Counterterrorism

Red Mercury - A Scam? "For decades, aspiring bomb makers - including ISIS - have desperately tried to get their hands on a lethal substance called red mercury. There's a reason that they never have." The scam even consumed Task Force Paladin based at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan when, in early 2011, a European military unit handed red mercury over to examination. This escapade was referred to as "Operation Chimera". Read "The Doomsday Scam", by C.J. Chivers, The New York Times Magazine, November 19, 2015.

Global Terrorism Index 2015. "In 2014 the total number of deaths from terrorism increased by 80 per cent when compared to the prior year. This is the largest yearly increase in the last 15 years." The Global Terrorism Index 2015 provides a detailed analysis of the changing trends in terrorism since 2000 for 162 countries. It investigates the changing patterns of terrorism by geographic activity, methods of attack, organisations involved, etc. The report is posted here on the ELDIS.org website.

ISIS More Deadly Before Death. According to Seth Jones, someone with a little bit of familiarity with insurgents and terrorists, the Islamic State is losing territory but may become more deadly. He says that when terrorists lose ground, they typically lash out with greater violence. Read "ISIS Will Become More Deadly Before It Dies", The Slate, November 17, 2015.

Life of a Drone Operator. "In a secluded room at an airbase in Nevada, young men hold the power of life and death over people thousands of miles away." Former servicemen who served at Creech Air Force Base relate their story about their part in the drones used in the war against terror. Read "Life as a drone Operator", The Guardian, November 18, 2015. See also "Death From Above: Confessions of a Killer Drone Operator", Newsweek, November 19, 2015.

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