Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP)
Final Project Guidelines and Rubric
Overview
A key aspect of criminal justice is mitigating crime and protecting the public. Terrorism is one of the many facets within the realm
of crime and protection that
criminal justice professionals will likely encounter, whether directly or indirectly. Throughout the course, we will explore,
through active discussions, thoughtprovoking assignments, and real-world examples, the motivations and techniques of terrorists and
terrorist groups, as well as proactive measures that the
military, security, and law enforcement community use to combat terrorism around the globe. In order to combat a group or
individual, law enforcement and
security professionals must first examine the history, motivations, and methods of the group or individual, to appropriately tailor
combative efforts.
For your final assessment, you will envision that you are a government operative or high-ranking official who is tasked with
presenting to the U.S. Senate
Judiciary Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security about the high threat risk of a specific terrorist group to the United
States. You will present both
historical and current information about the group’s ideology, funding and recruitment methods, target selection, and attack
strategies. With this information,
you will then provide recommendations to the subcommittee on how to effectively combat the terrorist actions of the specific group.
Prompt
You are a government executive or high-ranking government official and have been tasked with giving a presentation to the U.S.
Senate Judiciary Subcommittee
on Terrorism and Homeland Security about the high threat risk of a specific terrorist group to the United States. The subcommittee
is specifically interested in
learning more about the designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations as determined by the U.S. Department of State‘s Bureau of
Counterterrorism. The
subcommittee would like to be briefed on both historical and current intelligence of the specific terrorist group, including the
group’s evolution and history of
ideology. It would also like to be briefed on specifics of the group, including methods by which the group secures financing and
recruits, and methods by which it
selects and attacks specific targets. Finally, the committee would like to hear about the effectiveness of current legislation
attempting to thwart the group’s
attacks, as well as some recommendations for more effectively combatting the group.
You will provide this information to the subcommittee in the form of a presentation, creating a visual using a platform of your
choice, such as PowerPoint. Also,
because verbal communication is important in inter-agency collaboration, you will narrate your presentation or provide speaker
notes. Finally, be sure to include
sources to support the claims and reporting in your presentation, as the subcommittee will want to ensure the information is backed
by valid intelligence.
Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:
I. Introduction: Provide context for your presentation, introducing the group you will be discussing, and why you are giving the
presentation.
II. Group Background: To provide even more background to the audience, you will explain the history and evolution of the terrorist
group, as well as its
current motivations and trends.A. Describe how the group was created, as well as its growth throughout the years to present day,
providing specific examples. Consider how the
group’s leadership, size, and geographic placement have evolved.
B. Describe the evolution of the group’s ideology from its creation to present day, providing specific examples. How have the
group’s ideals, goals,
and beliefs changed, and why?
C. Describe the group’s current motivations for committing acts of terror, and the evolution of its motivations. How have the
group’s motivations
changed over time, perhaps in relation to religion or politics? Why does the group go to extremes to prove a point or gain
attention?
D. Analyze the group’s history and identify trends based on the group’s motivations, growth, and ideology. Consider any trends
relating to religion,
politics, economy, or culture. How has the group’s history informed these trends and motivations?
III. Methods: Here, you will explain to your audience how the terrorist group has managed to survive, speaking specifically about
funding and recruitment.
A. Describe how the group historically and currently obtains funding, providing specific examples of the evolution. What are its
sources of funding?
B. Describe how the group historically and currently recruits new members, providing specific examples of the evolution. Is there a
specific
population that makes up the recruits?
C. Describe how the group historically and currently spreads its message and gains publicity, providing specific examples of the
evolution. Does it
use social media, publications, demonstrations, etc.?
D. Predict the group’s growth potential through an analysis of funding, recruitment, and publicity tactics. If you predict it will
grow, how may it gain
recruits and money? If you predicted it will shrink, how may it lose recruits and funding? Justify your prediction.
IV. Target Selection and Strategies
A. Describe the group’s historical and current methods of selecting targets and determine patterns present in the targets it
selects. How does the
group select its targets?
B. Describe the group’s historical and current attack strategies and determine patterns present in the targets it selects. What
strategies does the
group use when committing terrorist acts?
V. Legislation
A. Describe historical and current legislation that has been created to curb terrorist threats, and identify specific legislation
that relates to your
specific group.
B. Evaluate the effectiveness of the legislation in place to curb terrorist acts for empowering law enforcement. Has the legislation
provided
leverage to security and law enforcement professionals? Are there specific tools that emerged that have assisted in countering
terrorism?
Provide specific examples in your answer.
C. Evaluate the effectiveness of the legislation in combatting terrorist acts by the specific group. Provide specific examples in
your answer.
VI. Threat
A. Project future actions through an analysis of the group’s historical and current methods of selecting targets and attack
strategies. Based on your
gathered intelligence, what are some likely targets for the terrorist group?
B. Describe how great of an immediate threat the group is to the United States based on your research, supporting claims with
sources.
VII. Recommendations: Make recommendations to the subcommittee on how to better combat the group, based on all the intelligence you
have gathered.
A. Make a recommendation for hindering the disbursement of the group’s message and cutting off the group’s funding and recruitment,
based on
your research. How might you put a stop to funding and recruitment? How will you stop the group’s message?B. Make a recommendation
for improving critical infrastructure of high-value targets that would be of interest to the terrorist group, based on
your research. What types of areas should be protected, and what level of protection should be in place?
Milestones
Milestone One: Topic Selection
In Module Two, you will select a specific terrorist group that poses a high-threat risk to the United States. Review the list of
Foreign Terrorist Organizations on
the U.S. Department of State’s website. Select one of the listed groups to be the topic of your final project and submit the name of
the group to your instructor.
This milestone is graded pass/fail based on completion.
Milestone Two: Annotated Bibliography
In Module Four, you will submit an annotated bibliography that surveys scholarly articles, books, and other sources relevant to your
particular topic, providing a
description, summary, and critical evaluation of each work. Your annotated bibliography should include at least 5–7 scholarly
sources and should be more than
just a summary of the material. Your annotated bibliography should include a critical analysis of the material. This milestone is
graded with the Milestone Two