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PROFILE

Bruce Hoffman Guest

Bruce Hoffman

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Georgetown University

Professor of Security Studies at Georgetown University and Director of its Security Studies Program, he's been appointed by Congress to an independent commission to review the FBI's Post-9/11 Response to Terrorism and Radicalization; author of Anonymous Soldiers: The struggle for Israel 1917-1947, The Evolution of the Global Terrorist Threat: From 9/11 to Osama bin Laden's Death and Inside Terrorism; former senior fellow at West Point's Combating Terrorism Center; former terrorism expert with RAND Corporation and founding director of the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland

FROM Bruce Hoffman

The Orlando Nightclub Massacre: America's Deadliest Mass Shooting

The Orlando Nightclub Massacre: America's Deadliest Mass Shooting Forty-nine people are dead, along with the shooter, and an additional five are in grave condition, as the White House, the FBI and all Americans try to understand Sunday's events in Orlando.

52 MIN, 43 SEC Jun 13, 2016

After Paris: Seeking a Strategy

After Paris: Seeking a Strategy Almost 200 raids without search warrants have been conducted amid reports that there were advance warnings of Friday’s attacks — and more are predicted. There’s new urgency to the debate about the fight against ISIS. President François Hollande says, "France is at War." Airstrikes have increased, and there are calls for "boots on the ground" — as well as warnings that military escalation by western countries is just what ISIS is hoping for.

34 MIN, 12 SEC Nov 16, 2015

Will Terrorism in France Mean Unity or Division?

Will Terrorism in France Mean Unity or Division? Massive turnouts in Paris and other cities yesterday were a demonstration of national outrage against terrorism and anti-Semitism. In Paris, the leaders of 40 countries marched in solidarity against terrorism. Now, as the search continues for possible accomplices in last week's deadly attacks, some 10,000 new security forces are being deployed around the country – almost 5000 will be assigned to guard Jewish schools and synagogues. Already, many Jews have been leaving France. There's also concern about an anti-Muslim backlash, based on fear that more young Muslims from impoverished suburbs will be radicalized. Will last week's violence fuel far-right political parties all over Europe or lead to cultural dialogue?

33 MIN, 20 SEC Jan 12, 2015

Twelve Years after 9-11, How Big a Threat Is al Qaeda?

Twelve Years after 9-11, How Big a Threat Is al Qaeda? Should we be afraid of al Qaeda? Officials in Yemen say they thwarted a plan by al Qaeda to seize a major port and kidnap or kill workers there. It's not clear how real that threat was. But the news came days after the US and Britain closed embassies across the Middle East and North Africa, fearing a terrorist attack. Meanwhile, hundreds of prisoners, including al Qaeda operatives, have escaped from prisons in Iraq, Libya and Pakistan. How have power vacuums in places like Iraq, Syria and Yemen created openings for al Qaeda to grow? Two years after the killing of Osama Bin Laden, how powerful is al Qaeda?

33 MIN, 24 SEC Aug 08, 2013

America Deals with an Act of Terror

America Deals with an Act of Terror Speaking of the two bombs that killed three and wounded dozens at yesterday's Boston Marathon, President Obama today announced , "Given what we now know about what took place, the FBI is investigating it as an act of terrorism." The crime scene is 12 blocks long in the heart of a city still in a state of shock. There have been no arrests and no one has claimed responsibility. Praising "exhausted runners who kept running to the nearest hospital to give blood, and those who stayed to tend to the wounded," and medical staffs and students at several local hospitals, he called on all Americans to be on the alert. We talk to Bostonians and update the investigation. What can be learned from the history of terrorism in the United States?

34 MIN, 54 SEC Apr 16, 2013

Terrorism, Civil Rights and the No-Fly List

Which Way, L.A.?

Terrorism, Civil Rights and the No-Fly List Underwear bombs are just one example of why the FBI has maintained the No-Fly List in instituted in 2003. But it includes some 500 American citizens who can't find out why they're on the list or how to get off it. On this archived edition of To the Point, first broadcast on May 15, we talk about that with a former Marine. Like 14 others who've gone to court, he says he has no terrorist ties and that the FBI won't present him with evidence or tell him how to appeal. Is airborne terrorism so dangerous that it justifies suspension of Constitutional rights?

31 MIN, 58 SEC Jul 04, 2012

Terrorism, Civil Rights and the No-Fly List

Terrorism, Civil Rights and the No-Fly List Underwear bombs are just one example of why the FBI has maintained the No-Fly List in instituted in 2003. But it includes some 500 American citizens who can't find out why they're on the list or how to get off it. On this archived edition of To the Point, first broadcast on May 15, we talk about that with a former Marine. Like 14 others who've gone to court, he says he has no terrorist ties and that the FBI won't present him with evidence or tell him how to appeal. Is airborne terrorism so dangerous that it justifies suspension of Constitutional rights?

31 MIN, 58 SEC Jul 04, 2012

Terrorism, Civil Rights and the No-Fly List

Terrorism, Civil Rights and the No-Fly List The latest version of al Qaeda's underwear bomb has revealed technology that could defeat airport scanners maintained by the TSA and re-focused attention on the No-Fly List, kept by the FBI since 2003. It includes some 500 American citizens who can't find out why they're on the list or how to get off it. We talk to a former Marine who, like 14 others who've gone to court, says he has no terrorist ties and that the FBI won't confront him with evidence or tell him how to appeal. Is airborne terrorism so dangerous that it justifies suspension of Constitutional rights?

37 MIN, 13 SEC May 15, 2012

September 11, Nine Years Later

September 11, Nine Years Later The 9-11 Commission led by Lee Hamilton and Tom Kean established the National Security Preparedness Group to follow its work with periodic assessments of terrorist threats to the United States. Its latest report , released today, says terrorism is more complex than it was nine years ago and that some US citizens are more dangerous than al Qaeda. In the meantime, the US has built dozens of new intelligence bureaucracies, with thousands of employees, costing more than $75 billion a year. Even some intelligence experts say over-reaction is leading to massive waste and duplication of effort. Is it worth the cost to make America safer? Is it counterproductive? Does it exaggerate dangers, create unnecessary fears and perpetuate an overly powerful national security state?

38 MIN, 23 SEC Sep 10, 2010

Suspect Arrested in Attempted Times Square Bombing

Suspect Arrested in Attempted Times Square Bombing Just before midnight at New York's Kennedy Airport, the FBI arrested a suspect in Saturday's failed bombing attempt in Times Square. Attorney General Eric Holder says there is no question that Pakistani-American Faisal Shahzad was involved in a " terrorist plot ." We get an update from Tina Susman, of the Los Angeles Times , and Bruce Hoffman, Professor of Security Studies at Georgetown University.

13 MIN, 38 SEC May 04, 2010

Secretary Napolitano Concedes Air Travel Security Did Not Work

Secretary Napolitano Concedes Air Travel Security Did Not Work The Obama Administration now admits that air travel security failed on Christmas Day. It's beefing up measures at airports and in the air. At the same time it’s going all out to determine how a bomb was smuggled onto an airplane where it took action by passengers to stop it from being ignited. Could existing technology have provided better security? Has it been held off by concerns about cost, privacy and profiling?

Dec 28, 2009

A Trial for Terrorists in New York City

A Trial for Terrorists in New York City Attorney General Eric Holder announced today that the self-described mastermind of 9/11 will be tried in federal court just blocks from where the World Trade Towers once stood in New York City. Holder said he'll seek the death penalty for Kalid Saikh Mohammed and four other men. The decision raises questions about security, the rights of defendants who say they were tortured and what might happen if they're acquitted. Why are they getting a civil trial while a suspect in the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole will face a military tribunal?

43 MIN, 31 SEC Nov 13, 2009

Could the Fort Hood Shootings Have Been Prevented?

Which Way, L.A.?

Could the Fort Hood Shootings Have Been Prevented? President Obama attended services at Fort Hood today for the 13 victims of last week's shootings. The alleged killer, Major Nidal Hasan, is recovering from his own wounds and has yet to be charged. In the meantime, it's reported that the FBI and Army intelligence investigated contacts between Hasan and a militant Islamist cleric who is calling Hasan "a hero."

27 MIN, 54 SEC Nov 10, 2009

Could the Fort Hood Shootings Have Been Prevented?

Could the Fort Hood Shootings Have Been Prevented? President Obama attended services at Fort Hood today for the 13 victims of last week's shootings. Major Nidal Hasan is recovering from his own wounds and has yet to be charged. In the meantime, it's reported that the FBI and Army intelligence investigated contacts between the alleged shooter and a militant Islamist cleric who is calling him "a hero." Why did the FBI and the Army decide not to pursue his contacts the cleric? Did they know that Hasan warned fellow officers that Muslim soldiers could be dangerous because of conflicts about fighting in Muslim countries? Is al Qaeda telling Muslim soldiers to commit violence? Do they face discrimination, especially where Christian fundamentalism is widespread?

39 MIN, 49 SEC Nov 10, 2009

Islamist Terrorism: Eight Years Later

Islamist Terrorism: Eight Years Later Almost eight years to the day since September 11, three British Muslims were convicted this week of plotting to bomb seven airliners in flight over the Atlantic Ocean, an act that could have killed more people more dramatically than the events of 9/11. After the most expensive counterterrorism investigation in British history, the case indicates that Islamic extremists may now be a greater threat to the United Kingdom than they are to the United States. It raises other issues as well. Did US authorities jeopardize the investigation by blowing the whistle too soon? What’s the state of international cooperation on counterterrorism? And why are so many young British Muslims becoming radicalized? Is it a function of British society? What about the US war in Afghanistan?

37 MIN, 18 SEC Sep 11, 2009

Jihad: from Somalia to Minnesota

Which Way, L.A.?

Jihad: from Somalia to Minnesota Two naturalized American citizens of Somali descent have been indicted in Minnesota. The charges include providing support for terrorists and conspiracy to “kill, kidnap, maim or injure” people in foreign countries. Federal authorities say they're just part of a major investigation which became public on Monday of this week.

26 MIN, 42 SEC Jul 15, 2009

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28 MIN, 31 SEC Jun 02, 2017

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Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?

51 MIN, 18 SEC Jun 05, 2017