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by Rachel Marsden
In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing, it's only natural to ask why some terrorists are only caught after they've inflicted carnage on innocent civilians. What went wrong?
Here are a few significant reasons why authorities still manage to miss terrorism until it's too late:
1. It doesn't help that U.S. Director of National Intelligence
Naturally, Clapper's words were largely misconstrued to suggest that the terrorist group was no longer a threat. That was just a month before cookware in the hands of junior jihadists using tactics from the official al-Qaeda playbook would send
2. People who think that everything is a government plot to take away their freedoms are a ubiquitous obstruction to counterterrorism operations. They somehow figure that the same government that loses their tax return every other year and can't manage to pass public-safety legislation is somehow capable of coordinating elaborate terrorist hoaxes as a cover for what they really want: unfettered molestation of every airline passenger.
My personal favorites: those who label every terrorist event a "false flag" -- a term they likely learned via osmosis when they fell asleep while reading a John Le Carré novel, making them instant experts on subversion strategy. It's these morons, becoming increasingly mainstream, to whom intelligence agencies cater when they fail to aggressively pursue leads due to how counterterrorism operations might ultimately be perceived, barring a major investigative breakthrough.
3. A culture of complacency among various government authorities responsive to bleeding-heart baddie-huggers ultimately leads to negligence, with risks festering to the point of full-blown threat. We've learned that there were plenty of warnings about the
One of the two allegedly al-Qaeda-linked suspects recently charged in
4. Western nations have been far too quick to distribute citizenship and its accompanying privileges like candy as a matter of official policy, ignoring potentially problematic ideology in favor of superficial values like "diversity."
As a result, some Russian immigrants aren't recognized as Islamists but rather just "ethnic Chechens," as was the case with the
5) There's a general lack of understanding of terrorists and the nature of their allegiances. Basically, they have none. They'll work with anyone who will serve their objectives today, then double-cross the same allies tomorrow. Anyone projecting any morality onto their alliances will end up confused at best and dead at worst.
Take Syrian
It helps to remember the terrorist golden rule: Every one of these groups just wants to be in charge. And they will try to knock off any and all other parties systemically until that happens. Go ahead -- just try wedging reason, diplomacy or integrity into that.
Still, some will try -- at our collective peril.
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Article: Copyright ©, Tribune Media Services Inc.
"Five Major Hindrances to Counterterrorism Efforts "