Social Science Hamas Terrorist Organization Research Essay

Part 1 – Select a domestic or international terrorist organization that threatens the U.S. homeland and complete a profile of that organization. Your topic does not have to be approved by the instructor unless otherwise noted. If you have any questions, please contact your instructor. The group profile should be approximately 50 percent of the final paper and must include a discussion of the group’s ideology, targeting, tactics, capability, and overall goals, analysis of attacks, and any statements or propaganda released by the group. Make sure you have enough information on the group to address all these factors and how it affects the US homeland.

A foreign terrorist group for this project must be on the official list of foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) maintained by the U.S. Department of State. In the case of domestic terrorist groups, there is no sanctioned list from which to choose, but the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has made significant arrests from several groups that would fit the description of a domestic terrorist group. The FBI also names many other groups in congressional testimony. Materials presented in the course as well as recent news and congressional testimony, are good sources of information on how to identify domestic groups for this project.

Part 2 – Approximately 50% of the entire research paper. Use the group profile to conduct an analysis of one or more U.S. homeland security policies studied in the course, to assess the ability of the policy or policies to counter the threat posed by the group profile. This analysis should begin with an introduction and explanation of the policy, followed by an analysis addressing the breadth of the information (from part 1) gathered on that terrorist group. The policy you analyze should be consistent with the group; for example, if you choose a domestic terrorist group, it would be improper to analyze the Secure Border Initiative and its ability to counter a domestic threat, because the members of the group are already within the nation’s borders. If you find the policy deficient, make specific recommendations for policy change to counter the threat. If you deem the policy sufficient to counter the threat, explain the rationale for your conclusion.