Getting ready to give a new presentation to students for @RUIntelStudies today about the uses (and abuses) of the word "terrorism".

Proto-versions of this generated some great discussions so fingers crossed for more of that!
So, this went *really* well. An amazing amount of interaction with the ~40 attendees (phenomenal questions) which isn't easy on a Zoom call.

Flash of panic before I started: Am I really going to try to talk to people about definitions for 90 minutes? Yes, damnit!
The heart of the talk:
1) Tons of definitions
2) Lots of ways the word is used beyond definition
3) If you're using it in one context & audience is listening in another = trouble!
4) How analysts use is similar/different from law enforcement
5) My fave: case studies
I like to walk them though the very same process we used in my shop when we were trying to determine is something was terrorism to show these questions have real world consequences. Image
This opens up all sorts of opportunities for discussion. What's violence? Property damage?
How can we know intent?
When does a belief become an ideology?
Then cases: easy (9/11; Oklahoma City), harder (Las Vegas, Isla Vista). Difference from protests (Occupy, BLM).

Where are the subjective parts of definitions that would allow for 2 reasonable people to disagree?

Thanks to @RUIntelStudies & all the students!

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More from @TwShiloh

7 Mar
Examination of the 3%er #militia movement by @DTAnalytics & Alejandro Beutel. A summary 🧵

While most attention has been on #whitesupremacist angle of the far right, this piece looks at anti-Islamic sentiment as the glue that binds much of the movement

…c3hdi6ss66vpc-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/upl…
"...anti-Muslim hate is one of the few issues that brings together otherwise disparate and fractious elements of the far-right, both within and beyond national borders."
This chart from @jjmacnab in 2018 is great. Compare/contrast w/@selectedwisdom's graphic (next). They aren't looking at the exact same thing but useful both in and of themselves as well as if you're thinking about how to use graphics to depict subjects w/lots of fuzzy borders Image
Read 6 tweets
7 Mar
After years of various far right & conspiracists yelling “false flag” at 9/11, school shootings, etc we shouldn’t be surprised if they try to add that to their bag of tricks.

Some good items here you’ll see in the wider anti-government movement 🧵

washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/03…
Despite the flag waving, pro-military, blue lives matter rhetoric, you’ll note how easily they rationalize violence against law enforcement.

The essence of their being is preparing for a war against the US military & law enforcement.

These folks are NOT your friends.
Stewart Rhodes, leader of the Oathkeepers has a history of calling on military & law enforcement to “obey the Constitution” (i.e. his interpretation of it) or else.

It’s the same shitty authoritarian playbook...Only I can interpret the sacred scrolls!
Read 5 tweets
6 Mar
Some maddening things about this:
1) We literally had armed militia members storm govt buildings & call for violence against elected officials this year but state legislators overwhelmingly went "BuT DEh 2nd aMeNDmEnT".
2) In NJ, we attributed one key reason why animal/environmental extremism never really took hold (despite an otherwise favorable environment) was legal recourse was seen as a viable option. The more you shut that down, the more likely you push committed folks to extremism.
And don't get me started on those "immunity for people who use their vehicles to ram protester" bills...
Read 4 tweets
27 May 20
Can United States intelligence community analysts telework?
tandfonline.com/eprint/RYFWQBH…
by David Gioe, Joseph Hatfield and @WWIPhD

Great read and strong recommend!

I'm still sad we have to make the case for #intelligence analysts to use #OSINT and it's 2020.
I ran an intel shop for several years where the vast majority of our customers didn't have security clearances, so we made the decision to primarily rely on unclassified information.

The results were excellent!
For analysts, that forced them to find and evaluate academics, researchers, journalists, & others with expert and detailed knowledge within their portfolios and in some cases, develop professional relationships with them.
Read 13 tweets
2 Jan 20
I have my students (and analysts) make sure they can answer 5 questions as they begin thinking about their #intelligence product/brief:
1) when is it due (that’ll allow you to backwards plan & know how much time you’ll have for collection, analysis, editing, rehearsals
2) Who is the primary customer? Audience analysis is easy to overlook. How do they absorb information? What are their interests & things that will shut them down?

Also: how might secondary customers (mis)use this information/product?
3) what is the purpose of the product? What Key Intelligence Question is being answered?
Read 6 tweets

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