Roots and Trajectories of Violent Extremism and Terrorism A Cooperative Program of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the Russian Academy of Sciences (1995-2020) (2022) / Chapter Skim
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4 Security of Transportation, Industrial, Construction, Communications, and Other Urban Challenges
4 Security of Transportation, Industrial, Construction, Communications, and Other Urban Challenges
Pages 67-84
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From page 67... ...
presidential envoy to Iraq, 20042 Terrorism has become a serious threat characterized by its unpredictable nature, variety of forms, and severe effects on the public. Its organizational structures are losing rigid hierarchy, and they are becoming international networks consisting of practically invulnerable and independently functioning cells.
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From page 68... ...
In 2017, after many pages of recounting the different definitions of terrorism, wellknown authority on the history of terrorism Bruce Hoffman settled on the definition set forth in Box 4-1. His commentary leading up to his definition recounted many unsuccessful efforts at the international, national, and local levels to reach a widespread consensus on a relatively brief definition.
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From page 69... ...
, a 3-day workshop organized by Russian colleagues with the support of the NAS on the economic challenges confronting nuclear cities in the two countries came to a conclusion in Obninsk, Russia. The radio announcements about the terrorist attacks in the United States suddenly dominated the airwaves, and the celebratory banquet in Obninsk scheduled for that evening was immediately replaced with a very modest solemn supper.
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From page 70... ...
Center for Monitoring and Forecasting of Emergency Situations, Research Institute for Civil Defense and Disaster Management, Research Institute for Fire Protection, and Training Facilities; Moscow City Emergency Response Center; Gazprom; Rosenergoatom Crisis Center; Nuclear Safety Research Institute; Bauman Moscow State Technical University; Moscow Engineering and Physics Institute; Alpha Bank; Dubrovka Theater.
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From page 71... ...
2001: NAS-RAS planning meeting in December in Moscow focused on terrorism; working groups on energy, transportation, and cyber issues established. 2002: Terrorism incidents at transportation facilities and apartment complexes in Moscow killing several dozen Russian citizens, lead ing to fatalities of 130 patrons and 50 terrorists during seizure by terrorists of the Dubrovka Theater in Moscow.
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From page 72... ...
; Con Edison Long Island City headquarters; New Jersey Police Training Commission facilities. Selected Workshop Presentations Chapters 2 and 3 of this report highlight issues related to biological and radiological terrorism that were of particular concern during more than two decades of NAS cooperation with Russian partners.
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From page 73... ...
; 5 percent were at markets, theaters, and shops; and only occasionally were urban gas and oil pipelines, power lines, or electrical stations at risk.4 Urban Terrorism: A Second Perspective Urban infrastructures have been the focus of many terrorist acts throughout the world, primarily because they provide the most visible impacts, if not the most casualties. For example, infrastructure interdependencies are extensive.
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From page 74... ...
Such systems include, for example, airplane takeoff and landing control networks; telecommunications connections; electronic devices controlling nuclear power plant operations; and systems for generation, transmission, and transformation of electrical currents. Also, existing small high-voltage pulse generators make it possible to inject pulses into data transmission chains, housed within a single building, or into electricity supply systems and grounding networks.
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From page 75... ...
When rootless in a given c ountry where combat operations are underway, terrorists may feel unconstrained due to lack of effective support for law enforcement by the populations of the host countries. Often, the psychological and socioeconomic impacts that criminals seek are international, with little regard for the interests of the host country, and as a result, their growing influence and effectiveness can quickly become a dangerous challenge that reaches across borders.10 International Dimensions of Cybercrime and Terrorism11 Cyberspace has become a locus for banking, finance, and transportation systems, with hundreds of additional applications to follow.
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From page 76... ...
Additional federal hotlines, drug stockpiles, and rapid response teams are frequently needed.14 Security of Natural Gas and Oil Pipelines Improvement of pipeline security depends in large measure on better equipment and technology for new pipeline construction, more reliable
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Issues of particular concern included inadequate coordination of rescue activities of many government agencies, chaotic conditions in the parking lot of the theater due to excessive use of cell phones that
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A summary of the presentation is included in Appendix D, and the complete presentation is included in the proceedings of an inter-academy workshop in 2004.18 Coping with Suicide Bombers In 2005, the NAS and the RAS held a workshop on urban terrorism in Moscow. The NAS invited the New York City Police Department to send a representative to the workshop to discuss the challenges confronting police departments in large cities during the age of terrorism.
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From page 79... ...
The blackout lasted for 3 more hours until the flow of electricity was finally restored. Training Facilities in Moscow and New Jersey Following the terrorism incident at the Dubrovka Theater, the Russian national emergency response organization EMERCOM on two occasions invited American specialists interested in the practical aspects of countering terrorism in the field to visit its extensive training facilities in Moscow.
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From page 80... ...
This direct contact continued beyond involvement of NAS as a facilitator. Terrorism Response Centers in Moscow and New York Closely linked to workshop discussions on countering urban terrorism were visits by both Russian and American workshop participants to the New York City Office of Emergency Management and the Moscow Crisis Situation Management Center.
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From page 81... ...
and Russian governmental endeavors being devoted to a broad range of security issues. At the same time, academy projects were useful in stimulating the governments to act on important issues by suggesting approaches that might have seemed "out of the box" but nevertheless offered the possibility of success to government officials.
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From page 82... ...
2006. "A Decision Informatics Approach to Urban Emergency Management," in Countering Urban Terrorism, p.
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From page 83... ...
2009. "The Problem of Oil and Natural Gas Pipeline Security," in Countering Terrorism, p.
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From page 84... ...
Destruction in Mosul, Iraq in 2019. Source: Presentation by Scott Atran on violent extremism and sacred values.
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