International terrorism has remained a significant threat to global peace since the beginning of the 21st Century. Global security apparatus through governments have therefore assembled resources in collaboration as a measure to help put into controlling any terror ideas that easily infiltrate fragmented societies (Abaas, Shibghatullah, & Yusof, 2014). Key among such areas of collaboration has been on intelligence and data gathering across international borders. Technological advancements and militarization of terror have pushed governments such as the US to deploy military forces on overseas missions as a strategy to gather intelligence and control terrorism at the source (Ratcliffe, 2016). The measures have been crude in most cases but effective in other instances. The paper’s argument anchors on the perspective that intelligence backed strategies are best suited in fighting global terror as a counter-terrorism initiative.
Intelligence plays an important role as a counter-terrorism strategy. The US government and military agree on the fact that intelligence-led operations bear more nous in identifying and neutralizing terror activities before they can reach an execution stage. Intelligence as a data science allows the military operations to plan on their intervention through techniques such as surveillance and asset tracking to combat terrorist activities (Abaas, Shibghatullah, & Yusof, 2014). The homeland and defense departments are, therefore, in a position to predict, identify, and effectively disarmer all operations that might be linked to terror. According to Ratcliffe (2016), intelligence networks allows governments to form alliances and associations with like-minded countries; collaborations that not only boost global security but creates platforms for multilateral engagements such as trade.
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Surveillance and information gathering require that the government have access to public and private information. Snowden (2014) argues that gathering information to develop credible intelligence by security agencies in the country has always raised constitutional issues. The Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution provides that, no unwarranted searches and seizures allowed to be meted on any citizen. Security agencies through their officers, therefore, have to acquire a warrant of search or arrest before entering a private property or searching a suspect (Ledgett, 2014). However, these rights have limitations and, in some cases, agencies have breached such legislation as a matter of defence or security concerns.
The government’s capacity as the custodian of national security through homeland and defense departments has always had access to private information. The case of 9/11 is a credible incident in which the government had to formulate legislation, including The Patriotic Act. The Act was used as a tool for enhancing surveillance, and it had its effects on the Fourth Amendment liberties such as the need for warranties for search and seizures (Ledgett, 2014). Under the same legislation, the government was able to access credible and private data from financial records, personal communication, wire tapings, and other private communication means.
References
Abaas, T., Shibghatullah, A. S., & Yusof, R. (2014). Importance and significance of information sharing in terrorism field. Science International , 1719-1725.
Ledgett, R. (2014). NSA Responds to Edward Snowden. TEDTalks . Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/richard_ledgett_the_nsa_responds_to_edward_snowden_s_ted_talk
Ratcliffe, J. H. (2016). Intelligence-led policing . Routledge.
Snowden, E. (2014). Here’s How we Take Back the Internet. TedTalks . Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/edward_snowden_here_s_how_we_take_back_the_internet?language=en
