Thursday, April 28, 2011

Funding, Where Terrorist Organizations get their Money


     When a business or organization is trying to be put together, usually fundraising or funding has to occur in order for a business or organization to operate. A terrorist group is a form of an organization; meaning funding has to occur in order for a terrorist group to be able to operate. So the question to ask is how are terrorist organizations receiving funding ? White (2009) reveals three different ways terrorist groups receive funding; illegal sources, networking, and charities. (p. 59). It is known that gaining funding through illegal sources is not uncommon among terrorist organizations. Kaplan (2006) reveals that illicit drug trade is a major source of income for many terrorist organizations. For example, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) is known to have been long involved in cocaine trade in order to help finance FARC’s operations. The income coming from the cocaine trade is allowing FARC to able to have funding to not only operate as an organization, but also to have access to equipment that will help carry out FARC’s operations. Gupta and Perez (2002) discuss how illegal drugs are marketable almost everywhere allowing for easy access to anyone looking for drug sells. Meaning, illicit drug trade is seen to be the most reliable source of income in the world, where a constant demand for drugs is beginning to increase (Gupta and Perez, 2002). This is an easy way for terrorist groups to able to obtain a large amount of funding. Drugs are always on a constant high of demand, meaning that drug production is constantly continuing to grow. The more the people want drugs, the more the drug dealer needs to produce these drugs in order to make sells. This is why many terrorist groups will tend to go towards illicit drug sells because it is an easy way to gain funding. Not only are illegal sources a form of funding for terrorist groups, but charities are also another form of funding terrorist groups receive..

Charities, aka donations, are another largest source of income for terrorist organizations to receive funding. Unlike illicit drug sells, charities are a legal way for terrorist groups to receive funding. Kaplan (2006) discuss that one of the pillars of Islam, zakat, describes how Islam people should give a proportion of their wealth to charity. A perfect example of this would be the Jihad. In frontline’s video, Al Qaeda’s New Front, describe the Jihad receiving charity of weapons, money, and clothing because the people felt that the Jihad were fighting for right cause (frontlie.com). The Jihad were committing terrorist attacks because the Jihad felt the policies being made in the Middle East were going against the Muslim religion. The people could see this as being a proper argument for fighting back. Fighting for Islam is Jihad’s way of promoting their radical cause when receiving charity from its people. White (2009) states that many of the people who donate to these terrorist organizations believe the efforts they are supporting are not terrorist operations (p. 62).  This is why many terrorist organizations receive charities as a means of funding. Many of the people of the Middle East truly believe that terrorist groups are fighting for its people as well as fighting for the Muslim religion. This can be seen as protecting Middle Eastern countries from other countries trying to reform the Muslim people and this is seen as an attack not only the people, but Muslim religion.

The Hawala system is another type of funding terrorist organizations receive. First, what is the Hawala system? The Hawala System is a system of exchanging money based on trust relationships between money and dealers (White, 2009, p. 62). The Hawala System allows for money to be transferred without using any type of money or moving funds from one country to another (p. 62).  This allows for networking to occur among legitimate business and terrorist organizations, where a trust relationship begins to evolve. Kaplan (2006) discusses that many terrorist organizations attempt to operate “legitimate businesses”, which allows for profits to be generated between a business and a terrorist group. So what is this advantage of the Hawala System? The Hawala system allows for no record of money being moved, no tax records exist, and it based on trust where a special relationship between the businesses and terrorist organizations is formed.. The Hawala system allows terrorist organizations to be capable of becoming involved with the businesses that fund them. For example, Bin Laden operated a string of retail honey shops through out the Middle East where Bin Laden was able to generate revenue through money and weapons being concealed in the honey containers (Kaplan, 2006). Bin Laden was able to get involved with a business that allowed for weapons and money being concealed in honey containers, representing the special relationships between terrorist organization and a legitimate business.

In order for a terrorist organization to able to operate properly, funding needs to occur. Meaning, terrorist organizations can receive funding through illegal sources, through networking, or through charities. Because of these options, this allows terrorists group to able to carry out its operations.



References:

Frontline (2005). Al Qaeda’s New Front. Retrieved on April 26, 2011 from

Gupta, R. and Perez, M. R. (2002). Funding Terrorism: Sources and Methods.
Retrieved on April 27, 2011 from http://library.lanl.gov/cgi

Kaplan, E. (2006). Tracking Down Terrorist Financing. Retrieved on April 28, 2011

White, J. R. (2009). Terrorism and Homeland Security. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth
Cengage Learning.






Thursday, April 14, 2011

Force Multipliers, Tactics, Terrorism. All Lead to a Destructive Outcome.


            The key point of terrorism is to use a force multiplier to advance a terrorist attack to be more damaging than just a typical attack. First, what is a force multiplier? A force multiplier is a method that allows an increase of striking power without increasing the number of combats troops in military (White 2009, p. 98).  Meaning, that terrorist are trying to find a tactic that will cause catastrophic damage without losing members of their organization. This allows terrorists to use a specific force multiplier to enhance their choice of tactic . Either terrorists use technology enhancement of weapons, or transnational support, or media coverage, or religious fanaticism that will allow for an increase in striking power (White 2009, p. 98). Force multipliers allow terrorists to be capable of increasing striking power for a specific tactic of terrorism. Meaning, adding more striking power to an attack leads to a more destructive outcome, which is a typical for terrorism.  Some might argue that why do terrorists need these four types of methods just for one tactic, bombing. But what some might not realize is terrorists do not have just one tactic, but have multiple tactics to carry out an attack.

            Bombing is a well-known tactic of terrorism because the media constantly shows coverage of an attack that has to deal with a bomb.  Yes, bombing is one of the tactics of terrorism, but terrorist also use hijacking, arson, assault, kidnapping, and hostage taking  (White 2009, p. 98). Terrorist would use hostage taking for the means of taking over a building to cause a massacre. Terrorist would use assault as sending a message to the people that this organization is serious when it states that they will take violent measures in order to send a message. Tactics are allowing terrorists to be able to send a message through violent means. For example, suicide bombing is considered to be a means of propaganda for terrorism (White, 2009). Terrorists are known to seek media attention for the reason of advertising their organization to the world. This is why you see a majority of terrorists attack having to do with a bomb. Bombs are destructive, cause catastrophic damage, and instill fear within the people, all goals of terrorism.

            A majority of terrorist attacks deal with some type of a bomb, but why a bomb? Well if you think about it, bombs are extremely destructive. The more you increase the striking power the more destructive the attack will become. This is a goal for many terrorists. The more destructive the attack, the more successful the terrorists organization will become. Terrorist groups are seeking media attention and in order to gain attention, bombs are used as a tactic to get media coverage. Many people generally fear bombs and when a terrorist uses a bomb, their goal is to instill fear in the people. For example, hijackers first used a bomb in order to take over the planes on September 11th (White 2009, p. 99). This allows for the terrorists to gain control because it has instilled fear in the people on the planes. The event of September 11, 2001 had attracted attention of the world to the threat that was imposed by terrorists, whom were determined to die for reaching their targets (Azam 2005, p. 175). These terrorists use technology to enhance the striking power of their attack. The terrorist used the tactic of bombing in order to gain control over the planes and then took those planes and crashed them into the World Trade Center.

            Terrorists will continue to increase the striking power of their attacks as long as technology continues to enhancement dramatically. For example, terrorists will use technology to help find other ways to make bombs more destructive. The more destructive the bomb, the more the striking power will increase. Terrorist use technology to enhance their striking force in order for their organization to gain attention. For example, On March 11, 2001, a bomb went off in Madrid where it killed 191 people and injured 1,800 people. The bomb went off during morning rush hours on a bus where bombs were found in backpacks and were detonated using a mobile phone (Clarke, 2005). Technology has enhanced to the point where terrorists have found means of using a cellular device to detonate a bomb from a distance. As technology continues to enhance in the future, terrorists will find more creative ways in order to increase the striking force of any tactic of terrorism. If nothing is done to stop this, then terrorist groups will continue to find means of causing more destructive attacks through force multipliers.



References:

Azam, J. (2005). Suicide-bombing as inter-generation investment. Public Choice, 122(2).
Retrieved from
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Clarke, S. (2005). Major terrorist attacks since 9/11. Retrieved on April 13, 2011, from

White, J. (2009). Terrorism and Homeland Security. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage    Learning.