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572. Gaza's new Islamists: The atomization of Palestinian Islamism since 2006
- Author:
- Leila Stockmarr
- Publication Date:
- 10-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Danish Institute for International Studies
- Abstract:
- The emergence of new Islamist groups challenging Hamas from within is demarcating a new tendency towards inter-Islamist rivalry in Gaza. Based on original empirical data this report maps the Islamist milieu in Gaza. It offers a critical examination of how Hamas has governed Gaza since 2007 and why new Islamist groups in Gaza have emerged. The report argues that the phenomenon of new Islamists is diffuse and intangible. It does, however, relate to the question of the ideological price of governing in Palestine, and the repercussions of Hamas' rule and external policies upon the Islamist milieu in Gaza where, for the first time, an Islamist political body is in power. Two major aspects are motivating the emergence of new Islamist agendas: people's ideological grievances towards those in power and the instrumentalisation of ideology and religion in the midst of a power struggle between an increasingly authoritarian political body and its dissidents and challengers. In the face of governments which are failing to deliver, non-organised religious activity has become political power in Gaza.
- Topic:
- Islam, Terrorism, Armed Struggle, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- Middle East, Palestine, Arabia, and Gaza
573. Scraping the Barrel: The Trade in Surplus Ammunition
- Author:
- Pierre Gobinet and Claudio Gramizzi
- Publication Date:
- 04-2011
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Small Arms Survey
- Abstract:
- Small arms and light weapons need ammunition. Government forces and armed groups cannot wage battle or train their troops without a sustained supply of ammunition, and its availability determines the type of weapons used in most of the conflicts around the world.
- Topic:
- Arms Control and Proliferation, Terrorism, and Counterinsurgency
- Political Geography:
- Europe
574. Who Controls Pakistan's Security Forces?
- Author:
- Shuja Nawaz
- Publication Date:
- 11-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- United States Institute of Peace
- Abstract:
- Internal militancy and insurgency are the immediate threats to Pakistan's security. Pakistan's polity is fractured and dysfunctional, allowing the military to assert greater control over Pakistan's response to this growing internal threat. Civilian authorities have missed numerous opportunities to assert control over security matters. Miscalculation by the current civilian government in its attempt in 2008 to exert control over the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) directorate soured civil-military relations at a time when the new army chief favored keeping the army out of politics. The military's interests are expanding to newer sectors, including economic policymaking, since a shrinking economy could hurt military interests and lifestyles. An opportunity to improve security sector governance exists in the proposed National Counter Terrorism Authority, which the government has unduly delayed.
- Topic:
- Security, Intelligence, Islam, Terrorism, and War
- Political Geography:
- Pakistan
575. The Strategic Logic of the Contemporary Security Dilemma
- Author:
- Max G. Manwaring
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College
- Abstract:
- From the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 to the end of World War II and beyond the Cold War period, the prevailing assumption was that interstate warfare would continue to be the dominant threat to global peace and prosperity. Today's wars, by contrast, are intrastate conflicts that take place mainly within—not across—national borders. As a consequence, the disease of intrastate conflict has been allowed to rage relatively unchecked across large areas of the world, and has devastated the lives of millions of human beings. At the same time, indirect and implicit unmet needs (e.g., poverty) lead people into greater and greater personal and collective insecurity.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Security, Defense Policy, Terrorism, and Weapons of Mass Destruction
576. Countering the Lord's Resistance Army in Central Africa
- Author:
- Andre Le Sage
- Publication Date:
- 07-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Abstract:
- The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) is one of Africa's most brutal militia forces. It has plagued Central Africa, particularly northern Uganda, for over two decades. The group's tactics provide textbook examples of war crimes and crimes against humanity. When attacking civilians, the LRA instills fear by selecting random individuals for brutal executions. Children are abducted to serve as porters, sex slaves, and new militia. In order to indoctrinate child soldiers, young abductees are routinely forced to kill their own family members and other children, or be murdered themselves. Anyone caught trying to escape from the LRA is summarily executed. By contrast with other African rebel groups, which occasionally adopt such brutal tactics, the LRA has conducted such atrocities on a systematic and prolonged basis.
- Topic:
- Crime, Human Rights, Terrorism, Armed Struggle, and Insurgency
- Political Geography:
- Africa
577. Towards a regional security regime for the middle east
- Publication Date:
- 10-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
- Abstract:
- The SIPRI Middle East Expert Group met four times over an 18-month period to consider how a regional security regime might be developed. The principal points of this report are:Further progress in the Middle East peace process would create a suitable political climate for consideration of a regional security regime.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Security, Peace Studies, and Terrorism
- Political Geography:
- Middle East, Israel, and Arabia
578. The Crusade Against Counterterrorism
- Author:
- Travis Sharp and Matthew Irvine
- Publication Date:
- 09-2011
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- The Journal of International Security Affairs
- Institution:
- Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs
- Abstract:
- Dana Priest and William Arkin's misguided quest to stop “secret America”
- Topic:
- Terrorism
- Political Geography:
- America
579. The EU-US security and justice agenda in action
- Author:
- Patryk Pawlak (ed)
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- European Union Institute for Security Studies
- Abstract:
- The development of homeland security policies in the post 9/11 context has given rise to several interesting debates at the transatlantic level, the most important of which has focused on the balance between liberty and security. EU-US cooperation in this domain has resulted in a strengthening of the security dimension of numerous policy areas which in the view of civil liberty organisations and certain EU bodies and institutions has entailed an unacceptable intrusion into the private lives of citizens and limitation of their freedoms. The implementation of the commitments to 'work in partnership in a broad coalition to combat the evil of terrorism' and to 'vigorously pursue cooperation' adopted at the Joint EU-US Ministerial of 20 September 2001 has proven particularly difficult. While initial disagreements were mostly caused by the unilateralist approach of the United States and a lack of mutual trust and understanding on both sides of the Atlantic, the discussions have slowly evolved towards increasing consensus on substantive points leading to specific policy choices. Many of the objections expressed by the European Parliament and civil liberties organisations in Europe have concerned the increasing powers of government agencies and the diminishing rights of citizens. The debate has gradually become more heated, fuelled by press reports about the expanding use of personal information collected by private actors for commercial purposes (e.g. PNR, SWIFT) or the application of advanced technologies to protect the homeland (e.g. terrorist profiling and data mining). All this has positioned the transatlantic security dialogue between two poles: security and liberty.
- Topic:
- Conflict Prevention, Defense Policy, International Cooperation, Terrorism, Bilateral Relations, and Counterinsurgency
- Political Geography:
- United States and Europe
580. Trends in Terrorism Since 9/11 : Is terrorism still a threat to the United States?
- Author:
- Louis Klarevas
- Publication Date:
- 02-2011
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
- Institution:
- Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- With an increased focus on terrorist threats on U.S. soil, the author investigates whether terrorism is as great a threat as conveyed by the media and policymakers. The article analyzes trends in terrorism worldwide over the last few years by using data from the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) and a unique dataset created by the author. The author concludes with some brief policy guidance in light of observed trends.
- Topic:
- Terrorism
- Political Geography:
- United States