Intelligence Analysis, Counter-terrorism and the New Uncertainties in the Middle East
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Daniel Sommer
Mar 28, 2013, 5:10:03 PM3/28/13
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Article Title: Intelligence Analysis, Counter-terrorism and the New Uncertainties in the Middle East
Author: Daniel Sommer
Word Count: 599
Article URL: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=1828036&ca=Society
Format: 64cpl
Contact The Author: http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=1828036
Easy Publish Tool: http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=1828036
*********************** ARTICLE START ***********************
The Middle East is a critical geostrategic locus for the United States: Middle East oil is essential to the world economy; the Suez Canal is vital to international transportation needs; and the region poses a problematic role as the incubator of Islamic terrorist movements. The Middle East has been a turbulent region for the last 100 years; at no time during that period have uncertainties been as widespread across the region as they are currently. These uncertainties foreshadow potentially calamitous economic and security consequences for the world community. The Iranian nuclear weapons program portends a seismic shift in the regional power balances; the �Arab Spring� has devolved into fractured political systems that appear to bring more radical Islamic influences into national governments; the Syrian civil war could produce a new Islamic fundamentalist nexus that impacts the total Middle East; various extremist Islamic terror groups seem to be significant active forces in almost every Arab country; and the generational transition of the monarchy in Saudi Arabia is a wild card in the overall play. In the face of such uncertainties, the United States cannot formulate successful counter-terrorism policies without an intelligence analysis capability that effectively turns All Source raw intelligence data into intelligence information which will bring clarity to this fog of uncertainty.
One of the daunting challenges the US faces is responding to the current fast-paced time dynamic of the regional events: the �Arab Spring� is a preeminent example of the rapid evolution from a seemingly isolated event (the self-immolation of a young Tunisian street-vendor) to the riots and civil wars that overthrew established governments and leaders in multiple countries within two years� time. Those overthrown governments have been replaced by political movements which have histories of supporting violence and terror against the United States. To keep pace with these climatic events, the US must obtain cogent time critical intelligence analysis from the intelligence community; these analyses give policy makers the exigent visibility and understanding as prerequisites to construct effective diplomatic and counter-terrorism policies. The security policy solutions can only be achieved through dedicated intelligence analysts who examine the All Source information they receive and then process these data into expedient intelligence products to support the policy makers.
The intelligence analyst faces a daunting task piecing together fragmented and incomplete data from disparate sources to create a coherent vision for the national-level policy makers. Further, some of these data will inevitably be in conflict with other data; there will be gaps in the data sets and breaks in time continuity of the flow of information. In addition, an enemy may insert deceptive information that may be viewed as truth or fact if not carefully examined and evaluated. The analyst must bring a disciplined toolkit of methods and techniques to vet and validate the raw information. The counter-terrorism analytic process is not just mechanical; it is also an art form. The analyst applies a creative and critical view to the context and substance of the information; the analyst employs a discerning intuition with experience factors and advanced analytic techniques to interpret the meaning and substance of the All Source intelligence information. While the professional profile of the analyst appears formidable, no analyst has all these capabilities as a birthright. These intelligence analysis skills and techniques are learned through an organized process of education further supplemented by the mentoring of senior experts who are knowledgeable and established in the field of analysis. The combination of these factors creates the solid foundation that intelligence analysts need to objectively develop accurate timely analyses that will support the national policy makers.
About The Author: Dan Sommer works for Henley-Putnam University, a leading educational institution in the field of Strategic Security. For more info on Henley Putnam University, intelligence analysis, counter-terrorism, call 888-852-8746 or visit us online at http://www.Henley-Putnam.edu
Please use the HTML version of this article at:
http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=1828036
*********************** ARTICLE END ***********************
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Message delivered directly to members of the group:
publish-the...@googlegroups.com
*****************************************************************
Please consider this free-reprint article written by:
Daniel Sommer
*****************************
IMPORTANT - Publication/Reprint Terms
- You have permission to publish this article electronically in free-only publications such as a website or an ezine as long as the bylines are included.
- You are not allowed to use this article for commercial purposes. The article should only be reprinted in a publicly accessible website and not in a members-only commercial site.
- You are not allowed to post/reprint this article in any sites/publications that contains or supports hate, violence, porn and warez or any indecent and illegal sites/publications.
- You are not allowed to use this article in UCE (Unsolicited Commercial Email) or SPAM. This article MUST be distributed in an opt-in email list only.
- If you distribute this article in an ezine or newsletter, we ask that you send a copy of the newsletter or ezine that contains the article to http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=1828036
- If you post this article in a website/forum/blog, ALL links MUST be set to hyperlinks and we ask that you send a copy of the URL where the article is posted to http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=1828036
- We request that you ask permission from the author if you want to publish this article in print.
The role of iSnare.com is only to distribute this article as part of its Article Distribution feature ( http://www.isnare.com/distribution.php ). iSnare.com does NOT own this article, please respect the author's copyright and this publication/reprint terms. If you do not agree to any of these terms, please do not reprint or publish this article.
*****************************
Article Title: Intelligence Analysis, Counter-terrorism and the New Uncertainties in the Middle East
Author: Daniel Sommer
Word Count: 599
Article URL: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=1828036&ca=Society
Format: 64cpl
Contact The Author: http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=1828036
Easy Publish Tool: http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=1828036
*********************** ARTICLE START ***********************
The Middle East is a critical geostrategic locus for the United States: Middle East oil is essential to the world economy; the Suez Canal is vital to international transportation needs; and the region poses a problematic role as the incubator of Islamic terrorist movements. The Middle East has been a turbulent region for the last 100 years; at no time during that period have uncertainties been as widespread across the region as they are currently. These uncertainties foreshadow potentially calamitous economic and security consequences for the world community. The Iranian nuclear weapons program portends a seismic shift in the regional power balances; the �Arab Spring� has devolved into fractured political systems that appear to bring more radical Islamic influences into national governments; the Syrian civil war could produce a new Islamic fundamentalist nexus that impacts the total Middle East; various extremist Islamic terror groups seem to be significant active forces in almost every Arab country; and the generational transition of the monarchy in Saudi Arabia is a wild card in the overall play. In the face of such uncertainties, the United States cannot formulate successful counter-terrorism policies without an intelligence analysis capability that effectively turns All Source raw intelligence data into intelligence information which will bring clarity to this fog of uncertainty.
One of the daunting challenges the US faces is responding to the current fast-paced time dynamic of the regional events: the �Arab Spring� is a preeminent example of the rapid evolution from a seemingly isolated event (the self-immolation of a young Tunisian street-vendor) to the riots and civil wars that overthrew established governments and leaders in multiple countries within two years� time. Those overthrown governments have been replaced by political movements which have histories of supporting violence and terror against the United States. To keep pace with these climatic events, the US must obtain cogent time critical intelligence analysis from the intelligence community; these analyses give policy makers the exigent visibility and understanding as prerequisites to construct effective diplomatic and counter-terrorism policies. The security policy solutions can only be achieved through dedicated intelligence analysts who examine the All Source information they receive and then process these data into expedient intelligence products to support the policy makers.
The intelligence analyst faces a daunting task piecing together fragmented and incomplete data from disparate sources to create a coherent vision for the national-level policy makers. Further, some of these data will inevitably be in conflict with other data; there will be gaps in the data sets and breaks in time continuity of the flow of information. In addition, an enemy may insert deceptive information that may be viewed as truth or fact if not carefully examined and evaluated. The analyst must bring a disciplined toolkit of methods and techniques to vet and validate the raw information. The counter-terrorism analytic process is not just mechanical; it is also an art form. The analyst applies a creative and critical view to the context and substance of the information; the analyst employs a discerning intuition with experience factors and advanced analytic techniques to interpret the meaning and substance of the All Source intelligence information. While the professional profile of the analyst appears formidable, no analyst has all these capabilities as a birthright. These intelligence analysis skills and techniques are learned through an organized process of education further supplemented by the mentoring of senior experts who are knowledgeable and established in the field of analysis. The combination of these factors creates the solid foundation that intelligence analysts need to objectively develop accurate timely analyses that will support the national policy makers.
About The Author: Dan Sommer works for Henley-Putnam University, a leading educational institution in the field of Strategic Security. For more info on Henley Putnam University, intelligence analysis, counter-terrorism, call 888-852-8746 or visit us online at http://www.Henley-Putnam.edu
Please use the HTML version of this article at:
http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=1828036
*********************** ARTICLE END ***********************
- To distribute your articles go to http://www.isnare.com/distribution.php
- For more free-reprint articles go to http://www.isnare.com
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