Threat Management Of Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Threat Management Of Terrorism - Essay Example Most of the terror outfits in recent times have an ulterior political motive, and comprises of a very large and complex social network. One of the key measures of counter-terrorism strategies is to disrupt these terror networks by gaining corroborative evidence against its operations and pressing for military and/ or criminal proceedings against the culprits by way of seeking intervention of international bodies such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO); International Police for Cooperation against Terrorism (Interpol); and the United Nations counter terrorism activities (Fraser, 2003; Deflem, 2004). This paper on ‘Threat management of terrorism’ discusses the various ways in the issue of global terrorism can be addressed and approached. Risk Calculation It is extremely crucial for decision makers to take calculated risks while undertaking counter-terrorism measures. This is because most of the time, the information collected regarding the terrorist activitie s, may result in poor judgments and hence poor decisions. Although the fact that no amount of planning and preparation on the part of counter-terrorism agencies can foretell or foresee all the terror attacks on a nation, a deterrence strategy based on defensive principles will, nonetheless, contribute significantly in restricting the extent of damage or at the most, prevent the dissipating of scarce national resources (Lebovic, 2007). Risk calculation might not help in completely averting the attack but it does play a key role in quantifying the extent of damage to human life and property and take pre-emptive measures to support and / or contain the aftermath. Today, due to the increasing use of technological aids and computer simulation it has become easier to calculate with accuracy, the degree and extent of damage likely to be caused by a certain act of terror. One of the most critical aspects / aftermath of such attacks is the number of casualties and economic loss. The risk cal culation strategies prove to be highly useful in mitigating the damage through development of counter-terrorism methods, evaluating the risk implications, and implementing crisis management strategies, in the most cost-effective manner possible (Larche, 2008; Dixon, 2007). Furthermore, strategies such as red-teaming and blue-teaming exercises which refer to the process of defining the weaknesses of a system and developing methods to mitigate the resulting vulnerabilities, can be implemented as an effective countermeasure (Carter, 2002). Reducing risk: Reducing the risks associated with terrorist attacks is perhaps one of the most crucial aspects of threat management. Thanks to the ever increasing technological developments, reducing such risks has become easier and cost-effective, over time. One of the key strategies to ensure reducing the terrorism risks is to enhance the level of security. Care must be taken to install effective special protection technology which helps in avertin g and detecting potential risks, particularly at places which are highly vulnerable to terror strikes and prone to such attacks. Some of the most commonly used technological vigilance aids include installing of CCTV cameras in places of high risk, deploying of security guards and metal detectors; using intensive

Children and Families in UK Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Children and Families in UK Policy - Essay Example Secondly, it is a benefit payable to workers via the tax system which leads to increased net income for the concerned. Before 1997, all governments did not deal with family policy explicitly. However, the rest of the Europe highly embraced this. Under New Labour, there has been a tremendous change with regard to family policy. They have adopted the ideas of "social investment" in children. They have also realized that the great changes in family forms and the nature of contributions made by women and men in the families can not be ignored any more (Lewis, 2007). However, family is not an easy territory for these policymakers. Consensus on what a family should look like nowadays remains elusive as politicians find themselves treading on dangerous grounds. They avoid making any judgement regarding sexual morality or intimate relationship forms. Before 1997, the instinct was to look back to the traditional two-parent and married family. This is where the men were to be bread winners while women took care of the home and children. The earliest policy document was titled "Supporting Families." The aim of this approach was to address the changes. They have stopped condemning single mothers as a moral and social problem and a threat. Instead, the major focus has shifted back to that of the 1970s. Labour decided to increase employment rates for these single mothers since they could not provide enough money considering there was only one person providing both care and wages. Labour has been a bit too radical in its mission to address the issues caused by the changing nature of women and men's contribution to families, which is the increase in the increase in women's participation in the labour market. Initially, the UK did not so much concern itself in issues regarding work and family balance, specifically those regarding various types of leave for fathers and mothers and childcare. This has since changed and is now at par with the rest of Europe. Many families now have two incomes since many women also work, although part time in many cases. To respond to this trend, Labour has invested heavily in subsidies for childcare. They have also increased from fourteen weeks to nine months. This is expected to further increase to twelve months by 2010. They have also introduced the right to request flexible working patterns for young children's parents and caretakers of adult dependants. In addition, they have doubled maternity pay. During the initiation of these changes, Labour had a difficult task guarding against becoming a "nanny" state and responding to claims that it was undermining family privacy. The critics particularly did not like Labour to instigate parenthood programmes. Labour has shifted from the false position of the 1980s and early 1990s that parents are the most knowledgeable. It continues to insist on the importance of parental choice in respect to family practices. In particular, the way parents choose to combine care work and employment. However, these family members' interests often conflict. For instance, by men choosing not to do care work, it affects the women's choice to work. This issue of choice more often than not only masks inequality and power in family issues whenever it is applied in family policy. It has been argued that not enough has been done to encourage men to do care work. Giving fathers a "daddy leave" would really help achieve this (NAO,