This course will provide an in-depth overview into the terrorist group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (also known as the Islamic State, the Arabic acronym Daesh, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, in addition to other aliases). The rapid rise of the Islamic State has taken counterterrorism policymakers and foreign policy practitioners by surprise.

In an effort for students to come to a common understanding of key terms that will be discussed throughout the course, a session will be devoted to understanding key concepts and terms related to Islamic history. In this regard, students should take away from the course a baseline understanding of Islamic jurisprudence, meaning of the caliphate, the five pillars of Islam, and Shar’ia law.

The course will trace the history of the Islamic State’s rise and will examine the leadership figures/personalities behind the group. The course will also examine the Islamic State’s connection and ultimate divorce from al-Qa’ida. The course will all examine how the group finances its operations as well as the rise of its affiliates.

Finally, the course will also explore the group’s use of foreign fighters and social media to further its agenda. Global responses in an effort to counter the Islamic State will also be discussed.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate knowledge of the history of the Islamic State from its creation to its current status as a significant power broker primarily operating in Syria and Iraq.

• Understand the key personalities and motivations of leadership figures within the Islamic State as well as methods the group utilizes to accrue wealth, territory, and general support.

• Understand the reasons for the split between the Islamic State and al-Qa’ida as well as the implications of the split to include the development of the Islamic State’s affiliates.

• Comprehend the role of women and foreign fighters within the Islamic State.

• Understand the U.S. and global response focused on countering the Islamic State through the application of soft and hard power.

The goal of this seminar is to develop the skills necessary to analyze the motivations and capabilities of non-state actors to acquire and use weapons of mass destruction (WMD), more specifically chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) weapons and materials, for terrorist purposes. Through class discussions, simulation exercises, and individual research, students will review the technical aspects of CBRN, examine the history of CBRN use by terrorists, assess CBRN terrorism threats and vulnerabilities, and assess policy responses to CBRN terrorism. Students are required to have substantial background knowledge of either CBRN or terrorism before joining the seminar.

Students will prepare weekly short memos, conduct group work for integrative simulation exercises, prepare an independent research project, and have various presentation opportunities.

The MANPTS Honors Thesis is a highly selective program through which a limited number of students will design and conduct individual research projects of professional length, scope, and quality under the guidance of a faculty advisor. Applications for the honors thesis will be accepted in the Spring from students in their second or subsequent semesters in the NPTS MA program who are currently maintaining a GPA of 3.7 or higher. Applications will require a personal statement, academic transcript, sample of research writing, proposal for the thesis, and recommendation from a member of the faculty or research staff. In recommending a student for the honors thesis, a faculty or staff member must agree to serve as the student’s thesis advisor if the student is selected for the program. The NPTS Program Chair will appoint a selection committee composed of NPTS faculty and staff from the appropriate MIIS research centers to review applications. Students will be selected for the honors thesis on the basis of GPA, demonstrated proficiency in research and analytical writing, and any other relevant criteria as determined by the selection committee. Throughout the Fall semester, thesis advisors will provide students enrolled in NPTG 8662 with individualized supervision of their thesis projects in a manner similar to a directed study. Thesis advisors will set a schedule for research and writing of the thesis and will meet with students as needed to review progress and provide comments and advice. At the end of the Fall semester, students will present their projects to the Monterey Institute community in a symposium at which invited experts will provide comments and suggestions for further development and publication of research.

Terrorist violence has persisted in various parts of South Asia for several decades. A variety of interconnected reasons can be assigned to this phenomenon – state sponsorship, separatist tendencies, religious and sectarian divides, and political meddling. Terrorism in South Asia is also a crucial concern because of its broader connections to extra-regional terrorist networks. The two dominant states in South Asia possess nuclear weapons and have a long history of military conflict and have periodically experienced crises situations provoked by terrorist attacks. Additionally, the history of proliferation networks and concerns over Pakistan’s nuclear security further exacerbate the threat perception from terrorist networks.

The object of this course is to understand the causes and dimensions of terrorism in South Asia and to analyze positions adopted by the involved parties, state and non-state. From the policy perspective, this is essential toward formulating responses to terrorism in the region. South Asia is conventionally defined as the region comprising the countries of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and the Maldives. But for the purposes of this seminar we will also look at developments in Afghanistan (generally considered as South-West Asia), given its crucial links to terrorism issues in South Asia.

The course examines how terrorist groups finance their operations. It also explores current policy approaches to curb financial support to terrorists through the application of U.S. and international sanctions, in particular how multilateral fora, such as the United Nations and the Financial Action Task Force, disrupt and deter terrorist financing. At the completion of the course, students will have a better understanding of the key tools, including law enforcement, diplomacy, and intelligence, that are used to counter terrorists’ financial networks and activities. Students will use structured analytic tools such as weighted ranking methods, scenario trees, causal flow programming, game theory, and logic to form analytic judgments. Prior coursework or professional experience in intelligence, (counter) terrorism, or finance recommended.

Geographic Information Systems

This course introduces the theory and application of spatial data acquisition, analysis, and display using a project based approach. Students will practice how to conceive, gather, manage, analyze, and visualize geographic datasets using the global positioning system (GPS) and geographic information systems (GIS), and use GIS for spatial analysis and decision making. The course will be conducted using lecture and lab methods; active student participation is required.

Corporate Risk Management entails the prevention and detection of fraud and financial crimes. However, it also entails the understanding of and compliance with state and federal laws and statutory regulations.

This two credit course will introduce participants to the legal aspects of compliance with those laws and regulations. The course will introduce participants to the United States court system (Federal and state) and highlight the differences between criminal and civil liability. It will introduce participants to pertinent state, federal, and non-US laws (including, for example, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, (“FCPA”), Sarbanes-Oxley Act, privacy laws, and the General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR"), etc.) dealing with corporate compliance and take participants through the legal process of addressing an alleged violation of one or more of those laws or regulations. It will familiarize participants with the nature of a violation of state or federal laws and regulations, the legal and procedural steps of litigating such a violation, and the possible restitution that might be expected from the perpetrator of such a violation.

The course will use recent or ongoing state and federal court cases to help familiarize participants with the practical application of the subject matter of the course.

This hands-on, project-based course will build on the skills learned in the introductory GIS course. Working within their discipline, students will develop real-world case studies to practice GIS modeling, perform spatial data analysis, statistical analysis and temporal data analysis, test hypotheses and recommend policy based on their findings. Students will employ project management, database design and troubleshooting techniques applicable to GIS and other fields.