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Last modified Fri., June 10, 2005 - 11:42 PM Originally created Saturday, June 11, 2005 Terrorism understood On the day the nation was attacked by terrorists, Sept. 11, 2001, many drew comparisons with the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. In a new book, Preventing Surprise Attacks, author Richard Posner writes that there are several important similarities to those attacks. Understanding those traits are important to heading off future attacks. The attacker is too weak to use conventional military means. The victim of the attack, realizing the weakness of the attacker, fails to properly respect and anticipate the attack. The victim fails to understand the intentions and capabilities of the attacker. The victim projects his own motives, erroneously, on the attacker. Warning signs are interpreted through the overall prism of these erroneous assumptions. False alarms or deception deceive the victim, giving a false sense of security. The victim is in a state of denial about the forms of attack that might succeed. Intelligence officers who might be able to sound the alarm are reluctant to do so, feeling pressured to follow the conventional wisdom. Posner contends that simply changing organizational structures will not solve these issues. An entirely new way of thinking might be needed. Thus, he says that the creation of an entirely new domestic intelligence agency, like Britain's MI-5, deserved more serious consideration than it was given by the 9/11 commission. He argues that a new centralized organization is probably the wrong way to go. Decentralization makes more sense. Actually, decentralized units that communicate across organiza- tional lines was one of the key recommendations of the 9/11 commission. What are called "skunk works" in some corporations, small groups of innovators, probably make more sense when dealing with so-called asymmetric threats of terrorists. We're confident that the United States will adjust to this new threat in the typically creative American way. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Give underprivileged students the materials they need to learn. Bring education to life by funding a specific classroom project. http://us.click.yahoo.com/FHLuJD/_WnJAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
