U.S. Safer, Says RAND Terrorism Expert
The U.S. is less at risk from terrorism today than the country was on September 11, 2001, according to RAND's Brian Michael Jenkins.Jenkins, a Rand Senior Advisor whose bio page lists research interests in homeland security, counterinsurgency, and terrorism, wrote an op-ed earlier this month for AOL News headlined, "5 Reasons We're Safer From Terrorists."Those five reasons, Jenkins wrote, are: "unrelenting pressure, lack of fervor, improved intelligence, public arrests, and lack of support form American Muslims."The piece says that a recent RAND paper counted "46 reported cases of jihadist radicalization and recruitment to terrorism in the United States" involving 125 people.Two of the cases ended with murders -- the Arkansas recruiting office attack and the Fort Hood massacre.The op-ed concludes:
"Terrorist planners must be kept on the run. Intelligence must prepare for more-competent terrorists and threats from new directions. Security must improve, especially in surface transportation, where six terrorist plots have been uncovered."Above all, the American public and political leaders must avoid transforming terrorist failures into victories by overreaction, pointless recriminations, unreasonable demands for security and partisan attacks that serve only to inspire the nation's terrorist foes." Photo Credit: The image accompanying this post was taken by Flickr user kevindooley. It was used under Creative Commons license.
