Speakers & Organizers   

www.GlobalSecurity.org Biography
Mike German served sixteen years as a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is one of the few agents credited with actually having prevented acts of terrorism.

In the early 1990s, Mike successfully infiltrated white supremacist groups in Los Angeles that were engaged in a bombing campaign against racial minorities and stockpiling weapons in preparation for a race war. In the late 1990's, after the Oklahoma City bombing, he again went undercover against right-wing militia groups that were conspiring to harm federal agents. Both cases disrupted multiple terrorist cells and led to criminal convictions that prevented terrorist acts. Mike's undercover work gave him unique insights into the way terrorist groups organize, recruit and operate. His last assignment before leaving the FBI in June of 2004 was as a counter-terrorism instructor at the FBI National Academy.

Mike is a recognized expert in terrorist group behavior, counter-terrorist operations, and right-wing extremism. He has appeared on Dateline NBC, Paula Zahn Now, CNN, Fox News and MSNBC and his commentary has been published in the National Law Journal, the Miami Herald and the Washington Post. Mike is a Senior Fellow with GlobalSecurity.org. He lectures frequently on counter-terrorism and intelligence matters.

Mike has a Bachelor's degree in philosophy from Wake Forest University and a Juris Doctorate from Northwestern University School of Law.

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Session AB1: Session Name
February XX, Time Understanding Terrorist Strategy: A Defense of a Criminal Justice Approach to Counterterrorism
Abstract:
Terrorism is often defined by its effect: an act meant to terrorize a population. This is because the term 'terrorism' is always defined by the victims of these attacks. From the terrorist's perspective, the fear instilled in the population is merely a side effect. The purpose of a terrorist attack is to compel a reaction from the governing authorities. The terrorist's strategy is a complex plan that requires specific, but unfortunately predictable, responses from the government. Their success is entirely dependent on our reaction.

As an FBI undercover agent I spent months at a time working inside terrorist groups, planning and preparing for terrorist attacks. The terrorist's greatest hope is to be regarded as a soldier, even a martyr if necessary, fighting for a just cause. The terrorist's greatest fear is being regarded as, and treated as, a criminal.

I know that proactive criminal law enforcement techniques can prevent terrorism because I have had repeated success preventing terrorism using them. In this talk I will explain how and why a criminal justice counterterrorism approach is more effective than the militiary/intelligence approach currently underway.