US Counterterrorism Efforts

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Recommended: My definition of terrorism

Within the world today, there are many organizations with varying opinions about specific ideals. But some of the organizations will take things to the extreme, and will do almost anything to prove that their view is the right one. This extreme act to further an objective is known as terrorism, but what exactly is a formal definition of terrorism? Frank Schmalleger defines it as “[a] violent act or an act dangerous to human life, in violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any state, that is committed to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives” (Criminal Justice Today, 2013 p.560). The American way of life and other aspects such as policy and the criminal justice system have been impacted by terrorism in many ways over the course of the twenty first century.

Terrorism is a broad category and there are different types of terrorism in the world. Two of the more dominant types of terrorism are domestic terrorism and international terrorism. Domestic terrorism is “the unlawful use of force or violence by an individual or a group that is based and operates entirely within the United States and its territories, acts without foreign direction, and directs its activities against the elements of the U.S. government or population” (Schmalleger, 2013 p.562). One of the most recent examples of domestic terrorism in the United States would have to be the bombings at the Boston Marathon, which took place on April 15, 2013. An article written by the Los Angeles Times on April 24, 2013, which was eleven days after the bombings, describes what the offender and his brother did, and has information that pertains to their arrest and the hun...

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...rorism: A new organizing principle for American national security?. The Brookings Review, 20, 4-7. Retrieved from: ://www.jstor.org/stable/20081044

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (n.d.). Counterterrorism and criminal exploitation unit. Retrieved from: ttp://www.ice.gov/counterterrorism-criminal-exploitation/

U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (n.d.). National terrorism advisory system. Retrieved from: http://www.dhs.gov/topic/national-terrorism-advisory-system

U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (n.d.). Preventing terrorism overview. Retrieved from: http://www.dhs.gov/topic/preventing-terrorism-overview

U.S. Department of Justice. (n.d.). Fact Check: Terrorism and Terrorism Related Prosecutions by the Bush Administration More than 300 after 9/11. Retrieved from: http://www.justice.gov/cjs/docs/terrorism-bush-admin.html

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