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Combatting Terrorism Center issues new paper comparing Sunni and Shi'a approaches to terrorism

The Combatting Terrorism Center at West Point has released a new paper in a series, "Sunni and Shi ’a Terrorism Differences that Matter," by COL Thomas F. Lynch III

From the executive summary:

"Importantly, this study does not argue or imply that violence perpetrated by Sunni or Shi’a extremist groups is carried out for reasons that are inherent to one or the other tradition of Islam. There is no evidence sought or identified in this work contending that historical patterns of terrorist attacks by organizations identifying themselves as Shi’a, for example, are pre‐determined by Shi’a theology or philosophy. What this study does suggest, however, is that those Shi’a organizations that have conducted terrorism in non-combat zones display several preferred operational patterns that contrast markedly from their Sunni counterparts."

Click here to download the paper.

FEMA unveils new disaster assistance web site

FEMA has unveiled DisasterAssistance.gov, a new website that consolidates disaster information in one place. Currently, 17 U.S. Government agencies, which sponsor more than 40 forms of disaster assistance, contribute to the website. People affected by disasters can apply for many forms of assistance with a single, online application.

Click here to view the site.

Podcast: 'What Goes into Homeland Security? Part 3'

In the latest edition of "Just a Minute for Homeland Security" (a weekly public radio commentary produced by the Integrative Center for Homeland Security at Texas A&M University and KAMU 90.9 FM), ICHS Director Dr. Dave McIntyre says:

"In two previous shows, we began looking at what colleges and universities across the United States should be including as they teach homeland security. We talked about terrorism and types of physical threats to the nation, and the impact of natural disasters. Today we will review some of the historical background a student should study."

• Hear It Now
  
• Read the transcript
  

Subscribe to the weekly podcast:

• To get the podcast as an email, click here.
• To get the podcast with iTunes, click here.
• To get the podcast with an RSS newsreader, click here.

Tonight's 'Homeland Security: Inside & Out': How should the Obama administration take on homeland security issues?

Click here to listen to the Jan. 27 podcast

On tonight's special edition of "Homeland Security: Inside & Out," co-hosts Dave McIntyre and Randy Larsen look at the state of homeland security since 9/11, and answer the question, "How did we get here?"

In addition, they interview:

• Russell Feagin, a Texas A&M University assistant professor specializing in coastal ecology, on the effects of Hurricane Ike.
• Jia-Rui Chong, a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, on the state of readiness in California for the next big earthquake.

To listen to the broadcast as it airs, you have two options:

• Radio broadcast by KAMU 90.9 FM in College Station.
• Online streaming from KAMU's web site.

Both the broadcast and the stream begin at 7 p.m. Central on Tuesdays.

ICHS director participates in three-day evaluation of Houston's disaster preparedness

ICHS Director Dr. Dave McIntyre is among three-dozen experts on terrorism and catastrophic natural disasters who met at Rice University in Houston today to begin a three-day, closed-door discussion of the city’s preparedness.

The meeting is part of a two-year project to evaluate Houston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and New Orleans. Findings will be published in a report and presented to Congress and the Department of Homeland Security.

• Read coverage from the Houston Chronicle

House report: 'Getting Beyond Getting Ready for Pandemic Influenza'

The majority staff of the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security has issued a new report, "Getting Beyond Getting Ready for Pandemic Influenza." From the executive summary:

"... despite the fact that we are overdue for an influenza pandemic and that we fear the consequences of such a disease spreading unchecked – we are not prepared as a Nation to fully withstand the impact of such a devastating widespread biological event. Pandemic influenza would destroy the security of our Nation and homeland. It is for this reason that the House Committee on Homeland Security has made oversight of pandemic preparedness a priority, and why this study was undertaken."

The report assessed the weaknesses that need to be strengthen, and provides a list of next steps.

• Download the report.

DHS Privacy Office adopts FIPPs as policy framework

A new memorandum from the Privacy Office at the Department of Homeland Security adopts "the Fair Information Practice Principles (FIPPs) as the foundational principles for privacy policy and implementation at the Department of Homeland Security."

• Download the memorandum

Video: Historian Brian Linn compares Iraq War with the Philippine War of 1899-1902

ICHS has released its second video in its new YouTube series, "Bring It Home." Here is Part One of Dr. Dave McIntyre's interview with Dr. Brian Linn, a Texas A&M University historian. Linn is the author of "The U.S. Army and Counterinsurgency in the Philippine War, 1899-1902"

In this interview, he draws comparisons between the American experience in the Philippine War with the nation's experience in the Iraq War.

U.S. Education Department issues 'Action Guide for Emergency Management at Institutions of Higher Education'

This new guide comes out of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools:

"This Action Guide aims to offer higher education institutions a useful resource in the field of emergency management.  It is intended to serve as a resource for all types of institutions of higher education.  The Action Guide can be used by community colleges, two- and four-year colleges and universities, graduate schools, and research institutions associated with higher education entities, both public and private, throughout their emergency management planning efforts. Depending on need and experience, the information provided in this Action Guide can help personnel from higher education institutions and their partners better understand the field of emergency management within a higher education context, develop and implement an institution's emergency management plan, and/or serve as a reference and resource to improve an institution's existing plan.  The Action Guide is not meant to serve as a prescriptive document, but, rather is intended to provide a number of resources and references to facilitate the emergency management planning process for institutions at all levels of knowledge and development."

• Download the action guide.

Blogger for 'The Atlantic' likes the term 'civil security'

In the first video for "Bring It Home" (our new YouTube channel), Dr. Dave McIntyre makes the case for replacing the term "homeland security" with "civil security."

Here, James Fallows at The Atlantic offers his two cents.