CONTENTS:

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK:

1. World
2. Africa
3. Americas
4. Asia Pacific
5. Europe
6. Middle East
7. South Asia
8. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare
9. Finance
10 Human Rights
11. Law and Legal Issues
12. Transportation
13. Weapons of Mass Destruction
14. Recently Published

FEATURE ARTICLE:
US Terrorism Response Preparedness

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK

1. World

The World Health Organization launched the "World Health Report 2003" calling for international support and investment to support the failing health systems in most developing countries. Note the "Tale of Two Girls" that contrasts babies born in Japan and Sierra, where average life expectancy differs by 50 years. http://www.who.int/features/2003/11/en/

This view of massive discrepancies around the world is reinforced by the UN Conference on Trade and Development's "Handbook of Statistics 2003" http://www.unctad.org/Templates/Page.asp?intItemID=1584&lang=1
Here's what $1 billion represents:
The gross domestic product of 27,000 Norwegians or 10 million Ethiopians
The amount of foreign direct investment into Argentine in 2002 or the annual level of trade among the 15 small members of the Caribbean Community
0.06 percent of the EU agriculture value added or 11 percent of Africa's total agriculture exports to the EU in 2001
10 percent of India's total remittances from abroad or 10 percent of India's trade deficit

North Korea threatened to increase nuclear capacity if the US delays talks. China has urged the US to be more flexible in its negotiations.

Saddam Hussein, detained and under interrogation by US authorities, has met with members of the Iraqi Governing Council. Investigations connected with his capture have led to increased volume of arrests, but no diminution of attacks. Interesting background to the situation is provided in newly declassified documents about the US-Iraq relationship, at the National Security Archive http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/special/iraq/index.htm

2. Africa

Burundi's peace process has reached another crucial phase as they undertake the demobilization, disarmament and reintegration of former rebel fighters and begin to develop the new integrated National Defense Forces. Interahamwe fighters in the northwest continue to stage raids that threaten security.

Cameroon and Nigeria have completed the agreed border transfers in which Nigeria transferred 32 villages.

Eritrea and Ethiopia have agreed in principle to set up commissions that will let the military leaders share information and help prevent small incidents from escalating.

In the Ethiopian town of Gambella and surrounding areas, ethnic violence began with an ambush that killed eight and continued for several days claiming dozens more lives. A heavy military presence has been established.

Fifteen years after the Lockerbie bombing and subsequent international sanctions, (https://terrorismcentral.com/Library/Incidents/Lockerbie/LockerbieSubList.html), Libya has been attempting to end its pariah status, thereby ending sanctions and in turn improving economic conditions. In a dramatic development, Libya has acknowledged http://politics.guardian.co.uk/foreignaffairs/story/0,11538,1110933,00.html that it possesses chemical and biological weapons and was close to developing a nuclear weapon. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3336109.stm Libya now has agreed to eliminate all of these unconventional weapons and open itself to a strict international inspection regime. Arab states responded to Libya's announcement with demands that Israel follows suit. A report in The Observer says part of the agreement includes provision of intelligence on Islamic extremists. Suspicion remains that the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC), not Libya, was responsible for Lockerbie. It is not clear whether these measures will convince US authorities to lift sanctions. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3337613.stm

Rwanda is investigating reports of murder, harassment and intimidation of genocide survivors to prevent their testifying in the Gacaca village courts.

In the Republic of Congo there were outbreaks of fighting between Ninja rebel factions with one death confirmed so far.

In Somalia, fighting for revenge and land between the Darod and Dir subclans killed 60 and injured 90.

Fighting in the western town of Darfur, Sudan has reached a stage characterized as "ethnic cleansing", resulting in a curfew and ban on public gatherings. More than 600,000 people have fled the area and aid agencies are leaving. This happened despite the government and rebels reaching a major breakthrough in peace talks with agreement over sharing of oil revenues, that has been one of the major sticking points in peace negotiations.

3. Americas

A series of grenade explosions in three department stores in Barranquilla, Colombia, killed one and injured at least 20. Left wing rebel groups are suspected. Colombian rebels of the National Liberation Army (ELN) are expected to release five foreign hostages on December 22 or 23.

Unrest in Haiti is increasing, including establishing barriers and increasing the number of marches and demonstrations, with local street thugs, students, and police crossing paths.

The US government increased the national threat level from Elevated (yellow) to High (orange) because of increased volume of intelligence suggesting possible attacks around the holiday season. http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?content=2707

US courts are beginning to weigh in on the subject of detainees. The US Court of Appeals in San Francisco rejected an administration assertion that the Guantanamo Bay detainees have no legal rights. The Supreme Court has already agreed to hear this subject. In addition, the appeals court in new York ruled that the President does not have the power to indefinitely detain a US citizen captured in the US as an "enemy combatant", an issue raised in the Jose Padilla case. The US administration will continue to contest these cases.

The US Department of Justice's Inspector General has published a report on September 11 detainees held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York, confirming reports of physical and verbal abuse. http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/special/0312/index.htm

The design for the World Trade Center in New York has been unveiled. http://www.renewnyc.com/

4. Asia Pacific

In the Australian refugee camp on Nauru a hunger strike has entered the third week in protest over their treatment. Most are Afghans who have been informed it is now safe to return.

China has issued its first terrorist wanted list. It includes four Muslim separatist groups (East Turkistan Islamic Movement, Eastern Turkistan Liberation Organization, World Uighur Youth Congress and East Turkistan Information Center) and 11 individuals accused of bombings, assassinations, arson, poisoning, and other actions to create an independent Islamic state. China has called for other countries to aid in their capture, including freezing accounts and refusing asylum or support.

Indonesian refugees from Aceh allege extra-judicial killings, disappearances, and beatings in a Human Rights Watch report. These human rights abuses would be consistent with recent history and other reports from the area, where the military is pursuing a campaign to eliminate separatists of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2003/12/17/indone6692.htm

Japan's government has approved implementation of a US ballistic missile defense shield. They are concerned of increasing hostility from North Korea.

Up to 15,000 Hmong refugees who fled Laos for Thailand will be given refuge in the US. They had supported the US during the Vietnam War.

Singapore has quarantined 70 people who had been in contact with a visiting Taiwanese scientist who contracted SARS during an experiment.

5. Europe

Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to take steps to resolve the long-running dispute over Nagorno Karabakh.

The Irish government has been called on to stop the scene of the 1690 Battle of the Boyne (in which Protestant Prince William of Orange defeated Catholic King James II) from becoming the site of a rubbish incinerator. The Orangemen commemorate the battle each year. Ireland has announced a public inquiry into the Breen and Buchanan murders -- two Royal Ulster Constabulary officers in Northern Ireland murdered by the IRA in 1989

Italian police raided an alleged Red Brigades hideout, finding explosives, weapons, police uniforms and identity cards. Nine suspected militants were arrested in October.

A group of Chechen fighters has taken at least four hostages in neighboring Dagestan after a border gunfight that killed nine Russian border guards. During their retreat the militants captured seven more civilians.

Turkish Islamic militant Fevzi Yitiz, accused of preparing the Istanbul truck bombs last month, has confessed he had explosives training from al Qaeda.

In Britain, a powerful cross-party group of privy counselors have reviewed the counter-terrorism laws and called for the section allowing indefinite detention of terror suspects without charge to be repealed as a matter of urgency.

On the 15th anniversary of the Lockerbie bombing, relatives of the British victims called for an independent inquiry, taking advantage of improved relations with Libya to resolve unanswered questions, including why and how it happened, who was behind it and why it hadn't been prevented. The Lord Advocate has appealed against the sentence imposed on Abdelbaset ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, convicted of the bombing, as being too lenient. Al-Megrahi was sentenced to life and told he could apply for parole after 27 years. Al-Megrahi is 51 years old.

6. Middle East

On Friday, thousands of people came together in the Gaza Strip to mark the 16th anniversary of the establishment of Hamas. Earlier in the week Israeli soldiers killed two unarmed Palestinians trying to cross the Gaza perimeter fence. It was alleged that the pair was linked to earlier mortar attacks. Four others crossed the fence; one of whom was later arrested.

Iran has signed the Additional Protocol on Nuclear Safeguards that requires Iran to provide additional information about their nuclear activities and grants the International Atomic Energy Agency greater rights of access to sites for their verification activities. http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/News/Safeguards-Verification/iranap20031218.html

Israeli Prime Minister Sharon said that if road map negotiations falter, Israel would take unilateral steps to separate Israelis and Palestinians. The proposal has not been received well in diplomatic circles.

Four letter bombs were sent to journalists in Kuwait. Three were intercepted; one went off causing minor injuries.

Lebanon has convicted 27 men connected with attacks targeting fast food restaurants and other UK and US businesses. The series of bombings started in late 2002 and ended in April.

Syrian authorities captured six Arabs carrying more than $20 million. Syria is conducting investigations, but it is suggested that the funds could be connected to Saddam Hussein, al Qaeda, or other terrorist operations.

In the occupied West Bank, a 5-year old Palestinian boy was shot dead by Israeli Defense Forces as he walked out of his home with a sandwich. In searches for suicide bombers, troops killed at least four suspected militants.

7. South Asia

In Afghanistan, the new US commander has outlined a change in strategy to improve security in preparation for next year's elections. It involves setting up bases in the southeast, where the level of violence has forced aid agencies to leave. Meanwhile, delegates at the loya jirga are making progress on the new constitution. And the Kabul-Kandahar Road has been rebuilt, restoring the North-South link.

Bhutan launched a military offensive against Indian separatists (United Liberation Front of Assam) based in the southern part of the kingdom. During the campaign some 100 rebels and 40 soldiers have been killed and 300 rebels arrested; many handed over to Indian authorities.

Relations between India and Pakistan continue to improve. They have agreed to restore direct rail links. Pakistan has suggested that a UN plebiscite on Kashmir may not be required. Islamist parties in Pakistan have protested this suggestion.

Nepal's army admitted to the use of excessive force against Maoist rebels and plane to punish soldiers guilty of abuse, compensate victims, and put an end to future human rights abuses.

In Sri Lanka, the President and Prime Minister have extended a December 15 deadline for resolving their power struggle, but no new deadline has been set and there is no indication of a compromise route. Meanwhile, peace talks with the Tamil Tigers are on hold.

8. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare

Public NASA web sites were attacked by Brazilian hackers DRWXR protesting US actions in Iraq.

Britain has established a new national unit dedicated entirely to cracking down on mobile phone crime. http://www.met.police.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2003_0128

Two court rulings setback record industry efforts to fight online music piracy. A US court ruled that internet service providers are not required to hand over names and addresses of their customers. A Dutch court ruled that creators of the file-sharing program Kazaa were not responsibly for how individuals used it and that the program was not breaking the law.

9. Finance

The UN's working group on sanctions has been working on a review of the use of sanctions. They have seen mixed progress and are considering issuing an interim report as they continue to consider their recommendations and proposals. In particular, they have been unable to reach consensus on the recommended duration and termination of sanctions.

The US Office of Foreign Assets Control has provided new interpretive rulings regarding Iran. http://www.treas.gov/offices/eotffc/ofac/actions/index.html

10. Human Rights

December 10 marked the anniversary of the proclamation of the 1948 International Declaration of Human Rights

The latest report of the Gilmore Commission on terrorism calls for establishing a special oversight board for protection of civil liberties. http://www.rand.org/nsrd/terrpanel/

In response to a request from the UN General Assembly, the International Court of Justice will open hearings regarding legal consequences of Israel's construction of a separation barrier in the occupied Palestinian territory beginning on February 23. Written statements will be submitted by January 30.

The UN Security Council has updated measures to protect civilians caught up in war
http://www0.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=9221&Cr=civilian&Cr1=conflict
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2003/sc7953.doc.htm

11. Law and Legal Issues

Gina and Jonathan Adair (wife and son of Ulster Freedom Fighter leader Johnny Adair) and four others were arrested and charged with conspiracy to supply drugs.

Adnan Asfour, a senior Hamas official, has been detained by Israeli Defense Forces.

US Attorney General John Ashcroft has received a rebuke from a federal judge in Detroit for violating a gag order in the terrorism trial of Abdel-Ilah Elmardoudi, Karim Koubriti, Ahmed Hannan, and Farouk Ali-Haimoud.

Fiona Farrelly has been freed by Belfast court, after charges connected with an alleged republican spy ring were dropped. The allegations of a spy-ring at Stormont led to the collapse of the Northern Ireland Assembly last year. The three others accused are on bail.

Alexandros Giotopoulos, head of the November 17 Greek militant group, has been sentenced to 21 life terms for planning 19 murders. His colleague Dimitris Koufodinas was sentenced to 13 life terms. Note last week's Feature Article on November 17 at https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/112303.html

Miroslav Kvocka, an officer convicted of war crimes connected with his service at the Omarska detention camp in Bosnia Herzegovina, has been released pending his appeal against the conviction.

British arms dealer Hemant Lakhani has been indicted in US court on charges of money laundering, providing material support to terrorists and brokering foreign defense articles.. Yehuda Abraham and Moinuddeen Ahmed Hameed are accused of serving as financial middlemen for the deal that was actually a sting operation.

Wilmer Antonio Marin has been arrested in Colombia on suspicion of being a senior commander in the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) responsible for a nightclub bombing and a number of kidnappings.

Carlos Menem, former president of Argentina, has been charged with tax fraud for failing to declare a Swiss bank account, after repeatedly denying it existed.

Ciaran O'Dwyer, John Murphy, Ultan Larkin and Gerard Varian have been charged in Irish court with membership of the IRA.

Jose Padilla, detained by US authorities for 18 months in connection with an alleged dirty bomb plot, has been ordered released. A federal appeals court ruled that the President does not have the power to indefinitely hold a US citizen captured in the country as an "enemy combatant".

Mohamad Iqbal Abdul Rahman has been detained again in Malaysia just before he was to be deported to Indonesia. Rahman is alleged to be leader of a Jemaah Islamiah group responsible for the Bali bombings, but Indonesia has no grounds on which to arrest him.

Pavle Strugar's trial over the shelling of Dubrovnik, in Croatia, has begun. The shelling killed at least 50 civilians, injured hundreds, and inflicted massive damage on the world heritage site.

Fevzi Yitiz was arrested in Turkey in connection with accusations of preparing the Istanbul truck bombs last month.

12. Transportation

The European Commission has reached agreement with the US Department of Homeland Security to hand over extensive data on transatlantic airline passengers. Initial DHS demands contravened the EU data protection directive but they agreed to restrict the data collected, maintain records for no more than 3.5 years, and share data with law enforcement only if necessary for a particular criminal or intelligence investigation. There will be separate negotiations on whether this data can be included in the forthcoming CAPPS II system. http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?content=2648 http://europa.eu.int/rapid/start/cgi/guesten.ksh?p_action.gettxt=gt&doc=SPEECH/03/613|0|RAPID&lg=EN&display=

The US Navy seized two dhows (traditional Arab sailboats) containing large quantities of narcotics and indications of possible links to al Qaeda. The smuggling boats were found in the Persian Gulf.

The US General Accounting Office provided testimony regarding their "Preliminary Observations on Efforts to Target Security Inspections of Cargo Containers". http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-0-325T They found that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) had taken steps to address terrorism risks but faced serious shortcomings in lacking threat assessments, identifying key risk models, integrating systems, or using recognized modeling practices. There are also problems with training and constraints of space and equipment.

13. Weapons of Mass Destruction

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is coordinating efforts to combat the growing epidemic and has offered advice about prevention and treatment as well as how to help tell the difference between a cold and the flu. http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/transcripts/t031219.htm

The current issue of the new England Journal of Medicine reviews current findings regarding Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/349/25/2431 including new findings of the high risk of transmission on aircraft. http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/349/25/2416

Following a new SARS case in which the infection was spread through specimen handling, the World Health Organization has issued new safety guidelines, including the recommendation to destroy unwanted or unneeded specimens. http://www.who.int/csr/sars/biosafety2003_12_18/en/

Libya has agreed to eliminate all of its unconventional weapons, including their biological, chemical and nuclear programs. An edited version of the Libyan announcement is at http://politics.guardian.co.uk/foreignaffairs/story/0,11538,1110933,00.html

Iran has signed the Additional Protocol on Nuclear Safeguards that requires it to provide additional information about their nuclear activities and grants the International Atomic Energy Agency greater rights of access to sites for their verification activities. http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/News/Safeguards-Verification/iranap20031218.html
This URL includes links to additional resources, including a model protocol, timeline, fact sheet, board resolution and Director General's statement.

The US Food and Drug Administration has cleared a laboratory test for anthrax. http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2003/NEW00992.html

14. Recently Published

Note the new film, "The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons of Robert S. McNamara" http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=285691

The new issue of International and Comparative Law Quarterly includes articles on Iraq, the use of force, personal freedom and other timely topics. http://www3.oup.co.uk/iclqaj/

The Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict has issued new "Bofaxes" including "Targeted killings", "Saddam Hussein is a POW" and "Arbitrating responsibility for violations of international humanitarian law: The Eritrea-Ethiopia claims commission". http://www.ifhv.de/

Noam Chomsky "Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance" Metropolitan Books http://www.henryholt.com/metropolitanbooks.htm http://www.americanempireproject.com/

Ivo H Daalder and James Lindsay "America Unbound: The Bush Revolution in Foreign Policy" Brookings Institution http://bookstore.brookings.edu/book_details.asp?product%5Fid=11926

Steven Hahn "A Nation Under our Feet: Black Political Struggles in the Rural South from Slavery to the Great Migration" Harvard University Press http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/HAHNAT.html

Mark Palmer, "Breaking the Real Axis of Evil" Rowman and Littlefield
http://www.rowmanlittlefield.com/Catalog/SingleBook.shtml?command=Search&db=^DB/CATALOG.db&eqSKUdata=0742532542

FEATURE ARTICLE: US Terrorism Response Preparedness

Last week, the US Department of Homeland Security released summary conclusions from TOPOFF2 terrorism response exercise. This and other recent reports find consistent limitations in the preparedness of the US to respond to significant terrorist events. As this summary will show, the problems of communication, collaboration and capacity that were discovered in the wake of the September 11 attacks remain.

TOPOFF2 was held in May, including federal, state, local, and Canadian participants whose goal was to assess responses to a simulated exercise that had a fictitious, foreign terrorist organization detonate a simulated dirty bomb in Seattle and release pneumonic plague in several locations in the Chicago metropolitan area.

Analysis of the processes involved in the TOPOFF2 exercise led to five main findings:

This should sound familiar to regular Newsletter readers!

The Gilmore Commission's latest report had similar concerns. For example, they found it necessary to coordinate a national strategy from the top down. The national strategy should help to increase consistency, including empowering state and local officials. They also called for a single entity within the Department of Homeland Security to manage all grant funding.

In another echo, the Gilmore report suggested improved communication coordination. In particular, they suggested revising the color-coded Homeland Security Advisory System so it could be more specific for threats to specific jurisdictions and incorporate training to reflect preventive actions appropriate for different threat levels. Similarly, risk-based funding could be coordinated by DHS.

This type of management and coordination is also called for among all levels of government, using DHS to unify federal, state and local efforts and for developing standards for response, including technology, training and exercises. The persistent lack of information sharing remains a problem. In a survey conducted by RAND for the Gilmore Commission, they found that only about half of local law enforcement or emergency management organizations have had guidance from the FBI regarding information collection and reporting.

The theme of coordination is given a human face in the recent General Accounting Report "Challenges in Achieving Interoperable Communications for First Responders". This describes clearly the impact of the current systems:

"The inability of first responders--police officers, firemen, hazardous materials teams, emergency medical service personnel, and others--to communicate effectively with one another as needed during an emergency is a long-standing and widely recognized problem in many areas across the country. When first responders cannot communicate effectively as needed, it can literally cost lives--of both emergency responders and those they are trying to assist....

"Interoperability problems existed among public safety agencies for many years prior to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Reports on incidents have documented a number of problems in public safety wireless communications. For over 15 years the Federal Government has been concerned about public safety spectrum issues, including communications interoperability issues. A variety of federal agencies have been involved in defining the problem and identifying potential solutions. In addition, Congress has taken several actions over the past two decades to address the availability and use of public safety wireless spectrum. The events of September 11 have resulted in greater public and governmental focus on the role of first responders and their capacity to respond to emergencies, including those resulting from terrorist incidents. The interoperability issues that the nation faces today did not arise overnight and they will not be successfully addressed overnight. Federal, state, and local governments face several major challenges in addressing interoperability in their wireless communications. The first challenge is to clearly identify and define the problem. For example, it is important to recognize that interoperable communications is not an end in itself, but it is rather one component for achieving an important goal--the ability to respond effectively to and mitigate incidents that require the coordinated actions of first responders. The second challenge is whether and how to establish national interoperability performance goals and standards and balance them with the flexibility needed to address differences in state, regional and local needs and conditions. The third challenge is defining the roles of federal, state, and local governments and other entities in defining the problem, implementing any national goals and standards, and assessing alternative means of achieving those goals and standards. The fundamental barrier to successfully addressing these challenges has been the lack of effective, collaborative, interdisciplinary and intergovernmental planning. No one first responder group or governmental agency can successfully "fix" the interoperability problems that face our nation. It will require the partnership, leadership, and coordinated planning of everyone involved."

DHS has responded to these messages with a number of initiatives: The Initial National Response Plan (INRP), the National Incident Management System (NIMS), the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), and the National Exercise Program (NEP).

The INRP was published in September, as an interim plan while the National Response Plan (NRP) is being developed. It established the Homeland Security Operations Center (HSOC) that continuously monitors domestic incidents, law enforcement and intelligence reports. DHS is the lead response manager and has a team of experts to advise and coordinate domestic incidents.

The NIMS is in the final review process. It comprises a document that proscribes standard emergency response organizational and procedural guidance and a comprehensive incident management framework for use across federal, state, and local organizations nationwide. NIMS is also intended to begin implementing new communications technologies.

The EOC, working with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), will help enhance communications, coordination, and connectivity with grants to state and local emergency preparedness organizations. In addition, NIMS will include standardized terminology descriptions of and key words.

The NEP was developed with the Office for Domestic Preparedness (ODP) to facilitate the development of homeland security exercises to test and refine federal, state and local jurisdictional issues, employ the INRP organizational guidelines, and coordinate all federal exercises.

In addition, the DHS Homeland Security Operations Center and FEMA's National Emergency Operations Center are establishing a standardized, automated resource tracking system, that will make information available to state and local participants.

Although these measures are welcome, it is important to remember that the problems with US domestic response are long standing and were identified many years ago. The proposed solutions to these problems have reached a broad level of consensus that in most cases presents no dramatic challenges to public policy. The question remaining is whether there is leadership at the highest levels of government willing to make the investment necessary to resolve these long-standing issues.

For our domestic US readers, we urge their active participation in encouraging this process. (An ounce of prevention....)

You can find the necessary contact information at http://www.congress.org and http://www.eff.org/congress/

Further Reading: