Posts By: Jacob Charles

Beyond the Boston bombing

Anthony Tucker-Jones surveys the latest terrorist plots that have blighted North America and says it’s business as usual for the jihadists   Without warning, the double blast caught the spectators and runners on the streets of Boston completely by surprise. The terrible shrapnel-riddled shock wave scythed outward, not upward, and one of the fatalities was… Read more »

Integrate to accumulate

By integrating their security systems using the latest technology, organisations can both improve their efficiency and save money. Stephen Horner reports   Today, there is an ever-increasing requirement for sections of the critical national infrastructure to integrate security and other third party sub-systems in order to create a more cohesive solution with a high level… Read more »

Satcoms to the future

In the aftermath of a terrorist attack, good communications are vital. Ali Zarkesh discusses the importance of satellite communications technology to an all-encompassing homeland security effort   While the roots of terrorism are hotly disputed by scholars, there is no doubt that the threat of terrorism is a constant underlying issue that faces all governments… Read more »

The nuclear question

Roman Vassilenko, deputy director of the Nazarbayev Center in Kazakhstan, reports from an international forum and conference in Oslo addressing the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons   Nuclear weapons are the biggest threat to mankind. That’s my view – and one that’s shared by many. A total of eight countries (five recognised nuclear weapon states… Read more »

To fortify or not to fortify?

By protecting buildings from outside blasts, could we be increasing the risk of damage caused by an explosion on the inside? John Simpson reports   They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and this picture of the US Embassy bombing in Turkey is a pertinent example of an interesting question facing those responsible… Read more »

The British connection

As three Birmingham-based British Muslims face prison sentences after being convicted of terror charges, Anthony Tucker-Jones charts the continuing threat posed by Britain’s home-grown jihadists   While Islamic radicals are not the only terrorism risk faced by the UK, individuals inspired by al-Qaeda represent the greatest and most unpredictable of threats. Few people realise that… Read more »

The price of success

Ten years on from the start of the Iraq war, John Chisholm examines its legacy and asks what the future holds for a country still struggling to piece itself back together   The tenth anniversary of the start of the Iraq war has provoked a lot of soul searching. This was a conflict that not… Read more »

The upper hand

High-sensitivity handheld metal detectors are being used in an increasingly diverse range of environments, from airports to prisons and hospitals. Robert Adams reports on the latest technology   The handheld metal detector – also known as the “hand wand”, “transfrisker” or “HHMD”, among other names – is probably one of the most instantly recognisable security… Read more »

Protecting the CNI

Following the conviction of four would-be bombers in Birmingham, Peter Clarke tells Robert de la Poer that the UK must not grow complacent in protecting its critical national infrastructure     RP: What do you think are the major threats to the UK’s critical national infrastructure (CNI)? Do you think those threats are as great… Read more »

Thailand’s shadow war

Anthony Tucker-Jones reports that Thailand’s people and lucrative tourist industry are once again at risk from southern separatists   Despite being known as “the land of smiles”, Thailand has had more than its fair share of upheaval in recent years with political, sectarian and ethnic strife. Bangkok is nearly always the focus of attention when… Read more »