Bruce Hoffman
Bruce Hoffman
Bruce Hoffmanis a political analyst known for his views on terrorism and insurgency. He is the Director of the Center for Security Studies and Director of the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. He is a specialist in the study of terrorism and counterterrorism and insurgency and counter-insurgency...
attack insurgents iraq learning lessons shared states terrorists throughout united
So, in other words, all the lessons that they're learning on how to attack the United States are being communicated and shared not only throughout Iraq but with insurgents and terrorists throughout the world.
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It is not to say we are completely defenseless, because the Israelis have shown you can counter suicide bombings. But shouldn't have unrealistic expectations that you can prevent all attacks,
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He knows the terrain, he knows the problems and he understands the solutions. He's bringing the right vision, but this is the vision that should've been brought three years ago.
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It doesn't really give us any more indication of whether this was a plot that was derailed or preempted, or a plot that was more in the realm of an idle daydream.
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It's like Sun Tzu, the Chinese strategist, said years ago. Only if you know your enemy can you win the battle.
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terrorists can still accomplish their basic aims of fear and intimidation just as well by using entirely conventional weapons -- the gun and the bomb.
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It's enormously tempting to speculate ... without knowing where he is, it's impossible to say.
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It is exactly the strategy of the terrorists to create a vacuum of disorder and lawlessness, and the way to do that is to attempt to eliminate precisely the dedicated civil servants like the prime minister, the president and the senior members of the interim government.
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We may be setting up new TV and radio stations, and that's fine, but ... they're getting their information from the Internet.
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We still have difficulty imagining women as killers rather than as mothers,
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One of the problems with the kill-or-capture metric is that it has often been to the exclusion of having a deeper, richer understanding of the movement, its origins, and our adversaries' mindset. The nuances are absolutely critical. Our adversaries are wedded to the ideology that informs and fuels their struggle, and, by not paying attention, we risk not knowing our enemy.
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It could be coincidence. It's an extraordinarily short turnaround it's impossible to say at this point.
suicide mass-destruction perception
With the exception of weapons of mass destruction, there is no other type of attack that is more effective than suicide terrorism. The perception is that it's impossible to guard against.
ransom abduction dimensions
One of the most ignored dimensions of the Iraqi insurgency are the Iraqis themselves who are regularly abducted, held for ransom and sometimes executed.