A Review of Intelligence for an Age of Terror (Treverton, 2009). The WritePass Journal

A Review of Intelligence for an Age of Terror (Treverton, 2009). Introduction A Review of Intelligence for an Age of Terror (Treverton, 2009). IntroductionConclusionsReferenceRelated Introduction This book by Treverton (2009) is argued here to be a vitally important area of work that looks specifically at the way in which the use of intelligence has naturally had to change as a result of modern society. Interestingly, although there is a clear aim not to apportion blame specifically for the recent atrocities, the author indicates that he feels there is a link between the United States and their flawed approach to intelligence and the high profile terror attacks that have taken place in the US. Significantly, the author is very careful not to apportion blame or finger point and maintains a balanced and critical approach when trying to establish a link and to look at the role of intelligence. Main Arguments Presented In this book, the author actually goes on to break down the failures, in order to try to identify the impact that the specific shortcomings are having on the magnitude and nature of the target of the threats. He recognises in this analysis that, in many cases, the intelligence approaches are enshrined in the Cold War security approaches of looking at the organisation and the tactical decisions of the intelligence offerings, rather than focusing on the actual threats that are being faced in the current climate (Riley et al 2005). One of the main aspects of the book which provides added value to the information that is being presented is that, although the author spends time identifying the failings, he also spends some considerable time looking at the way in which the changes he suggests could be implemented, in practice. As a professional with experience in the field, this shows and adds considerable value to what would otherwise be a potentially academic discussion. In order to achieve this, the author takes a very pragmatic view, with the initial stage being to look at the nature of the risks that are looking at being targeted from intelligence operations. He states that recognising the threats is the first step towards then being able to recognise the way these should be handled. It is this pragmatic approach which looks at both the practical reality and the academic study that makes this book so informative in the area of intelligence being used in the terror context. The author follows themes and after identifying them he then goes on to look at how intelligence should be reformed to deal with the modern challenges. In order to identify the best way to deal with intelligence and to look at the reform of intelligence culture, there is a need first to consider the actual route of the threat and where it emanates from. One underlying argument and theme which is presented by the author here and which adds particular value to the discussion, in the opinion of the reviewer, is to look at the role of the nation state as being at the root of the changing dynamic. For example, during the Cold War, the focus of terror attacks was typically nation states and as such the intelligence gathering focussed on these entities. As time has passed, the nation states have become much more than simply target areas. Nation states can often offer a great deal of information that adds to the knowledge and understanding of the general issues of intelligence. Increasingly however in the modern context, the non-state actors play a vitally important role and it is argued by the author here that much of the role of the modern intelligence officer is to look at understanding the distinctions and various nuances that exist within these non-state actors, in such a way that their own motivation and actions can be better understood (p.141) Linked to this thread of discussion and again a vitally important aspect of the role of intelligence is that there are considerably more individuals, groups and entities that are involved in the area of intelligence gathering to prevent terrorism. With this increased number of people involved, the author places a great deal of focus on the idea that, whilst agencies may well have the technology to share information, they do not necessarily have the appropriate policies in place and therefore the underlying policies need to be reviewed, if modern challenges are going to be dealt with. As an overall position, the author maintains that there needs to be a reasonable means of supplying information across all relevant actors and to ensure that the information which is being presented is relevant and measured, so that the correct people can react quickly and appropriately. By focusing on some of the practical difficulties faced in the current climate, it is argued here that the author gains a much higher degree of legitimacy than other academic analyses in this area may achieve; in particular, the author recognises that it is necessary to take a balance between the need to improve security, but also to provide privacy and security for individuals’ information (Snowden, 2002). He notes that paying attention to legality and legitimacy is in fact increasingly important to the anti-terror efforts and that there then needs to be a total review of the policies associated with anti-terror activities as the main way of managing and combating such issues. He supports this by suggesting that factors such as encouraging intelligence authorities to create a method whereby they can share information with other entities in a constructive and balanced manner is as important, if not more so, than the actual intelligence itself. Conclusions On balance, it is argued that this book presents an interesting and well informed opinion on the modern challenges facing the intelligence industry. By being an author who has practical experience in this area, it is suggested that this allows the text to gain legitimacy and also to take a more rounded view of the challenges being faced. Finally, providing practical and well backed up suggestions for the future means that this text presents real value to the area of intelligence and counter terrorist activities. It is concluded, therefore, that this is a well-balanced and informative text that fills a gap within the current understanding of the intelligence industry. Reference Riley et al., (2005) State and Local Intelligence in the War on Terrorism, Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation Snowden, D (2002) Complex Acts of Knowing: Paradox and Descriptive Self-Awareness, Journal of Knowledge Management, Special Issue, September. Treverton, G. (2009). Intelligence for an Age of Terror. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Are You Making This #1 Amateur Writing Mistake

Are You Making This #1 Amateur Writing Mistake Are You Making This #1 Amateur Writing Mistake? Are you looking for the secret sauce that will turn you into a bestselling author? After 21 New York Timesbestsellers, I can tell you there is no shortcut. But writers still often ask meforthat Yodaesque bit ofwisdom â€Å"you’d give me if you could tell me only one thing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  So here it is:Avoid on-the-nose writing. It’s no magic bean but if you geta handle on this amateurwriting pitfall, you willinstantly outpace 99% ofyourcompetition. Though it might sound like something positive, on-the-noseis a term coined by Hollywood scriptwriters forprose that mirrors real life without advancing your story.This is one ofthe most common mistakes I see in otherwise good writing. No one chooses to write this way, but even pros fall into it unaware. It hasnothing to do with one’s ability to put together a sentence, a paragraph, or even a scene.The amateur writer may even have a great idea, know how to build tension, and have an ear for dialogue. On-the-nosewriting reads like this: Paige’s phone chirped, telling her she had a call. She slid her bag off her shoulder, opened it, pulled out her cell, hit the Accept Call button, and put it to her ear. â€Å"This is Paige,† she said. â€Å"Hey, Paige.† She recognized her fiancà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s voice. â€Å"Jim, darling! Hello!† â€Å"Where are you, Babe?† â€Å"Just got to the parking garage.† â€Å"No more problems with the car then?† â€Å"Oh, the guy at the gas station said he thinks it needs a wheel alignment.† â€Å"Good. We still on for tonight?† â€Å"Looking forward to it, Sweetie.† â€Å"Did you hear about Alyson?† â€Å"No, what about her?† â€Å"Cancer.† â€Å"What?† Here’s how that scene should be rendered: Paige’s phone chirped. It was her fiancà ©, Jim, and he told her something about one of their best friends that made her forget where she was. â€Å"Cancer?† she whispered, barely able to speak. â€Å"I didn’t even know Alyson was sick. Did you?† Trust me, not one reader is going to wonder how she knew the caller was Jim. We don’t need to be told that the chirp told her she had a call (duh), that her phone is in her purse, that her purse is over her shoulder, that she has to open it to get her phone, push a button to take the call, put the phone to her ear to hear and to speak, identify herself to the caller, be informed who it is†¦you get the point. If you’ve fallen into on-the-nose writing (and we all have), don’t beat yourself up. It showsyou have the ability to mirror, real life. That’s nice. Now quit it. Leave that to the people who are fine with amateur writing. Separate yourself from the competition by noticing the important stuff. Dig deep. Go past the surface. Mine your emotions, your mind and heart and soul, and remember what it felt like when you got news like that about someone you deeply cared about. Don’t distract with minutia.Give the readers the adventure they signed up for when they chose to read your story.Take the readerwithPaige when she says: â€Å"I need to call her, Jim. I’ve got to cancel my meeting. And I don’t know about tonight†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Now that’s a story I’d keep reading. Wouldn’t you? How will you avoid this amateur writing mistake in your next story? Tell me in the comments section. Ill respond more quickly than you might think.

Wi-Fi Protected Access Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Wi-Fi Protected Access - Research Paper Example WPA is seriously focused among researchers for providing the best solutions in this field. Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) is beneficial for home based users, as well as business users. The formal certification is required in the field of wireless LAN communication so making the security at the highest level that is essential. In the organizations, the use of authorized access is essential for developing a connection between users. The secured connection is maintained by the organizations and authorized access is allowed. The WPA is also equally important in a home and small offices, because sharing of data is always confidential for personal home users and in SME (Small and Medium Enterprise). In a home based and small offices the Wi-Fi connection always asks for secure type of password for authorized access (Wi-Fi Alliance, 2014). The AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) is introduced for making the protection towards hardware. The three different stages of security the novel IEEE 802.11b standard, Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), and the IEEE 802.11i protocol. The Wi-Fi Alliance is established with the sub-part of the standard 802.11i and introduces the Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA). The IEEE 802.11 b composed of stages, the address filtering process of Ethernet MAC (Media Access Control), Service Set Identifiers (SSID), and the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) (Mathews and Hunt, 2007) There are solutions available that can secure the wireless LAN. Virtual Private Network (VPN) is one of the solution that is applied. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) provides a secure connection by having the services of Frame Relay, Virtual Circuits (VC) and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM). The IP/Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)-based VPNs are latest technology in Virtual Private Network (VPN). Different types of protocols are used for making enable the protection in VPN. Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is another solution for having secure and reliable