Ben Varlese | American Military University (original) (raw)
Security Specialist and Global Security Doctoral Student. Research interests include violent extremism, organized crime, WMD/CBRN terrorism, and unconventional/irregular warfare.
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Papers by Ben Varlese
The following paper is a theoretical application theory research project intended to provide deci... more The following paper is a theoretical application theory research project intended to provide decision-makers guidance on how to address the psychological and psychosocial impact of a CBRN event. The research project will deliver conclusions and recommendations based on critical analysis and after-action reviews of past CBRN incidents like the Aum Shinrikyo Tokyo subway Sarin gas attack, the 2001 Amerithrax case, and the Rajneeshees’ Salmonella poisonings, as well as the current COVID-19 pandemic. The theory application paper will focus predominately on the deliberate release of CBRN agents due to the increasing likelihood of this method of attack by hostile actors. Still, it will be equally applicable to unintentional release due to accident, negligence, ignorance, and/or incompetence. In addition, the paper will allow for decision-makers to review and revise existing strategies to better address the Emotion and Motivation, Group Processes, and Intergroup Conflict psychosocial and psychological elements of a CBRN event in emergency management planning and the risk management framework.
Narco-terrorism is a term used to denote the convergence between drug trafficking and insurgencie... more Narco-terrorism is a term used to denote the convergence between drug trafficking and insurgencies and stemmed from the increasingly violent methods used by the Medellin Cartel and Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC; Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia). The following project is a threat assessment and policy analysis of modern narco-terrorism's global security issues and the increasing crime-terror nexus. First, the threat assessment will focus on Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations and the Taliban in Afghanistan and their respective comparison to the previously mentioned non-state actors. Second, it will address the cartels' use of terror tactics to protect their drug trade, and the latter showing the utilization of the drug trade to fund an ongoing insurgency. Finally, the policy analysis will review past and current policies and provide recommendations based on previous successes and failures, again using Colombia as a case example.
Master's Thesis, 2019
The research project is an evaluative analysis of the increasing collaboration between transnatio... more The research project is an evaluative analysis of the increasing collaboration between transnational organized crime (TOC) and foreign terrorist organization (FTOs) and its impact on US national security and homeland defense. The study depicts trending associations between TOC and FTOs, contemporary combating TOC and counterterrorism strategies, and provides recommendations to mitigate the increased threat the rising crime-terror nexus poses to the US and its interests. The qualitative comparative analysis of previous articles and government publications demonstrates the crime-terror nexus is a rapidly growing trend and can be deemed a clear threat to US national security and homeland defense. Finally, the project establishes the crime-terror nexus as the potential “Fifth Wave” of Modern Terrorism with the increased indistinction between TOC and FTOs analysis of case studies examining groups such as Los Zetas, Hezbollah, and the Taliban. The study concludes that the crime-terror nexus between TOC and FTOs presents a significant threat to US national security and homeland defense and will require current CTOC and CT strategies to adapt to overcome the growing trend.
The following paper is a theoretical application theory research project intended to provide deci... more The following paper is a theoretical application theory research project intended to provide decision-makers guidance on how to address the psychological and psychosocial impact of a CBRN event. The research project will deliver conclusions and recommendations based on critical analysis and after-action reviews of past CBRN incidents like the Aum Shinrikyo Tokyo subway Sarin gas attack, the 2001 Amerithrax case, and the Rajneeshees’ Salmonella poisonings, as well as the current COVID-19 pandemic. The theory application paper will focus predominately on the deliberate release of CBRN agents due to the increasing likelihood of this method of attack by hostile actors. Still, it will be equally applicable to unintentional release due to accident, negligence, ignorance, and/or incompetence. In addition, the paper will allow for decision-makers to review and revise existing strategies to better address the Emotion and Motivation, Group Processes, and Intergroup Conflict psychosocial and psychological elements of a CBRN event in emergency management planning and the risk management framework.
Narco-terrorism is a term used to denote the convergence between drug trafficking and insurgencie... more Narco-terrorism is a term used to denote the convergence between drug trafficking and insurgencies and stemmed from the increasingly violent methods used by the Medellin Cartel and Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC; Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia). The following project is a threat assessment and policy analysis of modern narco-terrorism's global security issues and the increasing crime-terror nexus. First, the threat assessment will focus on Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations and the Taliban in Afghanistan and their respective comparison to the previously mentioned non-state actors. Second, it will address the cartels' use of terror tactics to protect their drug trade, and the latter showing the utilization of the drug trade to fund an ongoing insurgency. Finally, the policy analysis will review past and current policies and provide recommendations based on previous successes and failures, again using Colombia as a case example.
Master's Thesis, 2019
The research project is an evaluative analysis of the increasing collaboration between transnatio... more The research project is an evaluative analysis of the increasing collaboration between transnational organized crime (TOC) and foreign terrorist organization (FTOs) and its impact on US national security and homeland defense. The study depicts trending associations between TOC and FTOs, contemporary combating TOC and counterterrorism strategies, and provides recommendations to mitigate the increased threat the rising crime-terror nexus poses to the US and its interests. The qualitative comparative analysis of previous articles and government publications demonstrates the crime-terror nexus is a rapidly growing trend and can be deemed a clear threat to US national security and homeland defense. Finally, the project establishes the crime-terror nexus as the potential “Fifth Wave” of Modern Terrorism with the increased indistinction between TOC and FTOs analysis of case studies examining groups such as Los Zetas, Hezbollah, and the Taliban. The study concludes that the crime-terror nexus between TOC and FTOs presents a significant threat to US national security and homeland defense and will require current CTOC and CT strategies to adapt to overcome the growing trend.