Licensed to Kill; Hired Guns in the
War on Terror
By Robert Young Pelton; published by Crown Publishers – 358 pages; $24.
Among the developments in the post-9-11 world has been the expansion of a specialized form of private security contractor: the private military company (PMC). Companies such as Black-water, Karmor Group, and Control Risks have expanded the role of private-sector protective security to fill gaps left in Iraq and elsewhere. Robert Young Pelton has given us a snapshot of life in the world of the PMC and the independent contractors who populate it. Licensed to Kill: Hired guns in the War on Terror is an entertaining look at how so-called mercenaries have come to play an increasingly critical role in Iraq and how their metamorphosis into the more-expansive PMCs could astray. Pelton has gone inside the closed world of predominately former military or police security contractors working for PMCs in Iraq to provide interesting and informative vignettes revealing the motivation bringing them there. He also provides a glimpse into the money, men and entrepreneurs behind the PMCs and their goals, which are often financial, but not always.
Security Management – December 2006.
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Terror on the Internet: The New Arena,
The New Challenges
By Gabriel Weimann; published by he United States Institute Of Peace – 320 pages; $20.
Gabriel Welmann, professor of communications at Haifa University in Israel, has produced a disturbing analysis of the extraordinarily popular use of the internet by violent extremist organisations seeking a global forum. The internet also facilitates the communications of organizations openly opposed to those ideas. Some terror groups now communicate almost exclusively over the Web. Now they can just post their messages on the internet. Apparently, al Qaeda has moved training to the Internet after the devastating coalition attacks that swept away the terror group’s training camps in Afghanistan. Weimann also says that Hezbollah and other groups are targeting children for both recruitment and training through the use of interactive video games. The author does not limit himself to Muslim terror groups. He covers the Basque ETA, the Columbian FARC, and other organisations that use the Net. Also noteworthy is Weimann’s discussion of cyberterrorism. He notes that there has not been a single substantiated instance of a cyber attack directed by terrorists against US power plants and grids, transportation systems, etc. The book is a vital addition to the security bookshelf.
Security Management – November 2006.
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Demystifying Terrorism: Terrorism Awareness Training Course
By Chameleon Associates – CD-ROM - $19.95
Chamelon Associates has produced a CD-ROM titled Demystifying Terrorism, an exceptionally welldone and professional primer on terrorism. The material can be viewed by busy security personnel on their PCs in a quick 30 minutes. Four major areas are covered in the CD: Who is a terrorist, understanding terrorism, knowing the methods of terrorist operations including how attacks are planned and executed, and suspicious indicators of terrorist activity or planning. In each section, the presentation offers both audio and video. Viewers can control the presentation via a panel on the screen.
Reviewer: Karim H. Vellani, CPP, CSC, a member of ASIS International.
Security Management – November 2006
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