Browsing by Subject "Terrorism"

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Open Access
Confidence, not consistency, characterizes flashbulb memories.
(Psychol Sci, 2003-09) Talarico, Jennifer M; Rubin, David C
On September 12, 2001, 54 Duke students recorded their memory of first hearing about the terrorist attacks of September 11 and of a recent everyday event. They were tested again either 1, 6, or 32 weeks later. Consistency for the flashbulb and everyday memories did not differ, in both cases declining over time. However, ratings of vividness, recollection, and belief in the accuracy of memory declined only for everyday memories. Initial visceral emotion ratings correlated with later belief in accuracy, but not consistency, for flashbulb memories. Initial visceral emotion ratings predicted later posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Flashbulb memories are not special in their accuracy, as previously claimed, but only in their perceived accuracy.
Open Access
Counter-Marketing Foreign Terrorist Organizations: Best Practices from the Truth Initiative
(2017-06-09) Williams, Michael
In the sixteen years since the 9/11 attacks, the United States government continues to execute a military-centric counterterrorism (CT) strategy in the Middle East and Africa, absent an integrated and synchronized information component to what is now recognized as a generational “War of Ideas.” The void of information alternatives enabled the Islamic State (ISIS) in 2014 to acquire prolific brand recognition and global market share, which in turn, fueled the organization’s unprecedented foreign fighter recruiting efforts. U.S. government and partner efforts to counter-messaging and propaganda from ISIS, al Qaeda (AQ), and other Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), continue to face criticism. This project recommends the Global Engagement Center (GEC) use a “Truth-like” counter-marketing methodology to discourage youth from joining FTOs. As a component of a long-term U.S. counter-terrorism (CT) strategy, the GEC should target the 200 million Arab youth currently under the age of 25, use a brand-based approach to unify partner efforts, and establish a digital repository of incriminating FTO and counter-marketing material that can be shared with global partners. This project consists of a policy problem assessment, a case study of the Truth Initiative and Campaign, a comparative analysis of other U.S. government activities, and a series of policy recommendations. This project identifies a number of counter-marketing best practices from America’s largest non-profit anti-tobacco organization, the Truth Initiative, which could improve the GEC’s counter-messaging mission against FTOs. The Truth Initiative, previously known as the American Legacy Foundation, created one of the most successful advertising campaigns in history, the Truth Campaign. It is important to acknowledge that the counter-marketing of tobacco and terrorism are not perfect comparisons, and this paper does not intend to imply that they are. This project recognizes a counter-marketing approach to CT messaging will not be a panacea, as a media campaign will not fix poor governance, or address legitimate grievances that lead individuals and FTOs to commit violence. However, a well-executed counter-marketing campaign should be used to undermine and diminish the recruiting influence that FTOs exert on global youth.
Open Access
Examining the factor structure of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) in a post-9/11 U.S. military veteran sample.
(Assessment, 2014-08) Green, Kimberly T; Hayward, Laura C; Williams, Ann M; Dennis, Paul A; Bryan, Brandon C; Taber, Katherine H; Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center Workgroup; Davidson, Jonathan RT; Beckham, Jean C; Calhoun, Patrick S
The present study examined the structural validity of the 25-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) in a large sample of U.S. veterans with military service since September 11, 2001. Participants (N = 1,981) completed the 25-item CD-RISC, a structured clinical interview and a self-report questionnaire assessing psychiatric symptoms. The study sample was randomly divided into two subsamples: an initial sample (Sample 1: n = 990) and a replication sample (Sample 2: n = 991). Findings derived from exploratory factor analysis (EFA) did not support the five-factor analytic structure as initially suggested in Connor and Davidson's instrument validation study. Although parallel analyses indicated a two-factor structural model, we tested one to six factor solutions for best model fit using confirmatory factor analysis. Results supported a two-factor model of resilience, composed of adaptability- (8 items) and self-efficacy-themed (6 items) items; however, only the adaptability-themed factor was found to be consistent with our view of resilience-a factor of protection against the development of psychopathology following trauma exposure. The adaptability-themed factor may be a useful measure of resilience for post-9/11 U.S. military veterans.
Open Access
Exploring Strategies to Address the Prevalence of Islamophobia in America
(2012-04-27) Acosta-Licea, Dulce Maria
9/11 marked a notable rise in Islamophobia within American society that has since remained a prevailing reality. For the purposes of this paper, I define Islamophobia as a negative bias against Islam and/or Muslims expressed as hostile and discriminatory perceptions, sentiments, attitudes, and behavior towards Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim - including Sikhs, Arabs and South Asian Americans. Questioning, disagreeing with or critically analyzing Islam or Muslims is not necessarily Islamophobic. Just as Americans are not labeled anti-American for critiquing U.S. policies, those who critique Islam or Muslims should also not be automatically labeled as Islamophobes. The prevalence of Islamophobia is problematic because it threatens the wellbeing of its targets, the Islamophobes themselves and American society as a whole. To Muslims and others perceived to be Muslim, Islamophobia can ultimately motivate physical damage against their property and their actual person. As a type of prejudice, Islamophobia also threatens to restrict its targets’ “self image, educational success, occupational attainment, mental health status and health status.” A 2010 study confirms some of these effects by revealing that perceived Islamophobia-motivated “abuse and discrimination” is associated with “increased psychological distress, reduced levels of happiness and worse health status.” To Islamophobes, similar to the impact of racism on racists, Islamophobia could ultimately hinder Islamophobes’ ability to work effectively in pluralistic settings and could lead to “lower self-esteem and higher levels of anxiety.” As for society as a whole, Islamophobia erodes national unity, signals a departure from our nation’s core value of epluribus unum, and has the potential, as a form of prejudice, to spur mass murder and terrorism. Anders Breivik, the Norwegian terrorist who intended to “save Europe from Marxism and ‘Muslimization,’” stands as proof of Islamophobia’s terrorism potential. Islamophobia may also enable extremist groups like the Taliban and Al Qaeda to recruit and carry out terrorist attacks for two reasons. First, Islamophobia can result in the isolation and marginalization of its targets, which can leave them vulnerable and receptive to radicalization. Second, Islamophobia perpetuates the notion that the West is at war with Islam, which is a recruitment tactic used by such groups. The client for this Master’s project is the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), a policy advocacy nonprofit for the Muslim American community. MPAC is interested in knowing the possible range of efforts that should be taken to prevent future backlash - against Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim - if another domestic terrorist attack is implemented by a self-described Muslim. This paper explores possible strategies that have the potential to effectively reduce the current Islamophobia trend and minimize possible future resurgence: What efforts are feasible and sustainable with respect to curbing Islamophobia among the American public? This paper begins with an examination of the nature of the post-9/11 prevalence of Islamophobia in America, specifically how and to what extent it has manifested along with what factors are cited as sources behind of the Islamophobia trend. Next, the methodology section details the analytical strategy used to identify possible strategies. A menu of strategy options is then presented through the lens of a set of evaluative criteria. This paper ultimately concludes with a discussion on next steps in addressing Islamophobia in America. This project has relevant implications for a range of actors across society, including but not limited to: 1) policymakers who seek to maximize social welfare; 2) civil rights advocates across religious, racial, and ethnic minority communities who seek to combat bigotry; and 3) interfaith movements and organizations that seek to promote tolerance. This paper does not intend to present the ultimate, static solution to Islamophobia. Instead, the paper seeks to 1) identify possible strategies towards addressing Islamophobia in America and 2) contribute a foundation for which societal problems like Islamophobia can begin to be addressed in an organized and strategic manner.
Open Access
Mass-casualty victim "surge" management. Preparing for bombings and blast-related injuries with possibility of hazardous materials exposure.
(North Carolina medical journal, 2002-09) Severance, Harry W
Bombings and other blast-related events place severe demands on pre-hospital and in-hospital systems. The resulting surge of victims can overwhelm the resources of any facility not prepared for such an event. The September 11 terrorist attacks underscore the urgency of our need for preparedness. The challenges become even more daunting when there is possible hazmat exposure as well; this means that adequate and rapid disposition of victims is even more critical in order to avoid contamination of hospitals systems or whole communities. Federal agencies have been designated and federal mandates have been issued to address mass casualty events, but federal or even regional systems cannot respond in time to address the massive and immediate needs generated by an explosion. Local communities must take the lead in developing incident command systems for initial management of such events. Hospital and pre-hospital providers play a key role in such planning. Ultimate management and disposition of large numbers of casualties, especially if contaminated, cannot follow standard patient management protocols; new protocols are needed. To avoid a total, overwhelming break down of in-hospital resources, hospitals need to assume a lead role in addressing such issues in their local communities.
Open Access
Memory and coping with stress: the relationship between cognitive-emotional distinctiveness, memory valence, and distress.
(Memory, 2008) Boals, Adriel; Rubin, David C; Klein, Kitty
Cognitive-emotional distinctiveness (CED), the extent to which an individual separates emotions from an event in the cognitive representation of the event, was explored in four studies. CED was measured using a modified multidimensional scaling procedure. The first study found that lower levels of CED in memories of the September 11 terrorist attacks predicted greater frequency of intrusive thoughts about the attacks. The second study revealed that CED levels are higher in negative events, in comparison to positive events and that low CED levels in emotionally intense negative events are associated with a pattern of greater event-related distress. The third study replicated the findings from the previous study when examining CED levels in participants' memories of the 2004 Presidential election. The fourth study revealed that low CED in emotionally intense negative events is associated with worse mental health. We argue that CED is an adaptive and healthy coping feature of stressful memories.
Open Access
Non-disruptive tactics of suppression are superior in countering terrorism, insurgency, and financial panics.
(PLoS One, 2011-04-13) Siegel, David A
BACKGROUND: Suppressing damaging aggregate behaviors such as insurgency, terrorism, and financial panics are important tasks of the state. Each outcome of these aggregate behaviors is an emergent property of a system in which each individual's action depends on a subset of others' actions, given by each individual's network of interactions. Yet there are few explicit comparisons of strategies for suppression, and none that fully incorporate the interdependence of individual behavior. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Here I show that suppression tactics that do not require the removal of individuals from networks of interactions are nearly always more effective than those that do. I find using simulation analysis of a general model of interdependent behavior that the degree to which such less disruptive suppression tactics are superior to more disruptive ones increases in the propensity of individuals to engage in the behavior in question. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, hearts-and-minds approaches are generally more effective than force in counterterrorism and counterinsurgency, and partial insurance is usually a better tactic than gag rules in quelling financial panics. Differences between suppression tactics are greater when individual incentives to support terrorist or insurgent groups, or susceptibilities to financial panic, are higher. These conclusions have utility for policy-makers seeking to end bloody conflicts and prevent financial panics. As the model also applies to mass protest, its conclusions provide insight as well into the likely effects of different suppression strategies undertaken by authoritarian regimes seeking to hold on to power in the face of mass movements seeking to end them.
Open Access
Reputation Cascades In Terrorism
(2010) Barnett, C Quay
This research analyzes one central question and two supporting questions. First, how do individual and group interactions influence aggregate behavior toward terrorism? Second, how does societal reputation impact support of terrorism? Finally, how does the structure of a terrorist organization impact reputation cascades? Applying a theoretical framework of a reputation cascade provides policy-makers and researchers a means to understand aggregate behavior patterns in support for terrorism. A reputation cascades may occur independent of government interventions. Government interventions can influence conditions that enhance a cascade of decreasing support for terrorist activity. Building on the reputation cascade framework, a computational model with government interventions along the two dimensions of information and physical policies is developed. This model indicates that governments' that increase physical intervention policies face a tipping point where increases in physical intervention increase the level of terrorist support in a society. The optimal mix of information and physical policies is determined by the level of individual value for terrorism, the costs to terrorism, and the level of cohesion in a society.
Open Access
Tough on Terror: Analyzing the Impact of Counterterrorism Efforts on Salafi-Jihadist Radicalization Networks in Belgium, France, and the United Kingdom
(2017-05-04) Ferencsik, James
Does the strength of a country’s counterterrorism response impact salafi-jihadist radicalization networks? This thesis seeks to answer that previously unaddressed question through an empirical approach to the counterterrorism efforts in the United Kingdom, France, and Belgium. It argues - on the basis of security service funding, legal infrastructure, and interagency cooperation - that the United Kingdom, followed by France, has mounted the strongest counterterrorism effort and hypothesizes that the relative strength of these efforts affects the proportions of each country’s salafi-jihadists radicalized through HGO (hierarchical, goal-oriented), mosque-based, family, friend, and online networks. To assess these hypotheses, demographic and source of radicalization data was compiled for 179 Belgian, 170 French, and 237 British salafi-jihadists, constituting the largest cross-country database of salafi-jihadist biographies analyzed in political science literature. The analysis revealed a strong inverse relationship between the strength of a nation’s counterterrorism effort and the proportion of the nation’s salafi-jihadists radicalized through HGO networks. These results indicate that high levels of security service funding, close interagency cooperation, and wide legal authority reduce radicalization through HGO networks, which have been associated with large terror attacks.
Open Access
Two Distinct Moral Mechanisms for Ascribing and Denying Intentionality.
(Sci Rep, 2015-12-04) Ngo, L; Kelly, M; Coutlee, CG; Carter, RM; Sinnott-Armstrong, W; Huettel, SA
Philosophers and legal scholars have long theorized about how intentionality serves as a critical input for morality and culpability, but the emerging field of experimental philosophy has revealed a puzzling asymmetry. People judge actions leading to negative consequences as being more intentional than those leading to positive ones. The implications of this asymmetry remain unclear because there is no consensus regarding the underlying mechanism. Based on converging behavioral and neural evidence, we demonstrate that there is no single underlying mechanism. Instead, two distinct mechanisms together generate the asymmetry. Emotion drives ascriptions of intentionality for negative consequences, while the consideration of statistical norms leads to the denial of intentionality for positive consequences. We employ this novel two-mechanism model to illustrate that morality can paradoxically shape judgments of intentionality. This is consequential for mens rea in legal practice and arguments in moral philosophy pertaining to terror bombing, abortion, and euthanasia among others.
Open Access
www.forum.terror.net: An Examination of Spikes in Online Extremist Activity
(2014-01-09) Schwenke, Robinson
Current literature has extensively noted the sizeable Islamic Extremist online media campaign, but has not studied the relationship of this online world with the violent extremist activities of the actual world, and more importantly, what real world events contribute to activity on these forums. Thus, this thesis examines the relationship between the offline and online world by examining whether these forums are incited by successful terrorist actions whether offensive US actions, measured by drone strikes, contribute to forum activity. Using a regression analysis, this thesis tests for correlation between spikes in post counts from 27 Islamic extremist forums and drone strike occurrences and spikes in global Islamic extremist-caused casualties measured in the Global Terrorism Database. Following the regression, I present three case studies of specific spikes, which examine the drone strikes, terrorist attacks, and forum content during the spike. I find that there is significant correlation between spikes in terrorist-caused casualties and forum posts, but that there is no significant relationship between drone strikes and spikes in forum posts.