Information Galaxy: Intelligence Study on Security and Defense—Case on Potential Terrorism at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games

Midwest Political Science Association National Annual Conference, Chicago, Illinois, 3–6 April 2008

Abstract

The summer 2008 Olympic Games will take place in Beijing, China on August 8–24. In general, the security situation for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games is quite stable, but still we need to face up to the threats from both traditional and non-traditional security areas such as terrorism, separatism and extremism. Terrorism is the biggest threat to the games. Effective security and defense strategies for the games require reliable intelligence.  Reliable intelligence, however, is notoriously difficult to obtain even though we are immersed in vast quantities of information. How can we identify and obtain the useful intelligence from the vast sea of other less useful information? After analyzing the potential terrorism attacks and terrorists in the games, the paper analyzes the potential means for counterterrorism at the games, and tries to set up an intelligence study system based on the IG (Information Galaxy), which includes five parts: Sun (S), Earth (E), Moon (M), ISE (Information Sharing Environment) and IG (Information Galaxy). The relationships of SEM are just like the Sun, the Earth and the Moon. The analysis methods in S include behavior study, experience science, and logical thinking. The analysis methods in E include analytic hierarchy process, decision tree and decision table, systems analysis, and optimization. The analysis methods in M include multivariant analysis, trend extrapolation, time series, webometrics, correlation analysis, and content analysis. Especially, all the methods need to cooperate in the study of different cases in the IG system until valuable intelligence can be produced from the S, the S-E, the S-E-M, or the S-E-Ms.