Ryan Lee
Martha Crenshaw, a Stanford University professor, discusses the present counterterrorism tactics of the US and presents some key insights. As for the military response to terrorism, the US government has preferred to use drone strikes against terrorist groups. Drone strikes enable the US to eliminate high-value targets without deploying troops into the operation area. The US hopes to destabilize or weaken the terrorist group by removing key players such as leaders and bomb makers, thereby reducing the threat to US soil and its allies. While acknowledging the unintended civilian casualties, Crenshaw asserts that this approach is relatively precise (Crenshaw, 2018, 10:20).
Moreover, the US has interfered with various terrorist factions without comprehending the complicated relationships within the theater. In some cases, the US has trained certain groups or factions to eliminate a rival organization, but this has led to a power vacuum, inadvertently aiding other conflicting factions. Crenshaw notes the lack of intelligence regarding the interrelationships among these factions.
The Obama Administration has also initiated efforts to prevent domestic terrorism. Crenshaw mentions that some individuals in western society are sympathetic to groups like the Islamic State (Crenshaw, 2018, 11:00). To counter radicalization or western extremists, the Obama Administration has implemented programs to persuade citizens not to be attracted to these ideologies (Crenshaw, 2018, 11:10). However, the effectiveness of these strategies remains uncertain and has not been quantified.
In my opinion, Professor Crenshaw’s interview highlights that the current counterterrorism approaches still lack the necessary comprehension and intelligence to effectively deter terrorism.
Crenshaw, M. (2018, June 14). Terrorism and counterterrorism. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLOwkYS6Uyc
Marc Braun
Martha Crenshaw spoke in depth about the United States counterterrorism strategy in her video. Her main points of contention were on the U.S. military’s power/capabilities, as well as the need to develop a well-rounded, wide-net approach to reducing terrorism influence on a global scale. She explained that the United States needed to prioritize intelligence as a main tactic, as she understood the need to act proactively to eliminate instances of terrorism before they occur. She further explained that this went hand in hand with eradicating it at the source of its growth, meaning inside terrorist networks (Crenshaw, 2017).
Her line of thinking seemed very logical and balanced, as she highlighted the importance of amending counterterrorism strategy to include a well-rounded approach. According to Crenshaw, all options including military, law enforcement, global outreach, technology, finance, and more would need to be utilized to affect how terrorism develops. She also dives into a very specific tactic regarding drone strikes to combat terrorism from afar, without having to enter first-person conflict with boots on the ground. This tactic would also fall in line with her importance on intelligence gathering, as Drone’s offer the perfect solution. Crenshaw explained the FTO’s, like Al-Qaeda, prefer propagandizing military actions (or what they dub as violence) to further their justifications for inflicting further harm against their perceived “oppressors.” She then links this thought with how terrorism is indoctrinated into societies through sympathizers influenced by that same propaganda, which is where counterterror operations really need to be effected through outreach, education, and other preventative means.
