Centennial Model Congress Conference 2016
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs – Combatting Isis Radicalization of American Muslims
The committee of Homeland Security is the U.S. Senate's main supervising subcommittee with extensive jurisdiction over government function in general and the Department of Homeland Security’s function in particular. Its primary duties are to oversee the productivity and efficacy of all agencies and departments of the federal government. At the conference, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security will strive to counteract against the radicalization of Americans by ISIS. In 2011, the United States withdrew from Iraq, and a civil war erupted in adjacent Syria, opening up a dangerous power vacuum in the already unstable region. Thousands of innocent civilians died as fractalized rebel militias, the Syrian Army, and dozens of terrorist organizations grappled for power. Out of the chaos emerged the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a powerful Sunni terrorist organization bent on creating an Islamic caliphate in the region. With unparalleled brutality, ISIS swept out of Syria and down through Northern Iraq, killing tens of thousands and staking its claim to vast swaths of territory. Once a relatively obscure group, ISIS has become a quasi-state governing more than 10,000 square miles of territory with strict Sharia law. Unlike most other terrorist organizations, ISIS has mastered the use of social media as a recruitment tool. Facebook, Twitter, and dozens of encrypted chat sites have become weapons ISIS uses to radicalize Muslims living outside their territory. ISIS’s social media specialists, who tailor their recruitment strategies to each individual target, have met with unprecedented success. Since 2011, more than 30,000 Muslims from around the world travelled to the Middle East to fight for ISIS and ISIS-affiliates. At least 250 of these Muslims have been Americans have been radicalized by ISIS operatives. According to a bipartisan congressional report released in September by the House Homeland Security Committee, US efforts to curb “unprecedented” radicalization have “largely failed.”
The Senate Committee on Homeland Security will work to rectify this failure by drafting and debating new legislation to combat ISIS radicalization.
The Senate Committee on Homeland Security will work to rectify this failure by drafting and debating new legislation to combat ISIS radicalization.
senate_–_homeland_security_background_guide.pdf | |
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Senate Foreign Relations – Counterterrorism in the Middle East
In recent years, the United States of America and its government have been heavily criticized for their controversial countermeasures against what they deem as “terrorism.” While the nation has proposed temporary installments for countering violent extremists (i.e. through drone strikes, numerous raids, and many covert operations), they have only subdued these organizations for the time being. Inevitably, the U.S.’s counterterrorism policies produce more religious extremists and terrorist groups who seek revenge against the U.S. For decades, the sole goal has been to simply destroy any extremists, rather than to promote and develop non-violent measures against them. Terrorist attacks are readily increasing and becoming more prominent throughout the world. Recent formations of organizations, such as the Islamic State, have shown the escalating public brutalities that various terrorist groups are capable of, and now, with the advent of social media, the volume of people they are readily allowed to communicate with. The United States administration looks at the Middle East through the lenses of counter-terrorism. While it is not the only priority for the United States in the Middle East, it ranks as one of the most important. Even when pursuing another foreign affairs goal besides it, terrorism is still invoked in some way. The Iran nuclear deal, for example, controversially set aside Iran’s support for terrorism yet was defended in part as a way to keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of terrorists. These pressing issues of terrorism can no longer be addressed through simply military action, but instead tackled with efficiency and aid directed towards those nations in the Middle East.
The Senate Foreign Relations committee is dedicated to finding ways for the U.S. government to streamline counter-terrorism efforts and to provide alternatives to armed intervention.
The Senate Foreign Relations committee is dedicated to finding ways for the U.S. government to streamline counter-terrorism efforts and to provide alternatives to armed intervention.
senate_–_foreign_relations_background_guide.pdf | |
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