The List: The Worst Places to Be a Terrorist

[SteelersMongol]

Read this today. Interesting article. I thought you guys could read it 2 kill looong off-season.

Fighting transnational terrorism often involves making unsavory choices between protecting civil rights and providing security. The following regimes have opted for the latter and are definitely not the kind of places you want to get caught if you’re plotting some terrorist mayhem.

France

Key tactics: Though many Americans view them as softies when it comes to the war on terror, the French actually have some of the world’s toughest and arguably most effective antiterrorism laws. In France, terrorist investigations are overseen by a special unit of magistrates with unprecedented powers to monitor suspects, enlist the help of other branches of law enforcement, and detain suspects for days without charges. Additionally, prosecutors have a mandate to pursue terrorists abroad if the suspect or victim is French. France is also not shy about deporting Muslim clerics it views as threatening. It shouldn’t be surprising that French law enforcement is well set up for counterterrorism: France was the first European country to fall victim to Middle Eastern terrorism during the Algerian war in the 1950s.

In action: France has not had a terrorist attack on its soil since 9/11, but it claims to have foiled several, including a chemical attack planned by Chechen operatives against Russian targets in Paris, a planned bombing of one of Paris’s airports, and a 9/11-like airline plot against the Eiffel Tower.

Concerns: French civil libertarians have raised concerns about detentions that, in some cases, can last for years without trials. Allegations of police brutality are also common in France’s predominantly Muslim suburbs.

Jordan

Key tactics: Since the November 2005 hotel bombings carried out by al Qaeda in Amman, Jordan’s King Abdullah II has made it a priority to stop the infiltration of terrorists from neighboring Iraq and Syria. Jordan’s intelligence service, the General Intelligence Department, has exploited close ties with Sunni tribes in Iraq’s Anbar province to provide its U.S. and Israeli counterparts with valuable intelligence about the structure and financing on terrorist organizations. Jordan also takes pride in the prowess of its Special Forces units and has opened a special operations training center to teach counterterrorism tactics to elite military units from around the world.

In action: It’s widely suspected that Jordanian spies tipped off the U.S. military to the location of al Qaeda in Iraq’s Jordanian-born leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leading to the U.S.-Iraqi military raid that killed him.

Concerns: Jordan has been criticized by human rights groups for its alleged participation in the “rendition” of U.S. terrorist suspects for torture.

Egypt

Key tactics: No less an authority than al Qaeda’s No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahiri recently said of Egypt’s State Security, “They know more about the Islamic movements than many of those movements’ members know about them.” Zawahiri’s followers have good reason to worry. After a wave of terrorist attacks and political victories for the Muslim Brotherhood in the early 1990s, Hosni Mubarak’s government opted for a strategy of ruthless repression in combating the threat from terrorism and political Islam. The state’s strategy is to inhibit the Brotherhood from participating in the political process while carrying out wide-ranging arrests of militants and routinely using torture on prisoners.

In action: During the 1990s, the Egyptian regime essentially eliminated the domestic threat of groups such as the Islamic Group and Zawahiri’s Egyptian Islamic Jihad, largely by attacking their bases of operations and blocking their ability to transform into legitimate political movements. Overreaches by the groups themselves contributed greatly to their downfall.

Concerns: Human Rights Watch has complained that the Egyptian regime’s liberal use of torture simply leads prisoners to “confess to crimes real or imagined.” Analysts also question the strategy of repressing the Brotherhood, which they say only strengthens the group’s appeal.

Singapore

Key tactics: Singapore, which is 15 percent Muslim, has had enormous success in combating regional terrorist groups such as the al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah through a combination of tough Special Forces tactics and savvy rehabilitation programs. After 9/11, the island country strengthened its crackdown on terrorist funding, and it recently passed legislation giving the Army wide-ranging powers to pursue terrorists domestically. But Singapore’s approach goes beyond enforcement. Since 2003, a landmark government program has aimed to rehabilitate arrested militants. The state employs volunteer clerics who counsel detainees and rebut extremist arguments. The United States has studied the approach as a possible alternative to indefinite detention.

In action: A major operation in 2001 resulted in the arrest of 15 Jemaah Islamiyah operatives who were planning terrorist attacks within Singapore. Around 70 people have been detained since then, and about one third have been released after rehabilitation. Police continue monitoring those who are released.

Concerns: Democracy activists argue that the Singaporean government plays up the terrorist threat to justify its authoritarianism. The police also suffered a major embarrassment in February when a Jemaah Islamiyah militant escaped through the bathroom window of a detention center.

Russia

Key tactics: In 1999, Boris Yeltsin elevated an obscure midlevel politician named Vladimir Putin to the rank of prime minister and entrusted him with putting down a raging insurgency in the breakaway region of Chechnya. Ever since, counterinsurgency and counterterrorism have been the hallmarks of Putin’s tenure, and he has largely built his popularity around his success in these areas. Russia has carried out a ruthless campaign of military suppression in Chechnya, and when it hasn’t been attacking militants, it has joined with them by elevating former rebel Ramzan Kadyrov to the presidency of the now largely peaceful region. Russian security forces were also willing to put down terrorist sieges by force even at the expense of high civilian casualties.

In action: After Chechen rebels took a Moscow theater hostage in 2002, Russian Special Forces pumped an unknown gas into the theater’s ventilation system and then stormed the building, killing nearly all the hostage-takers along with hundreds of hostages.

Concerns: Though Russia has largely succeeded in pacifying Chechnya, the neighboring regions of Dagestan and North Ossetia remain havens for militant groups. The government was widely criticized for the secrecy surrounding the Nord-Ost and Beslan school operations and the high number of hostages killed during the rescues.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/c...?story_id=4316

There wasn't the US, though.

[steelwall]

Worst place for a terrorist to be? My home 702 Clifford Estates Guangzhou, China.

[GBMelBlount]

Why would the U.S. be on the list? Universites have put in foot washing stations for the muslims and set aside special "muslim" only pool time so that the muslim women can use the facilities without having to worry about interaction with infidels. Whatever you do, don't stand up in class in recite the pledge of allegiance or say "under God," because only then will you find out who the perceived terrorists are by so many in this country.

[lamberts-lost-tooth]

Originally Posted by GBMelBlount

Why would the U.S. be on the list? Universites have put in foot washing stations for the muslims and set aside special "muslim" only pool time so that the muslim women can use the facilities without having to worry about interaction with infidels. Whatever you do, don't stand up in class in recite the pledge of allegiance or say "under God," because only then will you find out who the perceived terrorists are by so many in this country.

[revefsreleets]

I've stated this before, but it's a good place to reiterate: I highly recommend the book "Leaderless Jihad". The author makes a very compelling case for why we are pretty safe in the US from terrorists due to the fact that we are one of the more open and accepting societies to Muslims.

[Dino 6 Rings]

I would put Arkansas on that list. Ever been to Arkansas? Yeah, they don't take kindly to them "moslums" down here.

I have friends from India that get hassled, and they are Hindu, not terrorists, but down here..."they all look the same to me" mentality is very very ingrained in the folks. Yeah, not a good place to be a terrorist, especially since every other person is armed better than your local law enforcement agency.

Funny how Saudia Arabia isn't on the list either, with them being an Ally of ours you'd figure they'd crack down pretty hard. Guess they are number 11 or something.

Oh...and for the record. China should be #1. they flat out kill anyone that even looks suspicious and no one is the wiser. China has zero tolerance for all religion, let alone islam. China is definitely #1.

[SteelersMongol]

From these top 5, I think it would suck big time in Russia not only 2 b a terrorist, but also a hostage. They just don't care who u r. Speznats will try 2 "save" u, but they wouldn't care less if u die in the process.

About China, man, it's no surprise if that they're hard on Muslims. Because the Muslims in China r not Chinese. That's all.

[steelwall]

Originally Posted by SteelersMongol

From these top 5, I think it would suck big time in Russia not only 2 b a terrorist, but also a hostage. They just don't care who u r. Speznats will try 2 "save" u, but they wouldn't care less if u die in the process.

About China, man, it's no surprise if that they're hard on Muslims. Because the Muslims in China r not Chinese. That's all.

In fact China has many Muslim Chinese. Mostly you will see them working in Chinese restraunts, but they are very nice and respectful, for the most part.

My comment was meant to be funny in a way, but reality is my home would mean certain death for a Terrorist.

[Galax Steeler]

I don't see why china isn't on there but france.

[revefsreleets]

Originally Posted by SteelersMongol

From these top 5, I think it would suck big time in Russia not only 2 b a terrorist, but also a hostage. They just don't care who u r. Speznats will try 2 "save" u, but they wouldn't care less if u die in the process.

Actually, they take the "Roman Approach". They'd actually kill the hostages themselves, and that pretty much ended terrorism in Rome. Kaiser Sosa did the same thing in "The Usual Suspects".