- The Strategist - https://www.aspistrategist.org.au -
ASPI’s decades: Hazards of many types
Posted By Graeme Dobell on August 9, 2021 @ 06:00
The attacks of 11 September 2001 are the most influential national security event in our recent history. The threat of global terrorism not only shaped the national security landscape of the past decade, but also heralded a new era for national security across the globe. Since then, much of our national security focus has been dedicated to guarding against such an attack occurring on our own soil.
Some 12 years on, our strategic outlook is largely positive. We live in one of the safest and most cohesive nations in the world. We have a strong economy. A major war is unlikely. Our highly-effective national security capability is already focused on priority activities. We have made considerable gains against global terrorism, and our alliance with the United States is as strong as ever. We also have deepening relationships with a range of influential countries in the region and across the world.
That evolution of the terrorist threat, and the arrival in Australia of active, offensive, individual and small-cell jihadist terrorism, demands the permanent embedding of our counter-terrorism structures (and funding) into the normal operations of government.
Communicating terrorism alert level warnings is a tough challenge. It’s no easy task for our political leaders to find language that conveys the need to be alert, while also creating a sense of calm. But right now the public feels underinformed when it comes to terrorism advisories.
The database shows that there’s no archetype of an Australian jihadist. Australian foreign fighters come from a diversity of backgrounds, and there’s a wide range of influences and factors that appear to contribute to their decision to take part in a conflict half a world away.
However, one recurrent factor was the presence of an influential mentor that encouraged or facilitated the person to make hijrah (migration).
JustPaste is used to publish summaries of battles that have taken place, SoundCloud to release audio reports of activities, WhatsApp and Kik Messenger to communicate and send images and videos, and Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to share images, propaganda and messages from the frontlines. They even have Q&A sessions about joining the group on Ask.FM. Their messages are tailored to their audience, changing depending on whether they’re intended for a local audience, or would-be Western recruits.
Article printed from The Strategist: https://www.aspistrategist.org.au
URL to article: https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/aspis-decades-hazards-of-many-types/
[1] old demands of state security: https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/aspis-decades-terrorism/
[2] national security statement: https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id:%22chamber/hansardr/2008-12-04/0045%22
[3] national security strategy: https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/167267/Australia%20A%20Strategy%20for%20National%20Securit.pdf
[4] commented: https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/national-security-the-decade-after-the-decade-before/
[5] wrote in The Strategist: https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/the-strategic-power-of-small-acts/
[6] what alerts meant: https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/ad-aspi/import/SI86_terror_alerts.pdf?rB7RtXwGOEkhLyRMLN7noQxzV6Cdjiif
[7] strategic policing: https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/ad-aspi/import/SR66_Agenda_strategic_policing_program.pdf?Xcq05uRAL5pAKAMfobKdpGk3IuGe0mRJ
[8] Police join the front line: https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/ad-aspi/import/SI_policing.pdf?htsue.ohwfX39ogu3TxAf4uPOQglVA_3
[9] Gen Y jihadists: preventing radicalisation in Australia: https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/ad-aspi/import/GenY_jihadists.pdf?HrD6zj_P5BQdppuIXOLTlPzszuO6oMF4
[10] wrote: https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/australias-foreign-fighters-the-shepherds-and-the-sheep/
[11] all the tools: https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/gateway-to-radicalisation/
[12] dark: https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/cryptomarkets-illicit-goods-on-the-darknet/
[13] places: https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/cybercriminals-in-the-backyard/
[14] ‘darknet’: https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/the-intersection-of-cybercrime-and-terrorist-activity/