DOCSLIB.ORG

Ctc Sentinel 042021

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Ctc Sentinel 042021 OBJECTIVE ·· RELEVANT ·· RIGOROUS || JUNE/JULYAPRIL/MAY 2018 2021 · ·VOLUME VOLUME 11, 14, ISSUE ISSUE 6 4 A VIEWFEATURE FROM THE ARTICLE CT FOXHOLE A VIEWFEATURE FROM THE ARTICLE CT FOXHOLE TenThe Years Jihadi On: Threat Inside T h e J a n u a r y 6 LTC(R)Boost Bryan to Price theto Bin Indonesia Ladin Raid Accelerationism A Conversation with Admiral (Retired) Brian Former Hughes Director, and William H. McRavenKirsten and E. Schulze Nicholas Rasmussen CombatingCynthia Terrorism miller-idriss Center INTERVIEW Editor in Chief 1 A View from the CT Foxhole: Admiral (Retired) William H. McRaven, Former Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, and Nicholas Paul Cruickshank Rasmussen, Former National Counterterrorism Center Director, Reflect on the Usama bin Ladin Raid Managing Editor Audrey Alexander Kristina Hummel FEATURE ARTICLE EDITORIAL BOARD 12 Uniting for Total Collapse: The January 6 Boost to Accelerationism Colonel Suzanne Nielsen, Ph.D. Brian Hughes and Cynthia Miller-Idriss Department Head Dept. of Social Sciences (West Point) ANALYSIS Lieutenant Colonel Sean Morrow 19 The March 2021 Palma Attack and the Evolving Jihadi Terror Threat to Director, CTC Mozambique Tim Lister Brian Dodwell 28 The Revival of the Pakistani Taliban Executive Director, CTC Abdul Sayed and Tore Hamming Don Rassler 39 A New Approach Is Necessary: The Policy Ramifications of the April 2021 Loyalist Violence in Northern Ireland Director of Strategic Initiatives, CTC Aaron Edwards CONTACT Ten years ago, the United States launched Operation Neptune Spear, the Combating Terrorism Center May 2011 raid on Usama bin Ladin’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, U.S. Military Academy which resulted in the death of al-Qa`ida’s founder. In this issue, CTC Sentinel speaks with Admiral (Retired) William McRaven and Nicholas Rasmussen to compare 607 Cullum Road, Lincoln Hall vantage points of the operation from a military and policy perspective. A decade after the raid, the West Point, NY 10996 operation continues to offer practitioners, policymakers, and researchers valuable lessons for the Phone: (845) 938-8495 future. While some of their reflections pertain to counterterrorism policies and practices, others speak to the importance of leadership at times of uncertainty, discipline, interagency collaboration, Email: [email protected] and most of all, commitment to a shared mission. According to Rasmussen what makes it “such a Web: www.ctc.usma.edu/sentinel/ compelling story at the 10-year mark is that it has such an important operational story to tell, but also … it’s a remarkable window into presidential decision-making under extraordinary conditions of uncertainty and risk.” McRaven stresses the mission was about justice for the victims of 9/11 and SUBMISSIONS other al-Qa`ida attacks: “We were honored to have the opportunity to go on the mission, but make The CTC Sentinel welcomes submissions. no mistake about it, this was about 500,000 plus soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines that took this fight to al-Qa`ida.” Contact us at [email protected]. In this month’s feature article, Brian Hughes and Cynthia Miller-Idriss assess that the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, provided a boost to far-right extremists who seek total political and social collapse, an objective sometimes referred to as “accelerationism.” They write that The views expressed in this report are “although many disagreements and personality clashes continue to emerge within and among groups those of the authors and not of the U.S. since the storming of the Capitol, there are increasing indications that the typically fractious world Military Academy, the Department of the of the extreme far-right is becoming more unified toward an objective of overthrowing the country’s Army, or any other agency of the U.S. prevailing political and social order.” Tim Lister examines the jihadi threat landscape in Mozambique in the wake of an attack by Government. Islamic State-aligned militants on the town of Palma in March 2021. He writes: “for four days, they were rampant, killing at least dozens of local people and destroying much of the town’s infrastructure, Cover: A model of Usama bin Ladin's including banks, a police station, and food aid warehouses. The attack reverberated around the world because Palma was home to hundreds of foreign workers, most of them contractors for the Total compound is pictured at the "Revealed: liquefied natural gas (LNG) project on the nearby Afungi Peninsula.” Abdul Sayed and Tore Hamming The Hunt for Bin Laden" exhibition at warn that “after reabsorbing a number of splinter groups, and addressing internal tensions,” the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) has “intensified its campaign of terrorism in Pakistan and is again growing the National 9/11 Memorial Museum on in strength.” Aaron Edwards argues a new approach toward security in Northern Ireland is necessary November 7, 2019, in New York City. (Angela in the wake of the April 2021 loyalist violence. Paul Cruickshank, Editor in Chief Weiss/AFP via Getty Images) APRIL/MAY 2021 CTC SENTINEL 1 A View from the CT Foxhole: Admiral (Retired) William H. McRaven, Former Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, and Nicholas Rasmussen, Former National Counterterrorism Center Director, Reflect on the Usama bin Ladin Raid By Audrey Alexander Editor’s note: To commemorate the 10th anniversary of Operation Admiral William H. McRaven is a retired U.S. Navy Four-Star Neptune[’s] Spear, the May 2011 raid on Usama bin Ladin’s admiral and the former Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer of compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, CTC Sentinel spoke with the University of Texas System. During his time in the military, he Admiral William McRaven (U.S. Navy Retired) and Nicholas commanded special operations forces at every level, eventually taking Rasmussen to compare vantage points of the operation from a charge of the U.S. Special Operations Command. His career included military and policy perspective. A decade after the raid, the covert combat during Desert Storm and both the Iraq and Afghanistan operation by CIA with Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) wars. He commanded the troops that captured Saddam Hussein and targeting al-Qa`ida’s leader continues to offer practitioners, rescued Captain Phillips. McRaven is also credited with developing policymakers, and researchers valuable lessons for the future. the plan and leading the Usama bin Ladin mission in 2011. While some reflections here pertain to counterterrorism policies and McRaven is a recognized national authority on U.S. foreign practices, others speak to the importance of leadership at times of policy and has advised Presidents George W. Bush, Barack uncertainty, discipline, interagency collaboration, and most of all, Obama, and other U.S. leaders on defense issues. He currently commitment to a shared mission. serves on the boards of the Council on Foreign Relations Additionally, as these recollections will highlight, the process (CFR), the National Football Foundation, the International and planning of the raid in Abbottabad was relatively paperless Crisis Group, The Mission Continues, and ConocoPhillips. due to operational security concerns, which is an important McRaven graduated from The University of Texas at Austin consideration when looking back 10 years later. In our discussion in 1977 with a degree in Journalism, and received his master’s after the interview, Admiral McRaven and Mr. Rasmussen degree from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey in 1991. discussed how personal accounts from this period, including their McRaven is the author of The Hero Code: Lessons Learned own, may inadvertently blur some details like the precise scope and from Lives Well Lived, SPEC OPS: Case Studies in Special sequencing of events in the months leading up to the operation. Both Operations Warfare, and two New York Times best-sellers, Make Admiral McRaven and Mr. Rasmussen have sought to reconstruct Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life and Maybe those events to the best of their recollection. the World and Sea Stories: My Life in Special Operations. CTC: I’d like to ask you both to talk about where this story Nicholas Rasmussen is the inaugural Executive Director of the begins for you. At the time, then Vice Admiral McRaven served Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT). A national as JSOC (Joint Special Operations Command) Commander, security professional with more than 27 years in U.S. government whereas Mr. Rasmussen worked as Special Assistant to the service, Rasmussen held senior counterterrorism posts at the White President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the House and in the U.S. Intelligence Community from 2001 to 2017. National Security Council staff at the White House. We know He concluded his government career as Director of the National that the hunt for Usama bin Ladin was ongoing, but what do you Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), leading more than 1,000 see as the turning point in that search? And when did you start professionals from across the Intelligence Community, federal exploring more actionable options? government, and federal contractor workforce. Rasmussen served in senior posts across three administrations, including as Special Rasmussen: I remember exactly when I first became aware of the Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism idea of Abbottabad as a ‘maybe.’ The CIA director came over to at the National Security Council staff under Presidents Bush and brief President Obama on September 10, 2010—so several months Obama before being appointed Director of NCTC by President before the operation ultimately happened—and basically said Obama and continuing his tenure at the request of President that the Agency and the intelligence community had identified a Trump’s administration. From 1991-2001, he served in policy compound of interest in Pakistan. The briefing made it very clear positions at the Department of State, focused on the Middle East.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Changing Face of American White Supremacy Our Mission: to Stop the Defamation of the Jewish People and to Secure Justice and Fair Treatment for All
    A report from the Center on Extremism 09 18 New Hate and Old: The Changing Face of American White Supremacy Our Mission: To stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment for all. ABOUT T H E CENTER ON EXTREMISM The ADL Center on Extremism (COE) is one of the world’s foremost authorities ADL (Anti-Defamation on extremism, terrorism, anti-Semitism and all forms of hate. For decades, League) fights anti-Semitism COE’s staff of seasoned investigators, analysts and researchers have tracked and promotes justice for all. extremist activity and hate in the U.S. and abroad – online and on the ground. The staff, which represent a combined total of substantially more than 100 Join ADL to give a voice to years of experience in this arena, routinely assist law enforcement with those without one and to extremist-related investigations, provide tech companies with critical data protect our civil rights. and expertise, and respond to wide-ranging media requests. Learn more: adl.org As ADL’s research and investigative arm, COE is a clearinghouse of real-time information about extremism and hate of all types. COE staff regularly serve as expert witnesses, provide congressional testimony and speak to national and international conference audiences about the threats posed by extremism and anti-Semitism. You can find the full complement of COE’s research and publications at ADL.org. Cover: White supremacists exchange insults with counter-protesters as they attempt to guard the entrance to Emancipation Park during the ‘Unite the Right’ rally August 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
    [Show full text]
  • Arxiv:2001.07600V5 [Cs.CY] 8 Apr 2021 Leged Crisis (Lilly 2016)
    The Evolution of the Manosphere Across the Web* Manoel Horta Ribeiro,♠;∗ Jeremy Blackburn,4 Barry Bradlyn,} Emiliano De Cristofaro,r Gianluca Stringhini,| Summer Long,} Stephanie Greenberg,} Savvas Zannettou~;∗ EPFL, Binghamton University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign University♠ College4 London, Boston} University, Max Planck Institute for Informatics r Corresponding authors: manoel.hortaribeiro@epfl.ch,| ~ [email protected] ∗ Abstract However, Manosphere communities are scattered through the Web in a loosely connected network of subreddits, blogs, We present a large-scale characterization of the Manosphere, YouTube channels, and forums (Lewis 2019). Consequently, a conglomerate of Web-based misogynist movements focused we still lack a comprehensive understanding of the underly- on “men’s issues,” which has prospered online. Analyzing 28.8M posts from 6 forums and 51 subreddits, we paint a ing digital ecosystem, of the evolution of the different com- comprehensive picture of its evolution across the Web, show- munities, and of the interactions among them. ing the links between its different communities over the years. Present Work. In this paper, we present a multi-platform We find that milder and older communities, such as Pick longitudinal study of the Manosphere on the Web, aiming to Up Artists and Men’s Rights Activists, are giving way to address three main research questions: more extreme ones like Incels and Men Going Their Own Way, with a substantial migration of active users. Moreover, RQ1: How has the popularity/levels of activity of the dif- our analysis suggests that these newer communities are more ferent Manosphere communities evolved over time? toxic and misogynistic than the older ones.
    [Show full text]
  • COVID-19: How Hateful Extremists Are Exploiting the Pandemic
    COVID-19 How hateful extremists are exploiting the pandemic July 2020 Contents 3 Introduction 5 Summary 6 Findings and recommendations 7 Beliefs and attitudes 12 Behaviours and activities 14 Harms 16 Conclusion and recommendations Commission for Countering Extremism Introduction that COVID-19 is punishment on China for their treatment of Uighurs Muslims.3 Other conspiracy theories suggest the virus is part of a Jewish plot4 or that 5G is to blame.5 The latter has led to attacks on 5G masts and telecoms engineers.6 We are seeing many of these same narratives reoccur across a wide range of different ideologies. Fake news about minority communities has circulated on social media in an attempt to whip up hatred. These include false claims that mosques have remained open during 7 Since the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown. Evidence has also shown that pandemic, the Commission for Countering ‘Far Right politicians and news agencies [...] Extremism has heard increasing reports of capitalis[ed] on the virus to push forward their 8 extremists exploiting the crisis to sow division anti-immigrant and populist message’. Content and undermine the social fabric of our country. such as this normalises Far Right attitudes and helps to reinforce intolerant and hateful views We have heard reports of British Far Right towards ethnic, racial or religious communities. activists and Neo-Nazi groups promoting anti-minority narratives by encouraging users Practitioners have told us how some Islamist to deliberately infect groups, including Jewish activists may be exploiting legitimate concerns communities1 and of Islamists propagating regarding securitisation to deliberately drive a anti-democratic and anti-Western narratives, wedge between communities and the British 9 claiming that COVID-19 is divine punishment state.
    [Show full text]
  • Pakistan-U.S. Relations
    Pakistan-U.S. Relations K. Alan Kronstadt Specialist in South Asian Affairs July 1, 2009 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov RL33498 CRS Report for Congress Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Pakistan-U.S. Relations Summary A stable, democratic, prosperous Pakistan actively combating religious militancy is considered vital to U.S. interests. U.S. concerns regarding Pakistan include regional and global terrorism; Afghan stability; democratization and human rights protection; the ongoing Kashmir problem and Pakistan-India tensions; and economic development. A U.S.-Pakistan relationship marked by periods of both cooperation and discord was transformed by the September 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States and the ensuing enlistment of Pakistan as a key ally in U.S.-led counterterrorism efforts. Top U.S. officials praise Pakistan for its ongoing cooperation, although long-held doubts exist about Islamabad’s commitment to some core U.S. interests. Pakistan is identified as a base for terrorist groups and their supporters operating in Kashmir, India, and Afghanistan. Pakistan’s army has conducted unprecedented and, until recently, largely ineffectual counterinsurgency operations in the country’s western tribal areas, where Al Qaeda operatives and pro-Taliban militants are said to enjoy “safe haven.” U.S. officials increasingly are concerned that indigenous religious extremists represent a serious threat to the stability of the Pakistani state. The United States strongly encourages maintenance of a bilateral cease-fire and a continuation of substantive dialogue between Pakistan and neighboring India, which have fought three wars since 1947. A perceived Pakistan-India nuclear arms race has been the focus of U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Identity & In-Group Critique in James Mason's Siege
    A Paler Shade of White: Identity & In-group Critique in James Mason’s Siege J.M. Berger RESOLVE NETWORK | April 2021 Racially and Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremism Series https://doi.org/10.37805/remve2021.1 The views expressed in this publication are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the RESOLVE Network, the U.S. Institute of Peace, or any entity of the U.S. government. CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 2 HISTORY AND CONTEXT ...................................................................................... 4 METHODOLOGY: LINKAGEBASED ANALYSIS ............................................... 6 OVERVIEW OF CONTENT ..................................................................................... 7 INGROUP CRISIS: A PALER SHADE OF WHITE .............................................13 INGROUPS IN CRISIS ........................................................................................20 THE OUTGROUP IN THE INGROUP ...............................................................23 CONCLUSION: INSIGHTS & RECOMMENDATIONS .....................................25 BIBLIOGRAPHY .....................................................................................................28 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Discussions of extremist ideologies naturally focus on how in-groups criticize and attack out-groups. But
    [Show full text]
  • Book Pakistanonedge.Pdf
    Pakistan Project Report April 2013 Pakistan on the Edge Copyright © Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, 2013 Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses No.1, Development Enclave, Rao Tula Ram Marg, Delhi Cantt., New Delhi - 110 010 Tel. (91-11) 2671-7983 Fax.(91-11) 2615 4191 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.idsa.in ISBN: 978-93-82512-02-8 First Published: April 2013 Cover shows Data Ganj Baksh, popularly known as Data Durbar, a Sufi shrine in Lahore. It is the tomb of Syed Abul Hassan Bin Usman Bin Ali Al-Hajweri. The shrine was attacked by radical elements in July 2010. The photograph was taken in August 2010. Courtesy: Smruti S Pattanaik. Disclaimer: The views expressed in this Report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Institute or the Government of India. Published by: Magnum Books Pvt Ltd Registered Office: C-27-B, Gangotri Enclave Alaknanda, New Delhi-110 019 Tel.: +91-11-42143062, +91-9811097054 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.magnumbooks.org All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, sorted in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photo-copying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA). Contents Preface 5 Abbreviations 7 Introduction 9 Chapter 1 Political Scenario: The Emerging Trends Amit Julka, Ashok K. Behuria and Sushant Sareen 13 Chapter 2 Provinces: A Strained Federation Sushant Sareen and Ashok K. Behuria 29 Chapter 3 Militant Groups in Pakistan: New Coalition, Old Politics Amit Julka and Shamshad Ahmad Khan 41 Chapter 4 Continuing Religious Radicalism and Ever Widening Sectarian Divide P.
    [Show full text]
  • Intentional Disregard: Trump's Authoritarianism During the COVID
    INTENTIONAL DISREGARD Trump’s Authoritarianism During the COVID-19 Pandemic August 2020 This report is dedicated to those who have suffered and lost their lives to the COVID-19 virus and to their loved ones. Acknowledgments This report was co-authored by Sylvia Albert, Keshia Morris Desir, Yosef Getachew, Liz Iacobucci, Beth Rotman, Paul S. Ryan and Becky Timmons. The authors thank the 1.5 million Common Cause supporters whose small-dollar donations fund more than 70% of our annual budget for our nonpartisan work strengthening the people’s voice in our democracy. Thank you to the Common Cause National Governing Board for its leadership and support. We also thank Karen Hobert Flynn for guidance and editing, Aaron Scherb for assistance with content, Melissa Brown Levine for copy editing, Kerstin Vogdes Diehn for design, and Scott Blaine Swenson for editing and strategic communications support. This report is complete as of August 5, 2020. ©2020 Common Cause. Printed in-house. CONTENTS Introduction ............................................................................ 3 President Trump’s ad-lib pandemic response has undermined government institutions and failed to provide states with critically needed medical supplies. .............5 Divider in Chief: Trump’s Politicization of the Pandemic .................................... 9 Trump has amplified special interest-funded “liberate” protests and other “reopen” efforts, directly contradicting public health guidance. ...................9 Trump and his enablers in the Senate have failed to appropriate adequate funds to safely run this year’s elections. .........................................11 President Trump has attacked voting by mail—the safest, most secure way to cast ballots during the pandemic—for purely personal, partisan advantage. ..............12 The Trump administration has failed to safeguard the health of detained and incarcerated individuals.
    [Show full text]
  • Istanbul Technical University Graduate School of Arts
    ISTANBUL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES TRANSFORMATIONS OF KURDISH MUSIC IN SYRIA: SOCIAL AND POLITICAL FACTORS M.A. THESIS Hussain HAJJ Department of Musicology and Music Theory Musicology M.A. Programme JUNE 2018 ISTANBUL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES TRANSFORMATIONS OF KURDISH MUSIC IN SYRIA: SOCIAL AND POLITICAL FACTORS M.A. THESIS Hussain HAJJ (404141007) Department of Musicology and Music Theory Musicology Programme Thesis Advisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. F. Belma KURTİŞOĞLU JUNE 2018 İSTANBUL TEKNİK ÜNİVERSİTESİ SOSYAL BİLİMLER ENSTİTÜSÜ SURİYE’DE KÜRT MÜZİĞİNİN DÖNÜŞÜMÜ: SOSYAL VE POLİTİK ETKENLER YÜKSEK LİSANS TEZİ Hussain HAJJ (404141007) Müzikoloji ve Müzik Teorisi Anabilim Dalı Müzikoloji Yüksek Lisans Programı Tez Danışmanı: Doç. Dr. F. Belma KURTİŞOĞLU HAZİRAN 2018 Date of Submission : 7 May 2018 Date of Defense : 4 June 2018 v vi To the memory of my father, to my dear mother and Neslihan Güngör; thanks for always being there for me. vii viii FOREWORD When I started studying Musicology, a musician friend from Syrian Kurds told me that I am leaving my seat as an active musician and starting a life of academic researches, and that he will make music and I will research the music he makes. It was really an interesting statement to me; it made me think of two things, the first one is the intention behind this statement, while the second was the attitude of Kurds, especially Kurd musicians, towards researchers and researching. As for the first thing, I felt that there was a problem, maybe a social or psychological, of the Kurdish people in general, and the musicians in particular.
    [Show full text]
  • Congressional Record—Senate S924
    S924 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 1, 2021 unanimous consent that the rules of in the subcommittee and shall not be count- IMPEACHMENT procedure of the Committee on Appro- ed for purposes of determining a quorum. Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, just priations for the 117th Congress be f barely a year ago, I was here making a printed in the RECORD. similar statement. Impeachment is one There being no objection, the mate- TRIBUTE TO CHRISTINA NOLAN of the most solemn matters to come rial was ordered to be printed in the Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I would before the Senate, but I worry that it’s RECORD, as follows: like to pay tribute to a great also becoming a common occurrence. SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Before getting into the merits of this Vermonter, Christina Nolan, a most COMMITTEE RULES—117TH CONGRESS impeachment, it is important to reit- dedicated public servant who has I. MEETINGS erate that January 6 was a sad and served as U.S. attorney for the District tragic day for America. I hope we can The Committee will meet at the call of the of Vermont since November 2017. She Chairman. all agree about that. will be resigning her post at the end of What happened here at the Capitol II. QUORUMS this month, 11 years since she first 1. Reporting a bill. A majority of the mem- was completely inexcusable. It was not joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office, but a demonstration of any of our pro- bers must be present for the reporting of a her work and the strong partnerships bill.
    [Show full text]
  • Afghanistan | Agricultural Livelihoods and Food Security in the Context of COVID-19: Monitoring Report – August 2021
    AFGHANISTAN Agricultural livelihoods and food security in the context of COVID-19 Monitoring report August 2021 AFGHANISTAN Agricultural livelihoods and food security in the context of COVID-19 Monitoring report August 2021 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Rome, 2021 REQUIRED CITATION FAO. 2021. Afghanistan | Agricultural livelihoods and food security in the context of COVID-19: Monitoring report – August 2021. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cb6398en The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Dashed lines on maps represent approximate border lines for which there may not yet be full agreement. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. ISBN 978-92-5-134842-0 © FAO, 2021 Some rights reserved. This work is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- ShareAlike 3.0 IGO licence (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc- sa/3.0/igo/legalcode). Under the terms of this licence, this work may be copied, redistributed and adapted for non-commercial purposes, provided that the work is appropriately cited. In any use of this work, there should be no suggestion that FAO endorses any specific organization, products or services.
    [Show full text]
  • Extremism and Terrorism
    Pakistan: Extremism and Terrorism On April 21, 2021, a car bomb exploded in the parking lot of the Serena Hotel in Quetta, killing at least five and wounding 11. Chinese ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong was staying in the hotel but was not present during the attack. Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility. “It was a suicide attack in which our suicide bomber used his explosives-filled car in the hotel,” the TTP said in a text message to Reuters. (Sources: Reuters, Associated Press) On April 12, 2021, police in Lahore arrested Saad Rizvi, leader of the outlawed Islamist political party Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP). The arrest was reportedly to deter TLP supporters from further demanding the expulsion of France’s ambassador over the publication in France of cartoons featuring Islam’s Prophet Muhammad. Rizvi had claimed the government had reached an agreement with his party to expel the ambassador by April 20, while government officials claimed they agreed only to discuss the issue in parliament. In response to Rizvi’s arrest, TLP supporters blocked highways and clash with police across the country over the course of two days, killing at least four people and wounding dozens of others, including at least 60 police officers. On April 18, TLP supporters attacked a police station in Lahore while rallying in the city against Rizvi’s arrest. The protesters took hostage 11 officers. The protesters released the hostages the following day after negotiations with the government. Photos released of the hostages during the negotiations showed they had been tortured. (Sources: Voice of America, Associated Press) Overview Since its independence from British colonial rule in 1947, Pakistan has been divided along ethnic, religious, and sectarian lines, a condition which has been exploited by internal and external organizations to foster extremism and terrorism.
    [Show full text]
  • The Qanon Conspiracy
    THE QANON CONSPIRACY: Destroying Families, Dividing Communities, Undermining Democracy THE QANON CONSPIRACY: PRESENTED BY Destroying Families, Dividing Communities, Undermining Democracy NETWORK CONTAGION RESEARCH INSTITUTE POLARIZATION AND EXTREMISM RESEARCH POWERED BY (NCRI) INNOVATION LAB (PERIL) Alex Goldenberg Brian Hughes Lead Intelligence Analyst, The Network Contagion Research Institute Caleb Cain Congressman Denver Riggleman Meili Criezis Jason Baumgartner Kesa White The Network Contagion Research Institute Cynthia Miller-Idriss Lea Marchl Alexander Reid-Ross Joel Finkelstein Director, The Network Contagion Research Institute Senior Research Fellow, Miller Center for Community Protection and Resilience, Rutgers University SPECIAL THANKS TO THE PERIL QANON ADVISORY BOARD Jaclyn Fox Sarah Hightower Douglas Rushkoff Linda Schegel THE QANON CONSPIRACY ● A CONTAGION AND IDEOLOGY REPORT FOREWORD “A lie doesn’t become truth, wrong doesn’t become right, and evil doesn’t become good just because it’s accepted by the majority.” –Booker T. Washington As a GOP Congressman, I have been uniquely positioned to experience a tumultuous two years on Capitol Hill. I voted to end the longest government shut down in history, was on the floor during impeachment, read the Mueller Report, governed during the COVID-19 pandemic, officiated a same-sex wedding (first sitting GOP congressman to do so), and eventually became the only Republican Congressman to speak out on the floor against the encroaching and insidious digital virus of conspiracy theories related to QAnon. Certainly, I can list the various theories that nest under the QAnon banner. Democrats participate in a deep state cabal as Satan worshiping pedophiles and harvesting adrenochrome from children. President-Elect Joe Biden ordered the killing of Seal Team 6.
    [Show full text]