Obama security strategy highlights domestic terrorism Page last updated at 10:58 GMT, Thursday, 27 May 2010 11:58 UK E-mail this to a friend Printable version At Fort Hood 13 people were killed The US president's national security strategy highlights home-grown terrorism for the first time, an adviser to Barack Obama says.
John Brennan said the document unveiled on Thursday explicitly recognised the threat posed by "individuals radicalised here at home". The issue has grabbed headlines since the Fort Hood shooting last year and the Times Square bombing attempt. Domestic terrorism did not feature highly in previous strategies. Presidents use their national security strategy to set broad goals and priorities for keeping Americans safe, correspondents say. Empowering communities to stop radicalisation is one of the initiatives the government will pursue to ensure the security of US citizens and its allies, the document says. Bill Clinton did not mention the domestic terrorism issue in his 1998 strategy, despite the Oklahoma City bombing three years earlier, while George W Bush made only passing reference to the issue in his 2006 document. A gunman killed 13 soldiers and wounded dozens more at the Fort Hood army base in Texas in November 2009. Army psychiatrist Maj Nidal Hasan, an American Muslim of Palestinian descent, has been charged with murder in the attacks. In May this year, New York City police defused a car bomb parked in Times Square, one of the city's busiest tourist areas. The main suspect, Pakistan-born US citizen Faisal Shahzad, was arrested two days after the failed attempt. OBAMA's SECURITY STRATEGYContinue reading the main story Key initiatives to advance US national interests: Strengthening security at home by empowering communities to prevent radicalisation Defeating al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere Pursuing a world without nuclear weapons by presenting 'a clear choice' to Iran and North Korea Advancing peace in the Middle East with a secure Israel, a Palestinian state and a stable Iraq National security strategies have far-reaching effects on spending, defence policies and security strategy. President Bush's 2002 strategy, for example, which spelled out a doctrine of pre-emptive war and talked of "stopping rogue states", was followed a year later by the invasion of Iraq. Other key initiatives outlined in Mr Obama's strategy include the dismantling of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, Pakistan and around the world and pursuing a world without nuclear weapons. The security of Israel and peaceful Israeli and Palestinian states living side by side is described as one of the main interests of the US, the document states. 'Delegitimise the enemy' Mr Brennan, deputy national security adviser for counter-terrorism and homeland security, described the new strategy in an address to Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies. Continue reading the main story This is the new phase of the terrorist threat, no longer limited to co-ordinated, sophisticated, 9/11 style attacks John Brennan US deputy national security adviser for counter-terrorism and homeland security "We've seen an increasing number of individuals here in the United States become captivated by extremist activities or causes," he said. "We've seen individuals, including US citizens, armed with their US passport, travel easily to terrorist safe havens and return to America, their deadly plans disrupted by co-ordinated intelligence and law enforcement," Mr Brennan added. He argued that "unprecedented" pressure on al-Qaeda since Mr Obama took office had severely limited the militant network's ability to operate. Now, he said, it was relying on poorly trained "foot soldiers" who might be able to slip past US defences because they did not fit the conventional profile of a terrorist. Mr Obama outlined his vision on a visit to West Point "This is the new phase of the terrorist threat, no longer limited to co-ordinated, sophisticated, 9/11 style attacks," Mr Brennan said. "As our enemy adapts and evolves their tactics, so must we constantly adapt and evolve ours, not in a rush driven by fear, but in a thoughtful and reasoned way that enhances our security and further delegitimises the actions of our enemy." He stressed that the US was at war not with Islam but "al-Qaeda and its terrorist affiliates". The BBC's Paul Adams, in Washington, says Mr Brennan's words also carried an implict rebuke to critics who say terrorist suspects have no business being tried in civilian courts. Mr Brennan said such courts remained America's single most important tool. Mr Obama touched on many of the themes in the new strategy during a commencement address on Saturday to graduating cadets at West Point, it adds. He said the US must shape a world order relying as much on the persuasiveness of its diplomacy as the might of its military. _______________________________________________ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
