlefield losses it will have to rework its strategy to sustain itself as a preeminent jihadist brand. Meanwhile, the group will likely place greater emphasis on smaller scale strikes that require less central direction.
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Counterterrorism
commentary
U.S. More Able Than Ever to Combat Terrorism
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Sep 26, 2016
Boston Herald
Acts of pure terrorism are truly arbitrary and extremely difficult to protect against, but they are rare. Improved domestic counterterrorist efforts have uncovered and interrupted close to 90 percent of jihadist terrorist plots in the U.S. since 9/11.
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The Islamic State (Terrorist Organization)
commentary
Is the Surge in Terrorist Attacks Coincidence or Coordinated Campaign?
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Jul 11, 2016
The Hill
Whatever the investigations of recent terrorist attacks reveal, the facts may be portrayed (or ignored) to fit narratives written even before the blood has dried.
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Counterterrorism
commentary
To Defeat ISIL's Brand, Its Territory Must Be Reclaimed
Colin P. Clarke, Chad C. Serena
Jul 8, 2016
The National Interest
ISIL has been forced out of 56 places it once controlled, including five major cities. Taking its territory and diminishing its brand is required to reduce the group's operational capacity for carrying out or influencing local or distant attacks.
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Transportation Security
commentary
Out of Line: How to Better Protect Airports from Terrorist Attacks
Henry H. Willis @HenryHWillis, Michael A. Brown
May 2, 2016
U.S. News & World Report
In airport security, it's not the size of a potential terrorist bomb that matters most, it's where it detonates. Fortunately, new technologies may present opportunities to get travelers out of line and keep them safe.
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Terrorist Bombings
commentary
What It Was Like Being in Brussels During the Terrorist Attacks
Stijn Hoorens @StijnHoorens
Mar 28, 2016
U.S. News & World Report
Bearing witness to a terrorist attack was a startling and surreal experience, one that tragically drove home the need for an expanded knowledge base on terrorism and radicalization.
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Terrorist Bombings
commentary
Terror Attacks in Brussels: Insights from RAND Experts
Mar 22, 2016
RAND experts weigh in on the timing of the deadly bombings in Brussels, why the attack was inevitable, Salah Abdeslam's arrest, and more.
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Terrorism Threat Assessment
commentary
Could ISIS and Al Qaeda, Two Giants of Jihad, Unite?
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Mar 14, 2016
Fox News Channel
It could take a change in leadership in both Al Qaeda and ISIS and perhaps some compromises on mission and strategy, but there are enough points of confluence to make a united jihadist front a realistic and frightening possibility.
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