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Lessons from abroad – Countering terrorism in Japan – Part III (on the methods)

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November 8, 2010

When one thinks of Japan, popular American images that come to mind are affordable and reliable automobiles (I drive a Toyota Camry Hybrid), sophisticated electronics and gadgetry (I have an iPod nano), and, to those who have been there, the most advanced toilets in the world (you really have to experience them for yourself). In short, a commonly held view of this island nation-state is one of extraordinarily advanced technological wonder – robots, Shinkansen (bullet trains) and all. I will be the first to admit that these and other images ran through my mind on the direct flight from LAX to Narita; I wondered how such mastery of machines translated to countering terrorism in Japan. The focus on HUMINT and first-line-of-defense reveals the Japanese tendency toward prevention, especially through border control (i.e., garrisoning), in countering terrorism.

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Lessons from abroad – Countering terrorism in Japan – Part II (on the system)

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November 2, 2010

Unlike America’s federalized police, Japan’s national police force is overseen by the National Public Safety Commission, a five-member oversight body appointed by the Prime Minister. Regional bureaus, which serve supervisory roles over prefectural police, add another layer of bureaucracy to Japan’s police system. Japan’s constitution is what really provides the legal framework (some say, constraints) within which the police conduct counterterrorism. Looking to Japan’s many government bodies, one gets a genuine sense of the bureaucratic politics and challenges facing the Japanese government.

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Lessons from abroad – Countering terrorism in Japan – Part I (on culture)

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October 25, 2010

Because East Asia is often overlooked in terms of terrorism analysis (even Southeast Asia garners scant attention from but a small handful of scholars, analysts and commentators), I felt and continue to feel compelled to learn from the Japanese counterterrorism experience. Learning from like-minded liberal democracies (including the United Kingdom and Israel) benefits U.S. national security as well as the broader international security community. The focus of my efforts, thus, was to comprehend how the Japanese government counters terrorism – particularly its culture, system and methods. This is the first in a three-part series.

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Forgotten Future Disaster

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October 22, 2010

According to the Washington Post, “[f]our men accused of planting bombs outside synagogues in the Bronx and plotting to fire missiles at military planes were convicted on Monday, in a case that was widely seen as an important test of the entrapment defense.” These most recent convictions, however, are a reminder that, someday, this could happen. We can’t always rely on incompetent terrorists. The problem is that, unlike 9/11, there will be little practical measures that can be done after the fact to mitigate the threat.

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Working with India to Strengthen Homeland Security

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September 21, 2010

As an article in the Washington Post recently pointed out, India is overhauling its homeland security, and U.S. companies are vying for its business. This story makes all kinds of sense for all kinds of reasons. The strategic partnership between the United States and India has been growing for several years. First, the countries share a common cause on many fronts, especially on battling terrorism. Second, India needs help. One opportunity to build U.S.-Indian CT cooperation would be to “internationalize” the SAFETY Act.

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Homeland Security Still MIA on EMP

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August 24, 2010

As an article by Security Management’s Matthew Harwood reminds us, Homeland Security has not “taken seriously the threat that a high-altitude detonation of a nuclear weapon could fry the nation’s power grid[.]” Dr. Michael J. Frankel is executive director of the EMP Commission, which was created in 2001 to study the national security threat an EMP attack could pose to the United States. If anything, Frankel underplays the scope of the threat. The catastrophe would not stop at our borders, and the Earth would likely recede into the “new” Dark Ages.

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Arizona Worksite Statistics an indicator of ICE Audits

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August 19, 2010

By Dawn M. Lurie and Kevin Lashus
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Office of Investigations (OI) in Arizona released a snap-shot of its weekly operations. The report provides evidence of the increasing worksite enforcement activity affecting employers. Some may be questioning whether the snap-shot is representative of national trends: we are of the opinion it is. What should employers do? Be proactive. At a minimum, review and correct your I-9s before ICE does.

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The Battling Bills of Chemical Security – Much Ado About Nothing?

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August 6, 2010

Late last week, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) unanimously approved a bill to extend the DHS Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program for an additional three years. The bill includes several contentious provisions, including “inherently-safer technology (IST)” review, chief among the attention-getters. IST is great idea in theory but looking at IST in the larger scheme of chemical facility issues, IST is really just a component of a more complex trade off assessment, going well beyond merely switching out chemicals.

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End the Crack/Powder Cocaine Sentencing Disparity

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July 22, 2010

Elena Kagan’s nomination for the Supreme Court has once again reminded America that fairness and equal treatment are fundamental to the success of the rule of law. One of the most important criminal justice debates in recent history centers on the substantial difference in prison sentences for crack versus powdered cocaine possession, a disparity that has not only encouraged a misapplication of limited law enforcement resources, but more importantly, has been the source of unequal punishment for basically identical crimes.

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