Difference between revisions of "Rohan Gunaratna"

Latest revision as of 01:13, 21 January 2011

Rohan Gunaratna

Rohan Gunaratna is a Singapore-based "terrorism expert" at The Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS) where is currently an Associate Professor. Previously he was a research assistant at St. Andrews' University (Scotland)'s Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence (CSTPV) where he was listed as an "acknowledged expert on terrorism in South Asia". He is the "former principal investigator of the UN's Terrorism Prevention Branch, Gunaratna has been called the world's top expert on Al Qaeda". As a Sri Lankan, his area of expertise is in the Tamil Tigers, a militant Tamil separatist group. Of the publications listed at the CSTPV, Gunaratna has authored four - all of which relate specifically to Sri Lanka's Tamil insurrection. However, since September 11, he has been a prolific commentator on global terrorism and often appearing as a terrorologist pundit. He recently visited Australia, where he made a number of widely reported, ill-substantiated, and unchallenged, claims that there were several "child-killing terrorist groups" operating in Australia, hiding behind community and humanitarian fronts, whilst manipulating the Australian government through powerful lobbying of politicians.

Career

2004-: Associate Professor, The Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS), Singapore. Where his Research Interests are listed as follows: Terrorist organisations; terrorist operational and support networks; maritime terrorist tactics, technologies and techniques; suicide terrorism; and terrorism in the Asia-Pacific.
1996-2003: Masters degree at Notre Dame University, went on to complete his doctorate at Scotland’s St. Andrews University, and was appointed research fellow at the university’s Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence.^[1]
1984-1994: Office of the Science Adviser to the Sri Lankan President; also doing research and consultancy work for the World Bank and the US Agency for International Development.

Critical assessment

Amir Butler writes about Gunaratna:^[2]

Dr Rohan Gunaratna has emerged as the go-to guy for media outlets wanting to get an academic spin on terrorism. Feted as an expert on terror, he has traveled the world, speaking to governments, think tanks and appearing on television from the BBC to O'Reilly. CNN described him on August 19, 2002 as, "Rohan Gunaratna, an expert on al Qaeda who was called on to address Congress, the United Nations and the Australian Parliament following the September 11 attacks". He even recently appeared in the middle of the John Walker Lindh trial as an expert for the defence. He then went on a tour of the world's media making claims based on his private "interviews" with Lindh. Gunaratna's work was also used to smear the Islamic party in Malaysia (PAS) as being linked to the al-Qaeda organisation. Given this relatively high profile and status as an authority on Islamic terror, it is surprising to know that this man who was, until recently, listed as a Research Assistant from St Andrew's University in Scotland had never produced a single publication dealing with Arab or Muslim terrorism prior to September 11. On the contrary, Gunaratna's experience and prior work has been entirely in Sri Lankan separatism, particularly the Tamil Tigers.
…
On September 27, 2001, the Sydney Morning Herald reports Gunaratna's declaration that he had "evidence" of numerous terrorist groups active in Australia, including Hamas, and that Australia must establish an "anti-terrorist unit" to root them out. The article reports that, as has become characteristic, Gunaratna declines to mention his source or any evidence to support these accusations. Interestingly, Gunaratna warned that liberal laws are to blame - a theme that remains consistent in his Quixotic adventure. Despite Gunaratna's claims of compelling evidence, neither the Australian government nor its law enforcement apparatus, have admitted any such presence or taken steps to eradicate it. On the same day, the UK's Financial Times reported that Gunaratna had labeled Germany the base for al-Qaeda in Europe. Again, he blamed the "tight limits on how intelligence and police officials can gather evidence against suspects, a strong civil liberties tradition and easy access to education and welfare provision".
…
It is impossible to know whether Gunaratna is an exaggerator, a liar, absent minded, careless, or simply ignorant of the facts. The answer is, however, irrelevant. Regardless of the reason, these inconsistencies, lack of proof and outrageous, unsupported claims should make Gunaratna a completely incredulous source for information on terrorism. That Gunaratna has, till now, been able to peddle his tabloid-style sensationalism to an accepting and largely unquestioning audience is a sad indictment on some sections of the media and also a reflection of the blanket of hysteria that has covered much of society since September 11.

Affiliations

Asia-Pacific Foundation
Advisory Council, Centre for Conflict and Peace Studies Afghanistan ^[1]
Editorial Board, Terrorism and Political Violence ^[2]

Publications by Gunaratna

Rohan Gunaratna, Inside Al Qaeda: Global Network of Terror, Columbia Univ. Press, 2002.
Rohan Gunaratna, Speech about Al Qaeda, Commonwealth Club, 25 June 2002.
Rohan Gunaratna,Statement to the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, 9 July 2003.

External Resources

Amir Butler, Who Is Rohan Gunaratna - The Self Proclaimed Al-Qaeda Expert?, www.amirbutler.com
^ Amir Butler, "Taking on a Terrorist", 15 Oct 2002. (restricted link, but available via Google cache).
^ Rick Kelly The Australian media and terrorism "expert" Dr Rohan Gunaratna, WSWS, 8 August 2003.
Laurie Oakes, Interview with Rohan Gunaratna, NineMSN, 2 Oct 2005.
Daniel Hoare, Gareth Evans downplays terrorist risk in Australia, ABC-Australia, 27 Sept 2005.
SBS Dateline, Rohan Gunaratna and Tariq Ali, 17 March 2003.

Contact

Phone: 6790 4491 (Singapore)

E-Mail: isrkgunaratna@ntu.edu.sg

Web Site: www.ntu.edu.sg

Resources and articles

Related Sourcewatch

References

↑ Advisory Council, Centre for Conflict and Peace Studies Afghanistan, accessed December 12, 2010.
↑ Editorial Board, Terrorism and Political Violence, accessed January 13, 2011.

[1] Advisory Council, Centre for Conflict and Peace Studies Afghanistan, accessed December 12, 2010.

[2] Editorial Board, Terrorism and Political Violence, accessed January 13, 2011.

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
- Rohan Gunaratna is a Sri Lankan researcher on terrorism. He is the head of the International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He is a Senior Fellow at the Jebsen Center for Counter Terrorism Studies, Fletcher School for Law and Diplomacy and an Honorary Fellow at the International Policy Institute for Counter Terrorism in Israel. He has served as a consultant to the United Kingdom and United States law enforcement communities.Gunaratna said in a telephone interview on 7 January 2006 that a terrorist attack in Bangkok, Thailand is "now just a matter of time. [Southern insurgents] have the capabilities, and their reach is increasing. They're increasingly able to operate outside the traditional territory of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat. Bangkok must improve the quality of its intelligence. This insurgency is an intelligence war – it's not so much a military campaign. By increasing the military presence, the hostility of the Muslims will grow and the insurgency will gain more support."[1]
+[[Image:RohanGunaratna.jpg|right|thumb|Rohan Gunaratna]]'''Rohan Gunaratna''' is a Singapore-based "terrorism expert" at The [[Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies]] (IDSS) where is currently an Associate Professor.  Previously he was a research assistant at St. Andrews' University (Scotland)'s [[Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence]] (CSTPV) where he was listed as an "acknowledged expert on terrorism in South Asia". He is the "former principal investigator of the UN's Terrorism Prevention Branch, Gunaratna has been called the world's top expert on Al Qaeda". As a Sri Lankan, his area of expertise is in the Tamil Tigers, a militant Tamil separatist group. Of the publications listed at the CSTPV, Gunaratna has authored four - all of which relate specifically to Sri Lanka's Tamil insurrection. However, since September 11, he has been a prolific commentator on global terrorism and often appearing as a terrorologist pundit. He recently visited Australia, where he made a number of widely reported, ill-substantiated, and unchallenged, claims that there were several "child-killing terrorist groups" operating in Australia, hiding behind community and humanitarian fronts, whilst manipulating the Australian government through powerful lobbying of politicians.
-Gunaratna, commenting on Hizb ut-Tahrir, an Islamist organization that is banned throughout most of Asia as a terrorist organization, said "It actively promotes dismantling the state of Israel" and "attacking the United States."[2]
+==Career==
+*2004-: Associate Professor, The Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS), Singapore.  Where his Research Interests are listed as follows: Terrorist organisations; terrorist operational and support networks; maritime terrorist tactics, technologies and techniques; suicide terrorism; and terrorism in the Asia-Pacific.
+*1996-2003: Masters degree at Notre Dame University, went on to complete his doctorate at Scotland’s St. Andrews University, and was appointed research fellow at the university’s Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence.{{ref|kelly}}
+*1984-1994: Office of the Science Adviser to the Sri Lankan President; also doing research and consultancy work for the World Bank and the US Agency for International Development.
+==Critical assessment==
+Amir Butler writes about Gunaratna:{{ref|butler2}}
+<blockquote style="background-color:beige;border:1pt solid Darkgoldenrod;padding:1%">Dr Rohan Gunaratna has emerged as the go-to guy for media outlets wanting to get an academic spin on terrorism.
+Feted as an expert on terror, he has traveled the world, speaking to governments, think tanks and appearing on television from the BBC to O'Reilly. CNN described him on August 19, 2002 as, "Rohan Gunaratna, an expert on al Qaeda who was called on to address Congress, the United Nations and the Australian Parliament following the September 11 attacks". He even recently appeared in the middle of the John Walker Lindh trial as an expert for the defence. He then went on a tour of the world's media making claims based on his private "interviews" with Lindh. Gunaratna's work was also used to smear the Islamic party in Malaysia (PAS) as being linked to the al-Qaeda organisation. Given this relatively high profile and status as an authority on Islamic terror, it is surprising to know that this man who was, until recently, listed as a Research Assistant from St Andrew's University in Scotland had never produced a single publication dealing with Arab or Muslim terrorism prior to September 11. On the contrary, Gunaratna's experience and prior work has been entirely in Sri Lankan separatism, particularly the Tamil Tigers.<br><b><big>&hellip;</big></b><br> On September 27, 2001, the Sydney Morning Herald reports Gunaratna's declaration that he had "evidence" of numerous terrorist groups active in Australia, including Hamas, and that Australia must establish an "anti-terrorist unit" to root them out. The article reports that, as has become characteristic, Gunaratna declines to mention his source or any evidence to support these accusations. Interestingly, Gunaratna warned that liberal laws are to blame - a theme that remains consistent in his Quixotic adventure. Despite Gunaratna's claims of compelling evidence, neither the Australian government nor its law enforcement apparatus, have admitted any such presence or taken steps to eradicate it. On the same day, the UK's Financial Times reported that Gunaratna had labeled Germany the base for al-Qaeda in Europe. Again, he blamed the "tight limits on how intelligence and police officials can gather evidence against suspects, a strong civil liberties tradition and easy access to education and welfare provision".<br><b><big>&hellip;</big></b><br>It is impossible to know whether Gunaratna is an exaggerator, a liar, absent minded, careless, or simply ignorant of the facts. The answer is, however, irrelevant. Regardless of the reason, these inconsistencies, lack of proof and outrageous, unsupported claims should make Gunaratna a completely incredulous source for information on terrorism. That Gunaratna has, till now, been able to peddle his tabloid-style sensationalism to an accepting and largely unquestioning audience is a sad indictment on some sections of the media and also a reflection of the blanket of hysteria that has covered much of society since September 11.</blockquote>
-[edit] References
+==Affiliations==
-Order Info F.A.Q.                   Help   Advanced
+*[[Asia-Pacific Foundation]]
+*Advisory Council, [[Centre for Conflict and Peace Studies Afghanistan]] <ref>[http://www.caps.af/advisory.asp Advisory Council], Centre for Conflict and Peace Studies Afghanistan, accessed December 12, 2010.</ref>
-BUY ONLINE
+*Editorial Board, [[Terrorism and Political Violence]] <ref>[http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/journal.asp?issn=0954-6553&linktype=145 Editorial Board], Terrorism and Political Violence, accessed January 13, 2011.</ref>
+==Publications by Gunaratna==
+*Rohan Gunaratna, Inside Al Qaeda: Global Network of Terror, Columbia Univ. Press, 2002.
+*Rohan Gunaratna, [http://www.commonwealthclub.org/archive/02/02-06gunaratna-speech.html Speech about Al Qaeda], Commonwealth Club, 25 June 2002.
+*Rohan Gunaratna,[http://www.globalsecurity.org/security/library/congress/9-11_commission/030709-gunaratna.htm Statement to the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States], 9 July 2003.
+==External Resources==
+*Amir Butler, [http://forums.muslimvillage.net/index.php?showtopic=58 Who Is Rohan Gunaratna - The Self Proclaimed Al-Qaeda Expert?], www.amirbutler.com
+*{{note|butler2}}Amir Butler, "Taking on a Terrorist", 15 Oct 2002. (restricted link, but available via Google cache).
+*{{note|kelly}}Rick Kelly [http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/aug2003/guna-a08.shtml The Australian media and terrorism "expert" Dr Rohan Gunaratna], WSWS, 8 August 2003.
+*Laurie Oakes, [http://sunday.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/political_transcripts/article_1882.asp Interview with Rohan Gunaratna], NineMSN, 2 Oct 2005.
+*Daniel Hoare, [http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2005/s1469369.htm Gareth Evans downplays terrorist risk in Australia], ABC-Australia, 27 Sept 2005.
+*''SBS Dateline'', [http://203.15.102.143:8080/ramgen/media/dl_170304c.rm Rohan Gunaratna and Tariq Ali], 17 March 2003.
-$22.95
+==Contact==
-May, 2002
+:Phone: 6790 4491 (Singapore)
+:E-Mail:   isrkgunaratna@ntu.edu.sg
+:Web Site: [http://www.ntu.edu.sg/idss/about_idss/staff_profile_research.html www.ntu.edu.sg]
-cloth
+==Resources and articles==
-pages
+===Related Sourcewatch===
-ISBN: 0-231-12692-1
+===References===
+<references/>
-Columbia University Press
+[[Category:Terrorism analysts]]
+[[Category:Civil liberties (U.S.)]][[Category:Needs review]]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-New Book Bulletins
- Inside Al Qaeda
-Global Network of Terror
-Rohan Gunaratna
-"Excellent....Gunaratna has taken a great deal of information from around the world--marshalling together police and intelligence sources, his own interviews with al Qaeda associates and the group's own documents--to create a comprehensive examination of the terrorist network."
-—Peter Bergen, Washington Post
-"[This] book is a careful and methodical account of bin Laden's emergence as a leader, and of al-Qaeda cells active around the world. As a handbook, Inside Al Qaeda: Global Network of Terror does the work of many tomes, but its chief strength is to be found in Gunaratna's final chapter, where he argues that the political war will be ignored at America's peril."
-—Thomas Powers, New York Review of Books
-"An essential first step in good counterintelligence work."
-—Foreign Affairs
-"The most comprehensive study ever done on Al Qaeda."
-—CBSNews.com
-"An alarming, but important book on Al Qaeda."
-—Wolf Blitzer, CNN
-"[A] remarkable new study. . . . No one reading Gunaratna's book could be in any doubt that Al Qaeda is an awesome force."
-—The Times (London)
-"One of the few qualified to talk with authority about Al-Qaeda is Rohan Gunaratna, author of this excellent book. . . . He has interviewed more than 200 terrorists, including Al-Qaeda members, in dozens of countries, and read countless transcripts of intercepted communications, including calls made by Bin Laden himself. . . . It is one of the strengths of Gunaratna's book that he shows conclusively how disparate attacks against western interests all stemmed from the same source."
-—The Sunday Times (London)
-"Rohan Gunaratna succeeds.... His deep understanding of the mechanics of the menace has allowed him to wearve an account of how Al-Qaeda became--and remains--a threat."
-—Financial Times (London)
-"The most alarming conclusion to be drawn. . . is how little we really know about Al Qaeda."
-—The Economist
-Inside Al Qaeda examines the leadership, ideology, structure, strategies, and tactics of the most violent politico-religious organization the world has ever seen. The definitive work on Al Qaeda, this book is based on five years of research, including extensive interviews with its members; field research in Al Qaeda-supported conflict zones in Central, South and Southeast Asia and the Middle East; and monitoring Al Qaeda infiltration of diaspora and migrant communities in North America and Europe.
-Although founded in 1988, Al Qaeda merged with and still works with several other extremist groups. Hence Al Qaeda rank and file draw on nearly three decades of terrorist expertise. Moreover, it inherited a full-fledged training and operational infrastructure funded by the United States, European, Saudi Arabian and other governments for use in the anti-Soviet Jihad.
-This book sheds light on Al Qaeda's financial infrastructure and how they train combat soldiers and vanguard fighters for multiple guerrilla, terrorist and semi-conventional campaigns in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, the Caucuses, and the Balkans. In addition, the author covers the clandestine Al Qaeda operational network in the West.
-Gunaratna reveals:
-how Osama bin Laden had his mentor and Al Qaeda founder, "Azzam", assassinated in order to take over the organization and that other Al Qaeda officers who stood in his way were murdered,
-Al Qaeda's long-range, deep-penetration agent handling system in Western Europe and North America for setting up safe houses, procuring weapons, and conducting operations,
-how the O55 Brigade, Al Qaeda's guerrilla organization, integrated into the Taliban,
-how the arrest of Zacarias Moussaoui forced Al Qaeda to move forward on September 11,
-how a plan to destroy British Parliament on 9/11 and to use nerve gas on the European Union Parliament were thwarted,
-how the Iran--Hezbollah--Al Qaeda link provided the knowledge to conduct coordinated, simultaneous attacks on multiple targets, including failed plans to destroy Los Angeles International Airport, the USS Sullivan, the Radisson Hotel in Jordan, and eleven US commercial airliners over the Pacific ocean,
-that one-fifth of international Islamic charities and NGOs are infiltrated by Al Qaeda,
-how the US response is effective militarily in the short term, but insufficient to counter Al Qaeda's ideology in the long-term.
-Finally, to destroy Al Qaeda, Gunaratna shows there needs to be a multipronged, multiagency, and multidimensional response by the international community.
-Contents
-. Who is Osama bin Laden?
-. Al Qaeda's Organisation, Ideology and Strategy
-. Al Qaeda's Global Network
-. Asia: Al Qaeda's New Theatre
-. The Al Qaeda Threat and the International Response
-About the Author
-Rohan Gunaratna is research fellow at the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence, University of St. Andrews, Scotland, and honorary fellow at the International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism in Israel. Previously, he was principal investigator of the United Nations'Terrorism Prevention Branch, and he has served as a consultant on terrorism to several governments and corporations. He has been a visiting scholar at the University of Illinois, the University of Maryland, and the University of Notre Dame, and has lectured widely in Latin America,the Middle East, and Asia on terrorism and countermeasures. He is the author of six books on armed conflict.
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Difference between revisions of "Rohan Gunaratna"

Latest revision as of 01:13, 21 January 2011

Contents

Career

Critical assessment

Affiliations

Publications by Gunaratna

External Resources

Contact

Resources and articles

Related Sourcewatch

References

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