Commonly held assumptions about terrorism and stereotypes of terrorists are often incorrect. Instead of focusing resources on young, Muslim men, law enforcement must pay most attention to behavior indicating terrorist activity, such as travel patterns.
The Brennan Center for Justice and NYU School of Law hosted Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on June 7th for a discussion on post-9/11 homeland security.
John O. Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, gave the keynote address at the Brennan Center's symposium Intelligence Collection and Law Enforcement: New Roles, New Challenges.
Radicalization is complex. Yet a thinly-sourced, reductionist view of how people become terrorists has gained unwarranted legitimacy in some counterterrorism circles. Only by analyzing what we know about radicalization and the government’s response to it can we be sure that these reactions are grounded in fact rather than stereotypes and truly advance our efforts to combat terrorism.
With the departure of Glenn Fine as Inspector General, senior officials at the FBI and DOJ, members of Congress, and the American people must take a more active role in demanding accountability and transparancy.
