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National security

This tag is associated with 21 posts

Body scanners raise questions

By The World ⋅ March 1, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment ⋅ Transcript

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Airports across the US this week are beginning to install a controversial new body scanning device to keep passengers safe. But some question whether the devices are the answer for a host of reasons, from privacy to efficacy. Ronen Attai is the general manager of the Israeli Security Academy just outside Tel Aviv.

Radicalized at a British university?

By The World ⋅ February 3, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment ⋅ Transcript

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The alleged attempt to blow up a US airliner on Christmas Day sent a shock through the security system. Prosecutors say Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab (pictured) tried to detonate a bomb sewn into his underwear. Abdulmutallab’s former London university is now launching a review into whether he became radicalized there. The World’s religion editor Jane Little reports. Download MP3

The state of national security

By The World ⋅ January 27, 2010 ⋅ One comment ⋅ Transcript

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President Barack Obama will deliver his first State of the Union address tonight before Congress. The economy and healthcare reform are sure to be high on the President’s agenda. But he will also likely focus on counter terrorism measures. The World’s Jason Margolis tells us what the President might say, and what some counter terrorism experts say he should say. Download MP3

“We are at war”

By The World ⋅ January 8, 2010 ⋅ One comment ⋅ Transcript

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In his report about the attempted Christmas Day airliner bombing, President Obama said “we are at war against al Qaeda.” The unclassified summary stated that US intelligence officials had received unspecified “discrete pieces of intelligence” to identify the alleged bomber as an al-Qaeda operative. The World’s Matthew Bell explores what the President means by being “at war”. Download MP3 (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The President’s report on Flight 253

By The World ⋅ January 7, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment ⋅ Transcript

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President Obama has spoken of the intelligence failures uncovered by the White House inquiry into the attempted Christmas Day airliner bombing. He said the government had the relevant information – scattered around the system, as he put it – to possibly prevent the attack, but failure to follow up on the information, coupled with a failure of analysis, had left the US exposed. Anchor Jeb Sharp talks with The World’s Matthew Bell about the President’s speech. Download MP3

BBC coverage
Declassified report
FAQ Jet bomber case
Best of BBC: “I boarded a plane with an aerosol can”

Entire program – January 6, 2010

By The World ⋅ January 6, 2010 ⋅ 2 comments ⋅ Transcript

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Today on The World: The debate over how to fix the way US intelligence agencies process the information they collect; also, why one region in Spain – Catalonia – is considering a ban on bullfighting; plus – Chinese violin-makers are turning out top-quality instruments…and making Italian violin-makers nervous!

Failure “to connect the dots”

By The World ⋅ January 6, 2010 ⋅ One comment ⋅ Transcript

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Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair has promised action after sharp criticism from President Barack Obama over the failed attempt to blow up flight 253 on Christmas Day. The intelligence community had failed to “connect the dots”, Mr Obama said in a statement, adding: “That’s not acceptable, and I will not tolerate it.” Matthew Bell looks at the fallout after the President’s remarks. Download MP3

BBC coverage
FAQ Jet bomber case
Best of BBC: “I boarded a plane with an aerosol can”

New travel rules questioned

By The World ⋅ January 6, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment ⋅ Transcript

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New security screening procedures ordered by President Obama focus on passengers travelling from high-risk countries. Many countries on the US list are predominantly Muslim. University of Michigan professor Juan Cole tells anchor Marco Werman why he doesn’t think that’s such a good idea.

Yemen, the new terrorism front

By The World ⋅ January 6, 2010 ⋅ One comment ⋅ Transcript

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Yemen has become a hotbed of radical Islamic militant activity. Many of Osama bin Laden’s former associates now live there. Anchor Marco Werman finds out more from Sudarsan Raghavan, Baghdad Bureau Chief for the Washington Post, who’s in Yemen and met bin Laden’s former personal bodyguard.

Sudarsan Raghavan’s article in the Washington Post

The Jordanian connection

By The World ⋅ January 5, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment ⋅ Transcript

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The suicide bomber who killed seven CIA agents in Afghanistan was an al-Qaeda double agent, media reports say. He is said to have been a doctor from Jordan, arrested there a year ago. He was then reportedly recruited by the Jordanians and CIA, who wrongly thought they had turned him, and given a mission to find al-Qaeda leaders. Marco Werman talks with the BBC’s Saad Hattar in Amman about Jordan’s role. Download MP3

BBC coverage
Central Intelligence Agency
Background Brief: Taliban insurgency

Overweight Americans and national security

By The World ⋅ November 5, 2009 ⋅ 3 comments ⋅ Transcript

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A study released today in Washington warns that young Americans are increasingly unfit to serve in the military. The primary reason is they’re overweight. The World’s Katy Clark reports.

Pakistan’s reluctant war on terrorism

By Matthew Bell ⋅ October 12, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment ⋅ Transcript

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South Asia expert Christine Fair on Pakistan’s “partial war against terrorism.” Insurgent groups in Pakistan with ties to Al Qaeda and the Taliban are a threat to the government of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and a huge problem for Washington.Download MP3

Afghan indicted in bomb plot

By The World ⋅ September 24, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment ⋅ Transcript

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An Afghan immigrant has been indicted by a grand jury in New York for alleged plotting to carry out bomb attacks on the United States. Najibullah Zazi, a airport shuttle driver, was detained last Saturday along with his father and another man. All three have maintained their innocence. Bruce Finley of the Denver Post is covering the story. Download MP3

British bomb plotters linked to al-Qaeda

By The World ⋅ September 8, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment ⋅ Transcript

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rashidrauf150

This week’s conviction of three British men for plotting to blow up transatlantic airliners has shed new light on the links between British militants and Al Qaeda. UK intelligence officers believe the 2006 plot was directed by al-Qaeda figures in Pakistan, including another British man, Rashid Rauf (pictured, AP photo). The World’s Laura Lynch looked at Rauf’s role in the plot and how the verdict. Download MP3

BBC coverage
Liquid bomb plot: What happened

Tough Choices for US in Afghanistan

By Matthew Bell ⋅ September 4, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment ⋅ Transcript

President Obama faces tough choices in Afghanistan. Things are not going well for the US-led mission there. There’s either a long, hard an expensive slog ahead. Or a pull-back that comes with its own risks.

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