Counterterrorism & Homeland Security

Terrorism profiling wouldn't work, according to an MI-5 study revealing that terrorists in the UK are not demographically distinct.

Biometry, or biometrics, is the application of statistical analysis to biological data. The term biometrics is used to refer to both the science and technology of measuring biological data. Law enforcement and intelligence use such data to identify criminals, including those who commit terrorist acts.

Airport security screening increasingly relies on passenger profiling techniques. Some argue passenger profiling helps identify terrorists, but others say it violates our civil rights.

Are Biometrics terrorism's best barometers at borders and ports? Will Artificial Intelligence and Smart Cards outsmart terrorists? Here, a compendium of new, updated and future technologies designed to thwart terrorism.

Medical researchers took an important step toward an antidote for botulinum toxin, one of the deadliest biological warfare or bioterrorism agents, in May 2008.

The fifth Worldwide Security Conference, held in Brussels in February 2008, demonstrated the challenges that violent extremism still poses to global security.

Terrorist threat alerts and other signals to the general public to fear an imminent terrorist attack may contribute to keeping stress levels high, which in turn is proving to have significant physical consequences.

Are Biometrics terrorism's best barometers at borders and ports? Will Artificial Intelligence and Smart Cards outsmart terrorists? Here, a compendium of new, updated and future technologies designed to thwart terrorism.

The United States has taken some measures to prevent and respond to nuclear terrorism. Whether they are adequate is still unclear.

The continuing threat of terrorist attack has made Homeland Security a crucial 2006 election issue. Find out here where Democratic and Republican Senate candidates stand on topics from energy independence to immigration reform to Homeland Security state grant distribution. This article is the first of 3 segments covering races alphabetically. Candidates from Arizona to Massachusetts are in Segment 1.

Nearly all governments outlaw what is called administrative detention of suspected criminals, but it is just as true that nearly all declare exceptional circumstances when the rules don't apply, among them 'national security.' Each country its own rules for how long a terrorism suspect can legally be detained without charge: from indefinite detention for 'enemy combatants' at the U.S. detention f…

China takes advantage of the opportunity offered by the Global War on Terror to crack down on the the Turkic speaking, Chinese minority of Uyghur Muslims.

The occasional emergence of "data mining" in U.S. news about counterterrorism programs leaves many of us wondering, "what is data mining?" Fine definitions, uses, and the potential applications in counterterrorism here.

Understanding leadership communication during war is a key to winning it. A psychological study of Bush and bin Laden before and after 9/11 suggests ways to measure their intentions -- even when they don't mean to betray them.

Are Biometrics terrorism's best barometers at borders and ports? Will Artificial Intelligence and Smart Cards outsmart terrorists? Here, a compendium of new, updated and future technologies designed to thwart terrorism.

The threat of a terrorist attack by a "global network of extremists" on U.S. soil is a hotly debated topic. But focus on this threat is clouding our ability to distinguish different extremist groups, and their distinct goals.

The State Department reviews counterterrorism successes and challenges five years after 9/11. Good intentions, technological advances and innovative programs abound, while an understanding of terrorism remains in short supply.

Controlling the development and spread of nuclear weapons is basic to current U.S. counterterrorism strategy. Here, About.com Guide Keith Porter reviews the American response at the 2005 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty review conference.

This 2005 report by the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee finds a need for more long-term research into protecting civilian infrastructure: the computers we use daily at home and work, and the networks that support them.

"Information sharing" and cooperation between agencies are post-9/11 innovations in counterterrorism. A generation ago, President Reagan divided responsibilities for terrorist attacks among the State Department, the Federal Aviation Agency, FEMA and others. Read the original document here.

This State Department Office cooperates with foreign governments, multilateral organizations and others to develop and implement global counterterrorism strategies using diplomatic, economic, intelligence and law enforcement tools.