HSPI Issue Brief Series
by Jon Nowick
January 13, 2012
On January 13, 2012, the George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute (HSPI) released an issue brief highlighting the value of applying analytic tradecraft techniques more widely throughout the homeland security community. Author and HSPI Senior Fellow Jon Nowick maintains: "The homeland security community in the next few years is likely to face evolving threats, shrinking resources, and low public tolerance for failure. Its members must tap every opportunity to use resources smartly, stay ahead of the adversary, and maintain the public trust. Broadening use of analytic tradecraft techniques is no cure-all. But it is a savvy and cost-effective way to continue keeping our homeland secure." More
by Sharon L. Cardash, Frank J. Cilluffo, Bert B. Tussing
October 20, 2011
On October 20, 2011, the George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute (HSPI) together with the U.S. Army War College Center for Strategic Leadership released an issue brief on Mexico and the triple challenge of crime, terrorist tactics, and narco-insurgency. Reviewing the extent of the triple threat and efforts to respond to it, both individually and jointly on the part of the Government of Mexico and the United States Government, co-authors Sharon L. Cardash, Frank J. Cilluffo, and Bert B. Tussing write: “The question remains…whether strategy and doctrine in Mexico, in the United States, and in the region can and will keep pace with the triple threat…that is at once adaptive, lethal, and determined.” More
In December 2011, the Center for Strategic Leadership released The Hybrid Threat: Crime, Terrorism and Insurgency in Mexico, the proceedings of the joint CSL-HSPI Policy and Research Forum held in October 2011.
Read the proceedings (PDF)
For more information about the Joint Forum, see the event webpage.
by Andrew G. Mills & Joseph R. Clark
August 1, 2011
On August 1, 2011, HSPI released an issue brief on local law enforcement counterterrorism practices, taking as a case study the experience of the San Diego Police Department's Criminal Intelligence Unit (CIU). The authors, Andrew G. Mills and Joseph R. Clark, find that the CIU's decision to work with and learn from the intelligence community and the local fusion center represents a step forward in local law enforcement counterterrorism practices. However, the authors contend that lessons learned by the San Diego Police Department will be of little use unless local law enforcement agencies across the country make similar efforts to improve their counterterrorism approaches by working with their local fusion centers and the broader intelligence community. More
by Frank J. Cilluffo & Clinton Watts
June 24, 2011
"AQAP’s ascension in the wake of the Yemeni government collapse again illustrates the dangers of un- and under-governed states as terrorist sanctuaries. As seen in Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan, Pakistan, the Sahel and many other places, al Qaeda exploits underlying conditions in these safe havens to plan, train and execute global terrorist attacks. Thus the question becomes this: how does the U.S. counter AQAP amidst pending state failure in Yemen?" More
by Lorenzo Vidino
March 2, 2011
"Like any movement that spans continents and has millions of affiliates, the global Muslim Brotherhood is hardly a monolithic block. Personal and ideological divisions are common. Divergences emerge on how the movement should try to achieve its goals and, in some cases, even on what those goals should actually be." More
by Lorenzo Vidino
March 2, 2011
"The Muslim Brotherhood (Al Ikhwan al Muslimeen) is the world's oldest and most influential Islamist movement. Founded in Ismailiya in 1928 by Hassan al Banna, the Brotherhood, like most of the grassroots movements that sprang up in Egypt at the time, was strongly opposed to colonial rule and advocated Egyptian independence. But while most anti-British movements took inspiration from an array of Western-imported ideologies, the Brotherhood based its discourse on Islam." More
by Frank Cilluffo, J. Scott Carpenter, and Matthew Levitt
February 4, 2011
"Yesterday, the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee released the findings of its investigation of the Fort Hood shooting. The report is especially critical of the military and FBI’s failure to share actionable intelligence and to develop policies to counter violent Islamist extremism. Earlier this week Colleen LaRose, better known as “Jihad Jane,” pleaded guilty to all counts of an indictment charging her with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, conspiracy to kill in a foreign country, making false statements and attempted identity theft. The United States has experienced a spate of recent homegrown terrorism cases such as this, including recent plots targeting a military recruiting station in Maryland and a Christmas tree lighting celebration in Oregon. Such plots are stark reminders of the potent threat posed by homegrown radicalization. The aggregate picture is disturbing. A recent Congressional Research Service report identified 43 homegrown jihadi plots since 9/11 – with just over half occurring since May 2009." More
by Frank Cilluffo, Ron Ritchey, and Timothy Tinker
September 9, 2010
"While cloud computing offers limitless possibilities in terms of collaboration and access to data, the indefinable structure of this advanced technology raises several security concerns. The George Washington Policy University Homeland Security Policy Institute hosted a recent forum sponsored by Booz Allen Hamilton and Cisco Systems to address the myriad security concerns that arise as cloud computing deployments expand." More
by Joseph R. Clark
July 8, 2009
"East African Piracy, thrust into American political discourse by the dramatic rescue of merchant Captain Richard Phillips, represents a small but growing challenge to the United States and larger international community. The recent introduction of legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives suggests that despite the absence of continued media attention, the issue has not disappeared. Nonetheless, it remains unclear how political, commercial, and military actors within the United States ought to react." More
by Seth M.M. Stodder
January 30, 2009
"When disaster strikes, human nature impels us to lend a hand to those in need, and often to great heroism. Whether it is a small-scale accident like a car wreck, or a large-scale catastrophe like Hurricane Katrina or the Northridge Earthquake, our natural instinct is to offer assistance. Recently, however, the California Supreme Court had a message for such selfless volunteers—get a lawyer!" More
by R. Alan McCurry
January 30, 2009
"Non-profits such as the Red Cross, Salvation Army and many others have been a key resource for survivors of disasters in the United States and around the world for many years. The American people depend on them and expect them to be there when a disaster strikes their families, their community, or their nation. But what happens when the disaster is too large and beyond the capability of local communities and non-profits to manage?" More
by Frank J. Cilluffo, Daniel J. Kaniewski, Jan P. Lane, Gregg C. Lord, and Laura P. Keith
January 13, 2009
"As the debate regarding the bureaucratic placement of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) within the executive branch intensifies, we implore pundits and policymakers alike to pause and consider more broadly the implications of any reshuffling. Serving America’s disaster victims must be the primary focus of any discussion regarding FEMA. It is our view that in considering the options, form should follow function, not vice versa." More
by Andrew J. Whitehead
August 21, 2007
"Does poverty cause terrorism? The short answer is: no. Rather than being a phenomenon of the world’s poor, terrorism can just as easily arise among the wealthiest citizens of some of the world’s wealthiest societies. The long answer, however, is a little more complicated: poverty might not turn anyone into a terrorist, but it often makes the terrorists’ goals easier to achieve." More
by Frank J. Cilluffo and Daniel J. Kaniewski
December 29, 2004
"With the creation of the Department of Homeland Security came a consolidated approach to homeland security. No longer do 22 separate agencies myopically view homeland security. Instead, they work together as a unified whole, addressing the pressing homeland security needs in the best interests of the nation, rather than in the interests of a particular agency. While many take comfort in the Department and its organizational holism, the reality is that the executive branch is only half the problem. When the President consolidated homeland security efforts under a new department, Congress failed to act in a similar fashion." More
