When evaluating the recent trends in terror attacks, some fundamental strategies can help the United States in planning the war against terrorism and preventing its citizens from the attacks. It is important to point the political, religious, or economic motivation of the attacks (Cui, Rosoff, & John, 2016). Groups such as Al-Qaida have reiterated a religious and political motivation for all their attacks. Understanding this motivation is critical in helping the government deal with the root cause and motivation to harm American citizens. The religious perspective can be seen from the Synagogue Terror Plot (2009), and the Lackawanna Six (2002) who went to Pakistan to receive Jihadist training. The political dimension has always existed, given the terrorists’ desire to harm America’s interests in various instances. The Virginia Jihad Network (2003) and Tarek Mehanna and Ahmad Abousamra (2009) exemplify this. Secondly, most attacks demonstrate an intention to coerce, intimidate, or communicate a given message to the governments and the public. In most terror attacks, terror groups have come out clearly to claim responsibility for their attacks and equally demonstrate the reasons behind such attacks. The foiled instances such as JFK Airport Plot (2007) and Hosam Maher Husein Smadi (2009) were meant to destabilize public peace and cause economic damages.
Another emerging trend in terror attacks has focused on places of worship with mosques and churches being heavily hit. This demonstrates a growing tendency by terror groups to attack places of worship and is likely to continue and affect more places of worship in the United States (Cui, Rosoff, & John, 2016). Levar Haley Washington and three others (2005) exemplify this trend. Therefore, understanding this trend will help security agencies to protect such places since they are potential targets of a terrorist. Another observable trend relates to the use of assault rifles and grenades instead of bombs during attacks (Koch & Tkach, 2012). While major attacks in the past were executed through bombing, growing trends in the recent past indicate a tendency towards shooting as a mode of executing the terror attacks. The foiled Fort Dix Plot (2007) and Derrick Shareef (2006) exemplify the trend.
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The trends in preventing terror attacks present a delicate balance between dealing with terrorism and the protection of America’s socioeconomic and political interests. Whereas people have learned to be vigilant in potential areas that can be attacked such as shopping malls and airports, the growth of violent extremism appears to threaten the freedom of association and worship (Koch & Tkach, 2012). The government is therefore expected to modify its antiterrorism strategies and approaches to match the evolving nature of the attackers.
References
Cui, J., Rosoff, H., & John, R. S. (2016). Cumulative response to sequences of terror attacks varying in frequency and trajectory. Risk Analysis, 36 (12): 2272-2284.
Koch, M., & Tkach, B., (2012). Deterring or mobilizing? The influence of government partisanship and force on the frequency, lethality, and suicide attacks of terror events. Peace Economics, Peace Science, and Public Policy, 18 (2): 32-48.
