HOW EFFECTIVE HAS GEOINT BEEN IN COUNTERING OPIUM PRODUCTION TO HELP DEFEAT NARCOTERRORISM?

ThomasProposal_Edits xThesisProposalInstructions x

Hello, I have attached the proposal I turned into my Professor with his comments. I have also attached the requirements for the proposal. Introduction- I need a problem statement (Isn′t that the same as the research question?, if not, I need one), position and argument (I don′t think the issue will be resolved in the near future, but don′t know how to put that into words), a research question (In the paper), and a thesis statement with a because clause (I need one). Theoretical Framework- I do not know what theory I can use for my research question. Methodology- I need to have a design or associated method for data collection (But shouldn′t be anything like interviews). I was going with quantitative but I need a specific method. 

HOW EFFECTIVE HAS GEOINT BEEN IN COUNTERING OPIUM PRODUCTION TO HELP DEFEAT NARCOTERRORISM

?

A Master Thesis

Submitted to the Faculty

of

American Public University System

by

In Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirement for the Degree

of

Master of Arts

October

2

020

American Public University System

Charles Town, WV

ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS

HOW EFFECTIVE HAS GEOINT BEEN IN COUNTERING OPIUM PRODUCTION TO HELP DEFEAT NARCOTERRORISM

by

American Public University System, 04 October 4, 2020 Comment by charles russo6: Minor issues, but you have date issues.

Charles Town, West Virginia

Dr. Charles M. Russo, Thesis Professor

Comment by charles russo6: Abstract should be one paragraph and 150-200 words.

Narcoterrorism is a developing worldwide threat to countries’ national security. No place on the planet is immune to the destructive effects of illegal drug use. Remote civilized areas, bustling cities, vicious, school shooter attempts, and gang wars are the direct impression that opium is used, spread, and profited by drug cartels and terrorist organizations. It is necessary to deal with this threat and adopt strategies that can mitigate its impact and actions. This study will explore the extent to which geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) can be used in countering opium production to help defeat narcoterrorism.

Specifically, in Afghanistan, opium has been a large source of revenue for the Taliban. It also targets how GEOINT can be of use in managing the drug epidemic. A qualitative methodology will be used to determine how GEOINT can be used to counter opium production and help defeat narcoterrorism. The qualitative study will focus on the history of opium, how countries like Mexico, China and Afghanistan have capitalized on the production of illegal narcotics and how this has affected the narcoterrorism war. Additionally, this study will quantify the effect GEOINT has had on the cessation of opium, thereby the effect it has had on narcoterrorism. The variables will include GEOINT, opium, illegal narcotics, and narcoterrorism. The limitations of the study will be deducing how to effectively measure GEOINT against the opium trade and how it has affected narcoterrorism. The implication of the study is, the results can be used by the government in implementing other strategies and effectively enhancing GEOINT in tightening the war against opium production, which will lead to end of narco-terrorism.

Introduction

Imagery intelligence, popularly referred to as Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT), is an intelligence collection discipline applying to national security and law enforcement. It has previously been used to detect the course of least opposition for a military force in a nation that is hostile, finding patterns in an area that has reported cases of theft, among many others. This study will determine the extent to which GEOINT can be of use in countering the production of opium and defeating narco-terrorism. GEOINT effectiveness can be measured by looking at how well the service is prepared and the infrastructure and financial support. Operations have previously successfully countered the Taliban and fought to bring this narcoterrorism war to an end. This has led to the formulation of policies and laws to tighten the rule of law to fight opium and other narcoterrorism activities. Therefore, GEOINT should be used in the fight to counter the production of opium and successfully defeat narcoterrorism. GEOINT can also be used to counter the production of opium in an attempt to defeat narcoterrorism. Narcoterrorism is a developing worldwide threat to countries’ national security. No place on the planet is immune to the destructive effects of illegal drug use. Remote civilized areas, bustling cities, vicious, school shooter attempts, and gang wars are the direct impression that opium is used, spread, and profited by drug cartels and terrorist organizations. It is necessary to deal with this threat and adopt strategies that can mitigate its impact and actions. Comment by charles russo6: This is incorrect.
According to Intelligence.gov:
Imagery Intelligence (IMINT) includes representations of objects reproduced electronically or by optical means on film, electronic display devices, or other media. Imagery can be derived from visual photography, radar sensors, infrared sensors, lasers, and electro-optics.
Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) is the analysis and visual representation of security related activities on the earth. It is produced through an integration of imagery, imagery intelligence, and geospatial information. (From www.intelligence.gov)
Comment by charles russo6: Where are your sources? You have claims and statements, which are not supported by any research. Comment by charles russo6: Where are the components of an introduction paragraph? You should have a problem statement, position and argument, a research question, and a thesis statement with a because clause. Comment by charles russo6: Some of your sentences are not clearly written. Comment by charles russo6: Such as? Why is this even being discussed? Comment by charles russo6: Missing your stand alone research question.

Literature Review

Opium was introduced in China by the Arabs and Turkish traders in the late sixth or early seventh centuries. It was orally consumed to reduce pain and relieve tension. Its use in China increased, which saw several emperors illegalizing the use and cultivation. Great Britain and the United States started its cultivation in India. They exported the same to China to balance the unfair trade that was ongoing between those countries, in which China exported many of its goods but rarely imported from them (Sullivan, 2010, 182). This opium addiction in China grew until 1949 when the communist regime completely stopped this business. Ever since, other Asian countries have picked up from there, increasing opium in large production for exportation. This is nowadays used to produce heroin, one of the most addictive and most expensive drugs globally. Lately, Afghanistan has started large-scale cultivation and production of this drug. Plans to curb this trade has been hit by several factors, including corruption and terrorist groups in the country, which benefit from this business in order to fund their terrorist activities. Comment by charles russo6: Watch the dates of your sources.
Review Chicago style guide you do not need a comma between author and year.

Vanda Felbab-Brown (2006) addressed the relationship between illegal drug businesses and belligerent and criminal groups in West Africa, Colombia, Mexico, and Afghanistan before the US Senate planned to fight narcoterrorism and the United States’ long reach enforcement. In the recommendation given, Felbab-Brown (2006) accused the national government’s absence in certain areas in their country, which forces individuals from these areas to seek other means to earn a living. They get into the drug business to sponsor their legal employment, education, healthcare access, and infrastructure (Felbab-Brown, 2006). These loopholes in society allow criminal and belligerent groups to sponsor illicit economies. The groups end up obtaining important political capital and protect the local populace against government forces that might attempt to halt the business. Such activities have allowed drug gangs to dominate in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, penetrating slums, and other poverty-stricken areas.

In 2001, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) extended the PATRIOT ACT to incorporate terrorism and drug trafficking. The DEA has connected the shining path, Hezbollah, Taliban, and a Columbian guerilla force FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia) straightforwardly to the trafficking of narcotics and zeroed in counter-opiate tasks to narco-terrorists (Faguet and Sanin, 2003, 5). The surge of the Taliban ensured opium exchange in Afghanistan expanded the multifaceted nature of lessening the flexibly (Marks, 2010). The US has connected practically every nation on the planet to the trafficking and production of narcotics using perplexing globalization organizations. The unlawful opiate appropriation uses comparative dissemination chains, innovation, equipment, and genuine shipment to drive licit exchange. Modern technology and globalization have spearheaded connections between terrorist groups and drug cartels. The worthwhile opiates give terrorist groups funds to launch attacks. The frequent drug trafficking in Mexico has funded criminal gangs that are equipped and continue to threaten the US war on drugs at the border (Martin, 2018). The drug cartels’ activities debilitate Mexico’s stability, leading to civil wars that affect the United States borders. This literature review explores means that can be used to curb and abate the cultivation and production of opium using GEOINT to help combat narcoterrorism.

GEOINT can be of great use in helping address the cause and impacts of opium use. The use of geographic information will provide an information-driven perspective, which will equip the public and the authorities in place with the perceivability to comprehend drug-related issues and assess expected solutions. With the proper use of GEOINT, the public can get a significant update, through the geospatial data concerning drug problems in their local area. Using the specific local map design can allow people to engage in battling the crisis of narcotics and help identify those cultivating the opium (Walker, 2018, 82). It can also be used to show individuals addicted to opium where to seek help. By using GEOINT, users and traffickers can get the opportunity to drop off boxes of narcotics to dispose of them safely. It also provides a simple method for individuals to give reports on how drug activities are happening without their identity being revealed to the traffickers.

Furthermore, there is a need for state agencies to develop and amend policies that will address the health crises of all individuals that originate from drug abuse. Through the effective use of GEOINT, these officials will be updated on the fluctuation of important information points hence providing them with a direct way to determine whether their responses and reactions effectively curb this crisis. Strategies can be adjusted through indicators that include the number of deaths related to opium use, overdoses, the activities and reports on opium, and narcotics seizures (Taylor, Jasparro and Mattson, 2013, 422). This has been implemented in Kentucky and has been influential in tracking the dangers of heroin and directing money and geographical data to societies stricken by heroin use (Taylor, Jasparro and Mattson, 2013, 422). A GEOINT platform shares data concerning the rate at which individuals are dying as a result of opium use and its overdoses and the areas that have received an increased number of law enforcement concerning narcotics.

Moreover, federal, state, and local law enforcement depend on GEOINT to forestall the illegal use of opiates. Spatial information obtained from the GEOINT can help formulate methodologies for decreasing heroin supply in an area. Accurate intelligence makes it successful for police officers in operation to enable smooth communication between these officers and the society concerning narcotics abuse (National Research Council, and Mapping Science Committee, 2006). The US has employed the use of GEOINT in areas it classifies as high-Intensity Drug Trafficking.

Therefore, strategies should be put in place to enhance technology among the public and advise them to use GEOINT and liaise with the police in ensuring the fight against narcoterrorism is successful.

Theoretical Framework

The literature review uncovered some gaps in knowledge such as what is considered effective in the war against narcoterrorism, and how would one know it has been won or if the enemy has just found new ways to go undetected. Another gap is the lack of classified intelligence that could be useful in assessing GEOINT’s true effectiveness against opium and narcoterrorism. The approaches that will be used in this study is a combination of the convergence thesis, which concerns the amalgamation of organized crime and terrorism into a single phenomenon (Williams, 1998) and the crime-terror continuum, specifically the black hole, which are “situations in which weak or failed states foster the convergence between transnational organized crime and terrorism, and ultimately create a safe haven for the continued operations of convergent groups” (Makarenko, 2004). The hypothesis that will be tested is GEOINT can be effective in minimizing opium production and narcoterrorism which can be helpful in the US developing better counterdrug and terrorism policies, however it will never completely stop the production of opium and its connection to terrorism. Comment by charles russo6: What is your theory? Comment by charles russo6: Missing page numbers for directly quoted material

Methodology

The research design will include collecting primary and secondary data to determine the extent to which GEOINT can be of use in helping fight narcoterrorism. The primary research will involve collecting data from websites concerning opium production, narcoterrorism, international drug trafficking, and the limitations of GEOINT identifying opium and narcotics therefore tying the exploitation to narcoterrorism. This study will use a combination of historical analysis in order to note trends and data will also be collected from secondary sources, including books and articles on the same topic for comparison. The independent variables include GEOINT and how it will be effective in identifying opium through the use Full Motion Video (FMV), advanced imagery methods, and Electro Optical imagery and how much opium is being smuggled through the use of GEOINT. The dependent variables will be how opium is produced and further developed into heroin, and how the use of illegal narcotics is affecting terrorism. This study’s limitations will be that many details including how GEOINT is able to detect opium is classified. Also, since narcoterrorism is prevalent across the world, so it will be difficult to say how GEOINT has been effective against the narcoterrorism war because of the vastness and the amount of imagery available in those areas. Comment by charles russo6: What is your design? Qualitative or quantitative?
The method is not correct. Please research both design and associated method of data collection and analysis.

Conclusion

Past endeavors to annihilate opium production, attack rivalry, and adjust targets were not significant. The absence of support from the locals and collaboration with law enforcers preceding a solitary wolf approach has just made greater hostility and brought about a more prominent issue. Narcoterrorism begins and ends as a local issue. The use of GEOINT technology can help counter the production of opium to defeat narco-terrorism. This can only be effective if all set guidelines are strictly followed, and the society collectively works together to bring this issue to an end.

References

Faguet, Jean-Paul, and Francisco Gutierrez Sanin. “Criminal Rebels? A Discussion of Civil War and Criminality from the Colombian Experience”. Essay. In Decentralization and Local Government in Bolivian Overview from the Bottom Up, 5. London, UK: LSE, DESTIN, 2003, https://www.lse.ac.uk/internationaldevelopment/Assets/Documents/PDFs/csrc-working-papers-phase-one/wp27-criminal-rebels .

Felbab-Brown, Vanda. “A Better Strategy against Narcoterrorism.” MIT Center for International Studies Audit of the Conventional Wisdom (2006): 06-02.

Makarenko, T. “The Crime-Terror Continuum: Tracing the Interplay between Transnational Organised Crime and Terrorism” 6:1 Global Crime 129-145. n.p.: n.p., 2004.

Marks, Gerby. “Clandestine Airstrips: Opportunity for Narcotics terrorism Nexus in Laguna Del Tigre National Park, Guatemala.” Unpublished University manuscript. Remote Sensing GEOG 883 (2010).

Martin, Heather. “The Effects of Geospatial-Intelligence on United States-Mexico Border Security.” (2018).

National Research Council, and Mapping Science Committee. Priorities for GEOINT Research at the National geospatial-intelligence agency. National Academies Press, 2006.

Percy, Jonathan. “When Guns and Drugs are democratized: Potential Technical Solutions to Counter the Negative Consequences of Three-Dimensional Printing.” Homeland Security Affairs 12 (2016).

Sullivan, John P. “Counter-supply and counter-violence approaches to narcotics trafficking.” Small Wars & Insurgencies 21, no. 1 (2010): 179-195.

Taylor, Jonathan S., Christopher Jasparro, and Kevin Mattson. “Geographers and drugs: A survey of the literature.” Geographical Review 103, no. 3 (2013): 415-430.

Walker, James R. “The rise of GEOINT: Technology, intelligence, and human rights.” In Visual Imagery and Human Rights Practice, pp. 67-88. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2018.

Williams, P. “Terrorism and Organized Crime: Convergence, Nexus or Transformation?” in Jervas ed. n.p.: Report on Terrorism, Swedish Defence Research Establishment, 1998.

2

This assignment requires you to write a proposal that states your research question and your research strategy for addressing it. You may refer to the 2014 End of Program Manual for more information.

Thesis Proposal:

The thesis proposal shall be 5 pages in length not including title page or references.

Format:

Standard academic format will suffice: 1-inch borders on all four sides, double spaced, with times new roman 12-point font.

Your title page should include the working title of your thesis, your name, and your working abstract.

The abstract includes the following components: purpose of the research, methodology, findings, and conclusion. The body of the abstract is limited to 150-200 words.

Your thesis proposal should have the following sections:

Introduction: 
The introduction is where you identify your specific research question: “To what extent can GEOINT be effective in countering opium production in an effort to defeat narcoterrorism? Also, please answer: How are you going to measure the effectiveness of GEOINT and its use against opium production and how has operations been effective in countering the Taliban (narcoterrorism)? Are there policy (intelligence or counterterrorism) recommendations to present to your audience in a potential solution to winning the war on narcoterrorism?  Where you set the general context for the study. In this section you need to include:

· a statement of the problem or general research question and context leading to a clear statement of the specific research question;

· background and contextual material justifying why this case or topic should be studied; and

· a purpose statement.

Literature Review: 
This short preliminary literature review section reviews the literature important to your specific research question. The literature review focuses on discussing how other researchers have addressed the same or similar research questions. It introduces the study and places it in larger context that includes a discussion of why it is important to study this case. It provides the current state of accumulated knowledge as it relates to your specific research question. In this section you should:

· Summarize the general state of the literature (cumulative knowledge base) on the specific research question. For example if you discuss other studies that have been conducted you would summarize the researcher’s findings, how those findings were obtained, and conduct an evaluation of biases in the findings.

· This section should provide a broad overview of the primary arguments related to the topic and organizes the general views on the main aspects of the topic by theme, which could be the prevailing arguments or schools of thought, or commonly held beliefs that your particular topic may challenge.

· Include a short conclusion and transition to the next section.

Theoretical Framework/Approach
: The theoretical framework section develops the theories or models to be used in the study and shows how you have developed testable research hypotheses. This section should include:

· an introduction discussing gaps in the literature, how this study will help fill some of those gaps, and justification for the theory or model to be used in study;

· a summary of the theory or model to be used in the study, including a diagram of the model if appropriate; and

· a statement of hypotheses to be tested.

For some additional information on how select a theoretical framework check out this 

video

; for help organizing your theoretical framework into your paper, check out this 

USC Library guide on Theoretical Frameworks

.

Research Design & Methods: 
Describes how you will test the hypothesis and carry out your analysis. This section describes the data to be used to test the hypothesis, how you will operationalize and collect data on your variables, and the analytic methods that to be used, noting potential biases and limitations to the research approach. It should include:

· identification and operationalization (measurement) of variables;

· a sampling plan (i.e., study population and sampling procedures, if appropriate);

· justification of case studies used;

· data collection/sources (secondary literature, archives, interviews, surveys, etc.);

· a summary of analysis procedures (pattern-matching, etc.); and

· the limitations of study and bias discussion.

Conclusion: 
Should re-emphasize the importance of the study and bring the proposal full circle.

Reference List
: References the works that you have cited (direct quotes or paraphrases) in the text. This list must be in the Turabian “Reference List” style rather than in the “Bibliography” style. Remember that the references you use demonstrate your knowledge of the topic area. This research proposal is meant to convince your professor that you not only have identified a worthy question in need of investigation, but that you are also capable of carrying out the research involved to successfully answer that question. At the very least you should have referenced 6-10 sources in this proposal.

Format:
Standard academic format will suffice: 1-inch borders on all four sides, double spaced, with times new roman 12-point font.

When you have completed, save as NAMEProposal and upload in Assignments.

The attached document is from Belcher, Wendy Laura. 2009. Writing Your Journal Article in 12 Weeks: A Guide to Academic Publishing Success. Sage. Chapter 10 on “Editing Your Sentence
has an excellent system in place to help ensure that you are submitting error free assignments.

Editing your sentences ch 10  (5.74 MB)