Terrorism is defined as the illegal use of purposeful violence to attain political goals in its widest meaning. The phrase is generally used in this sense to refer to aggression against non-combatants, mostly civilians and neutral military members, throughout peacetime or in the face of war. It is believed that, specifically, Islamic terrorism appeared after introducing troops by world superpowers into the Muslim countries (McCann, 2021).
September 11 became known as 9/11 in commemoration of the worst aviation disaster on American soil that was precisely planned and executed by Al-Qaeda. Following the deadliest terror assault on the United States territory, enhanced and sometimes tense security procedures were implemented in airports around the globe to prevent a repetition of that terrible day (Koeing, 2021). To avoid such events, security systems need to be improved by the management both in the field of technological equipment and in the training of professionals.
Acts of terrorism pose a social and moral threat and a risk to the activities of the entire state. The victims of extremists are defenseless people who should be killed according to the invaders’ plans. Even in such situations, there are heroic individuals found who are ready to sacrifice their lives for the sake of saving the community (Avery, 2021). Despite the presence of severe consequences for society, the problem of undermining financial stability in the country will also be relevant. The United States economy and the industry collapsed as a result of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the Afghan conflict (2001) (Tahir et al., 2020).
Bardwell and Iqbal (2020) inform that people took alternative routes to travel for fear of such an incidence occurring to them on a flight, which resulted in losses for companies. According to studies, anti-Islamic violent attacks in America increased in the days following 9/11, and the Islamic Center considered necessary government protection after receiving death threats in the aftereffects of the terrorist attack (Bonilla, 2020). Consequently, many serious consequences of massacres have led to strong opposition and resentment in society.
Concerning possible terrorist attacks and potential mass violence, methods of intimidation and threats can be different. According to 9/11 events, the airlines were hijacked by Islamic extremists using knives, assorted tools, and the danger of blowing up hypothetical bombs (Rusick 2020a). In addition, the human factor and the offender’s personality play a significant role, as well as the probability that the suspect is a repeat offender with a similar experience of crimes. For instance, terrorist repeat offender bin Laden, before 9/11, tested his skills by orchestrating bomb attacks on the United States Embassies in Tanzania and Kenya (Rusick, 2020b). The elimination of potential extremism threats requires the study of all possible scenarios for the development of events.
Massacres and embezzlement have become the reason for tightening security policies, including the rules for inspecting cargo and passengers. Before the onset of the first acts of terrorism, passengers were not seen as security risks, and the process of flying was a pleasant event (Kujawinski, 2021). The global reasons for mass killings continue to include the slow response to risks and the bad reaction to what happened. Maranville (2021) reports that the first plane descended from the skies of New York and began trotting towards the city center, an odd sight that before 9/11 was no cause for immediate alarm.
Krauzova and Matejka (2018) state that after 9/11, all the American security agencies were alert for terrorism, but they focused on active terrorism, involving arsenal gathering and encrypted communication over telecommunication equipment. However, there is also the problem of a near miss, where, it seems, even if all conditions are met, security personnel miss a potential threat (Poulin & Silver, 2019). Passenger and cargo screening is considered the measure that is applied for eliminating possible risks and detecting dangerous devices and weapons.
As a director of security, I will focus on improving the technical support for checking baggage and passengers and working with personnel and training officers. In combating terrorism and crime, the main thing is not the fight against the consequences but the early prevention and verification. (Corella & Swann, 2021). The correctness of passenger traffic projections is crucial for the effective operation of security checkpoints, where unexpected increases in passenger volume are dealt with ahead of time (Hanumantha et al., 2020).
As for the human factor, it is necessary to select exceptionally prepared physically, psychologically, and mentally people who have good intuition and reaction. Before 9/11, private contractors, mainly employed by airlines, were in charge of airport security, and there were minimal regulatory rules (Schaper, 2021). Personnel training should also be implemented at the state level through early work with youth. United Nations organize seminars that give a chance to debate strategies to enhance resilience against extremism, with an emphasis on youth engagement (United Nations, 2019). In addition to technology, the security director should focus on who and how they use the equipment.
To summarize, terrorism is the illegal use of purposeful violence to attain political goals in its broader sense. To prevent mass killings, special rules and security systems are being developed, which include cargo and passenger screening. The director of security should focus on the constant upgrade of his current technological equipment and professional personnel recruitment and training since machines are useless without a competent management methodology.
References
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Bonilla, L. (2020). 19 years on, does a post-9/11 generation remember the attacks?VOA. Web.
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Koeing, D. (2021). How 9/11 changed air travel: More security, less privacy. AP News. Web.
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Kujawinski, P. (2021). Air travel after 9/11: Just get through it. New York Times. Web.
Maranville, A. (2021). The 9/11 terrorist attacks: A day that changed America. North Mankato, MN: Capstone Press.
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Rusick, J. (2020a). Ground zero: Then and now. North Mankato, MN: ABDO.
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Schaper, D. (2021). It was shoes on, no boarding pass or ID. But airport security forever changed on 9/11. NPR. Web.
Tahir, S. H., Tahir, F., Syed, N., Ahmad, G., & Ullah, M. (2020). Stock market response to terrorist attacks: An event study approach. The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business, 7(9), 31-37. Web.
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