1st Edition

Terrorist Rehabilitation The U.S. Experience in Iraq

By Ami Angell, Rohan Gunaratna Copyright 2012
    454 Pages 131 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    454 Pages 131 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    Because terrorists are made, not born, it is critically important to world peace that detainees and inmates influenced by violent ideology are deradicalized and rehabilitated back into society. Exploring the challenges in this formidable endeavor, Terrorist Rehabilitation: The U.S. Experience in Iraq demonstrates through the actual experiences of military personnel, defense contractors, and Iraqi nationals that deradicalization and rehabilitation programs can succeed and have the capability to positively impact thousands of would-be terrorists globally if utilized to their full capacity.

    Custodial and community rehabilitation of terrorists and extremists is a new frontier in the fight against terrorism. This forward-thinking volume:

    • Highlights the success of a rehabilitation program curriculum in Iraq
    • Encourages individuals and governments to embrace rehabilitation as the next most logical step in fighting terrorism
    • Examines the recent history of threat groups in Iraq
    • Demonstrates where the U.S. went awry in its war effort, and the steps it took to correct the situation
    • Describes religious, vocational training, education, creative expression, and Tanweer programs introduced to the detainee population
    • Provides insight into future steps based on lessons learned from current rehabilitation programs

    It is essential that we shift the focus from solely detainment and imprisonment to addressing the ideological mindset during prolonged incarceration. It is possible to effect an ideological transformation in detainees that qualifies them to be reclassified as no longer posing a security threat. This volume demonstrates that with the proper program and encouragement, a detainee’s misunderstanding or extremist ideology can be replaced with the principles of moderation, toleration, and coexistence.

    A Recent History of Iraq
    The Extremist Threat
    The Case Against Iraq
    The Context
    Origins and Development of Threat Groups
    The Threat Landscape
    Ansar al-Islam fi Kurdistan (Ansar al-Islam)
    Tanzim Qaedat fi Bilad al-Rafidayn (Al Qaeda in Iraq)
    U.S. Impact on Threat Groups in Iraq

    State of Affairs of Detainment and Detainees
    The Predicament
    U.S. Detainee Operations
    Process in Detainee Operations
    Impact of the Abu Ghraib Abuse
    Reaction to Abu Ghraib

    Setting the Stage for Terrorist Rehabilitation
    Detainees (re)Act
    Inside the Wire
    Major Theatre Internment Facilities (TIFs) in Iraq
    USCENTCOM
    General David H. Petraeus
    Task Force 134
    Detainee Rehabilitation Program Is Put Forth for Consideration
    Lt. Gen. Gardner Acts

    In(To) the Fire
    Major General Douglas M. Stone
    Origination of the TIFRIC Concept
    Initial Challenges
    Rehabilitation Pilot Program
    MNFRC Boards
    Major General David E. Quantock

    Part of the Team
    OSS Contractors
    Pilot Program
    Sustenance
    Lodging
    Medical and Spiritual Services
    Extracurricular Activities
    Work Conditions
    Employed Local Iraqi Nationals
    Sustenance
    Lodging
    Medical and Spiritual Services
    Extracurricular Activities
    Work Conditions
    Task Force 134 Military Staff Liaisons

    Detainee Care and Custody
    Classification Criteria
    Housing Placement
    Caravan
    Compound
    K-Span
    MDHU
    SHU
    Former Baath Party Regime Members Studios
    Sunni and Shiite Division
    Medical Access
    The Motivation Factor

    A Method to the Madness
    Rehabilitation Unmasked
    Iraq’s Rehabilitation Programs
    The Program
    Counterinsurgency Operations
    Information Operations
    Intelligence Gathering
    Visitation

    The Secret Weapon
    Iraqi Ministry of Education (MoE)
    Education Placement
    Training Program for Local Iraqi Civilian Teachers
    Training Program for Detainee Teachers for Intracompound Teaching
    Curriculum
    Intracompound Schools
    Formal Schools
    Computer Training
    Challenges

    Religious Enlightenment
    Growing Pains
    Four-Day Program
    Day One
    Day Two
    Day Three
    Social Worker Component
    Day Four
    Four-Day Graduation

    Teach a Person to Fish
    Vocational Skill Training
    Agriculture
    Barbershop
    Carpentry
    Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning
    Masonry
    Sewing

    Art of War
    Creative Expressions Program (CEP)
    Week One
    Week Two
    Week Three
    Week Four
    Bucca Bears and Cropper Camels
    Arts and Crafts
    Leaping Forward
    Lessons Learned
    The Way Forward

    Widening the Scope
    The Tanweer Concept
    Phase I: Initial Tanweer
    Phase II: Sustained Tanweer
    Phase III: Transition Tanweer
    Tanweer Transformed
    12-Day Tanweer
    10-Day Tanweer

    The Future of Extremist Rehabilitation Programs
    The Context
    The Background
    Human Terrain Is Key
    The Neglected Battlefield
    Modes of Rehabilitation
    Religious Rehabilitation
    Psychological Rehabilitation
    Social and Family Rehabilitation
    Education Rehabilitation
    Vocational Rehabilitation
    Creative Arts Rehabilitation
    Recreation Rehabilitation
    Working Model
    First Fundamental Aspect
    Second Fundamental Aspect
    Third Fundamental Aspect
    Fourth Fundamental Aspect
    Fifth Fundamental Aspect
    Sixth Fundamental Aspect
    Seventh Fundamental Aspect
    Eighth Fundamental Aspect
    Ninth Fundamental Aspect
    Guiding Principles
    The Future
    Toward a Global Regime

    Strategy for an Unconquerable Nation
    Passion
    The Wrap Up
    American Dream
    Leap of Faith
    Persistence
    References
    Appendix A
    Appendix B
    Index

    Biography

    Ami Angell, PhD, LLM, is a research fellow at the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. She has spent a substantial amount of time working in the Middle East, including 44 months in Iraq (2005–2008) and 24 months in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel. She also has worked and lived in Lebanon, Jordan, Qatar, Italy, Switzerland, England and, most recently, Singapore.

    Rohan Gunaratna, PhD, is a specialist of the global threat environment, with expertise in threat groups in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. He is head of Singapore’s International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR), one of the largest specialist counter terrorism research and training centers in the world. He is also a professor of Security Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.