Terror in our midst

The fact that unrepentant jihadist and convicted terrorist Abdul Nacer Benbrika is being released from jail into the community should concern every Australian.

Once a terrorist…

Countering terrorism while preserving essential freedoms isn’t an easy task, but society has a right to expect the state to protect the public against convicted terrorists.

Combating terrorism after COVID-19

The federal government should increase its efforts to prevent radicalisation of disaffected young people in Australia in the wake of COVID-19.

Understanding the impact of Sri Lanka’s Easter bombings

The terror attacks in Sri Lanka that killed more than 300 people on 21 April have exposed the failings and dysfunction of the government in Colombo and the country’s leaders will need to act decisively to stop the attacks from fuelling inter-communal conflicts.

Owning it

After the Christchurch terror attack, there will inevitably be reflection upon the social and political factors that led to the shootings. There needs to be scrutiny of both the online hate speech which contributes to radicalisation and the intelligence failings which allowed such an attack to occur.

Terrorism in Australia in 2019: More of the same?

While there can be no ironclad guarantees, generous resourcing should allow security authorities to remain on top of the situation and prevent group plots from succeeding.

The terror in a label

While the west continues to tackle terrorism abroad and within its own borders, authoritarian and dictatorial regimes are also terming their opponents ‘terrorists’ to justify their own acts of persecution, ethnic cleansing and state-sponsored violence.

Eyes ‘wired’ open: preparing for chemical and biological threats

Is Australia preparing for the threat of chemical weapons, as used by Vladimir Putin’s Russia against dissidents in Britain, the Syrian regime against civilians and threatened by ISIS and other terrorist groups?

‘Glocalism’ turns its eye to the Indo-Pacific

Salafi-jihadi ‘glocalism’ involves the meshing of local points of discontent with the transnational goals of al‑Qaeda and similar terrorist groups. The violence it fuels is a growing threat in the Indo-Pacific as the jihadis flee from crushing defeats in the Middle East.

Could private security staff play a greater anti-terrorism role?

There are more private security guards in Australia than police officers. Security expert Don Williams explores the synergies between security industry licensing and counter-terrorism as efforts to safeguard Australians from attack in public places intensify.