Terrorism Archives - R. Lawson Author

Is There Light at the End of the Hamas Tunnel?

R Lawson — Thu, 23 May 2024 20:01:00 +0000

The light at the end of the tunnel for Hamas is most likely not there. Not when Israel, consumed with rage, retaliated following the Oct 7th barbaric massacre reminiscent of the Holocaust’s unspeakable atrocities. I doubt Israel will take many prisoners. The checkered, black and white Kaffiyeh, head scarf, is the iconic symbol of Palestine. […]

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Who are Hamas?

R Lawson — Thu, 16 May 2024 23:41:14 +0000

It’s common knowledge Hamas is a terrorist group- a brutal, barbaric one- who committed atrocities in Israel on Oct 7th, 2023 in a surprise attack akin to Pearl Harbor. But beyond that, what else do we know about them? What makes them tick? With attribution to articles by Victor David Hanson (Stanford Hoover Institute), Ed […]

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Trying to Understand the Middle East Muddle

R Lawson — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 01:08:42 +0000

This blog attempts to grasp the context of the current Israeli/Hamas conflict by offering a synopsis of the background history of a poorly understood region of the world. The overview renders some basic knowledge of the very complex mixture of vastly different cultures living there in seemingly never-ending tension. Hopefully, some familiarity may promote a […]

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THE TALIBAN – Who are they?

R Lawson — Tue, 12 Oct 2021 17:52:00 +0000

Know thy enemy, know thy self… Sun Tzu- The Art of War. There’s a good argument that we did not fully understand the enemy or ourselves. Or, take Tzu’s advice seriously. History repeated itself in late August, 2021 with the fall of Kabul. Many Americans have a notion that Afghanistan is a nation somewhere in […]

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America’s Longest War Over – Really?

R Lawson — Tue, 28 Sep 2021 21:15:17 +0000

This post was originally written in early September 2021, but I am now just getting a chance to post it. Newspapers’ headlines triumph fully paraded that announcement in large, bold letters last week at the top of the front page. However, our enemy, radical Islamic terrorism, has a vote in that boastful declaration. The war […]

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Kabul 2021 -A Saigon 1975 Redux?

R Lawson — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 21:07:45 +0000

Any surviving Vietnam veteran must be experiencing flashbacks of the hurried rooftop evacuations in Saigon as the North Vietnamese stormed that capitol city in 1975. Having served as USAF flight surgeon flying air evac’s in South Vietnam in the mid ‘60’s, I quickly saw the parallel, the significance of failed policy and strategic planning for […]

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ZACHOR- Coincidence or prescience in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict?

R Lawson — Fri, 14 May 2021 17:38:35 +0000

The recent Hamas’ barrage of rockets attacking Israel from Gaza has ignited a conflict reminiscent of the July/August war that occurred in 2014. That’s actually how that seven-week war started. The rocket attacks ignited a massive Israel Defense Forces (IDF) response resulting in collateral and more deaths. Seven years have passed with sporadic hostile incidents, […]

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What are chances North Korea could pull off a nuclear “Pearl Harbor”?

R Lawson — Wed, 12 Jul 2017 20:36:07 +0000

The answer to that question is foremost these days in the minds of our President, his flag officers and security advisors at all levels. Basically, the threat exists, but can Kim Jong-un’s rocket scientists launch an ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) capable of reaching America’s soil? How far are they along in accomplishing that maniacal goal? […]

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Contemporary Threats

R Lawson — Thu, 18 May 2017 15:42:14 +0000

The common theme of my five published novels is terrorism and counter-terrorism, a timely and disturbing subject in today’s world. The threats I cover take many forms- bioterrorism in Cabo Caper, cyberwarfare in Killing Time, targeted assassinations in Retribution, radical Islamic Jihadists in Existential Threats, and the threat of a North Korean nuclear EMP (Electromagnetic […]

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Hard Choices

R Lawson — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 21:14:17 +0000

The central theme in my five published novels is terrorism. The series features the counterterrorism (CT) efforts of my protagonist, Biff Roberts, a veteran CIA operative now directing Langley’s CT Division. Biff plays hardball meeting the challenges, realizing the world is changing and we face more threats than ever, forcing us to make hard choices […]

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