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As with mass murderers so with terrorists

US authorities are still searching for a motive behind Stephen Paddock’s rampage in Las Vegas last week.  A number of ‘theories’ have been put forward, none of which are very helpful.  For instance, the fact that Mr.Paddock’s father was a bank robber and once on the FBI’s most wanted list has turned out to be […]

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Perspectives

Is there a problem with terrorism ‘indicators’?

One criticism that has been leveled a lot in the post 9/11 period is that governments, through their security intelligence and law enforcement agencies, has run roughshod over civil rights and what should be seen as legitimate political activity, and criminalised some behaviours all in an effort to prevent terrorism from occurring.  The timeline on […]

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Perspectives

Does terror profiling work?

We’ve all heard the phrase “flying while Muslim”,  a reality that underscores the sorry state of affairs in Western societies in the post 9/11 period.  Muslims are disproportionately singled out for special attention at airports and elsewhere.  The genuine concern over terrorism, which is real and not some state-driven campaign to garner support, has given […]