Marshall Center’s PTSS conducts seminars in Afghanistan, Trinidad and Tobago
January 13-17, 2007
PTSS seminar looks at Afghans’ struggle in global context.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany — Afghan security officials leading the nation’s fight against terrorism got a chance to put their struggle in a global context and learn from the experience of others who have fought similar enemies during a Marshall Center seminar held Jan. 13 to 17 in Kabul.
Program in Terrorism and Security Studies Director Nick Pratt pauses as his remarks are translated into Dari during a seminar on terrorism conducted in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Photo by John LeBeau
The seminar, conducted by Program in Terrorism and Security Studies Director Nick Pratt, Deputy Director Lt. Col. Ralf Klewin von Fintel and Professor Dr. John J. LeBeau, examined the nature of terrorism, current trends in terrorism and terrorist tactics. The final discussions focused on the characteristics of the insurgency that has emerged in Afghanistan—religiously inspired, networked and global—and the insurgency’s use of terrorism.
An understanding of the bigger picture is key to effective counter-insurgency efforts, according to LeBeau.
“Based on several historical examples, we suggested to [participants] how insurgencies develop, what the characteristics of insurgences are historically, and that there are a lot of points of commonality,” LeBeau said. “Things that have been seen in El Salvador and in Cuba, with Fidel Castro against the Batista forces, a lot of these characteristics are in Afghanistan. It’s not something brand new. There are lessons that you can take about what insurgency is and what works against it. The key point for us was to suggest to them things that work to make an insurgency fail.”
An understanding of the global context also gives participants perspective on the significance of their efforts, LeBeau said.
“It underlines to them their place in the struggle and is a way for them to see that they are engaged not simply in a local or regional conflict but in something that has a lot of resonance internationally,” LeBeau said.
The opportunity to step back and look at the big picture had the greatest impact on the seminar participants, according to Pratt. “They are looking at a problem right at the end of their nose,” Pratt said.
“They are never able to stand back and say, there are reasons for this, this is why this problem exists, it has structure, it has format, it has shape, there are things you can do about it.”
LeBeau noted that while participants benefited from stepping back from day-to-day tactical concerns, the seminar team benefited from going into the field.
“It’s periodically good for us to get out to critical zones like that, because it refreshes our understanding of the reality on the ground. Although we’re there to instruct, it’s also an opportunity to learn,” LeBeau said.
PTSS provides assist before world sporting event
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany – Caribbean security officials preparing for the world’s third largest sporting event discussed lessons learned by Germany as it prepared for the world’s second largest, during a seminar conducted by the Marshall Center’s Program in Terrorism and Security Studies Dec. 4 to 8 in Trinidad and Tobago.
Military and civilian security officials from eight Caribbean nations hosting the upcoming 2007 Cricket World Cup participated in the week-long seminar, which focused on trends in the development of international terrorism and strategies and methods for combating it.
The seminar team consisted of PTSS Director Nick Pratt, Deputy Director Lt. Col. Ralf Klewin von Fintel and Professor Dr. John Jay LeBeau, and Dr. David Stock from the Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies. The group addressed a number of topics relevant to the participants’ preparation for the international tournament, including definitions of terrorism and counter-terrorism, characteristics of suicide bombers and counter-measures, terrorist networks, and the critical role of intelligence sharing and other cooperative activities in counter-terrorism efforts.
The team noted that participants were particularly interested in a case study of Germany’s handling of security challenges for the 2006 World Cup.
“Klewin von Fintel gave a detailed presentation on the World Cup, how the German government arranged for security at the various stadiums where the games were taking place and how they approached information exchange and planned to prevent a terrorist attack,” LeBeau said. “Using that as a case study had a lot of resonance there.”
The team also provided resources for participants to use in the run-up to the tournament.
“We offered a lot of contacts, such as contacts through the United Nations,” Klewin von Fintel said. “[The U.N.] has a special office which is working on lessons learned on world sports events, [but] this office isn’t very well known. They have a huge amount of databases. We presented to [participants] that this is a good chance to contact this office to get insights and lessons learned.”
