CIAO DATE: 01/05

Countering Terrorism: Dimensions of Preparedness

Arnold M. Howitt and Robyn L. Pangi

MIT Press

November 2004

 

Abstract

The United States now knows that it is vulnerable to terrorist attacks. In Countering Terrorism, experts from such disparate fields as medicine, law, public policy, and international security discuss institutional changes the country must make to protect against future attacks. In these essays, they argue that terrorism preparedness is not just a federal concern, but one that requires integrated efforts across federal, state, and local governments.

The authors focus on new threats—biological attacks, “dirty bombs” containing radioactive materials, and “cyberattacks” that would disrupt the computer networks we rely on for communication, banking, and commerce—and argue that U.S. institutions must make fundamental changes to protect against them. They discuss not only the needed reorganization of government agencies but such institutional issues as establishing legal jurisdiction to respond to new threats, preparing health workers for attacks involving mass casualties, and equipping police, fire, and other emergency workers with interoperable communications systems. The final essays examine how Israel, Japan, and the United Kingdom have dealt with domestic terrorism, and what the United States can learn from their examples.

 

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Part I: Strategies and Institutions

1. The Architecture of Government in the Face of Terrorism (PDF, 20 pgs, 215.6 KB)
   Ashton B. Carter

2. Intergovernmental Challenges of Combatting Terrorism
   Arnold M. Howitt and Robyn L. Pangi

3. Dealing with Terrorism after September 11, 2001: An Overview
   Philip B. Heymann

4. Lessons of the “War” on Drugs for the “War” on Terrorism
   Jonathan P. Caulkins, Mark A. R. Kleiman and Peter Reuter

Part II: Emerging Threats

5. Biological Terrorism: Understanding the Threat and America’s Response
   Gregory D. Koblentz

6. Nuclear Terrorism: Risks, Consequences, and Response
   Jim Walsh

7. Covert Biological Weapons Attacks against Agricultural Targets: Assessing the Impact against U.S. Agriculture
   Jason Pate and Gavin Cameron

8. Cyber Attacks: Protecting America’s Security against Digital Threats
   Michael A. Vatis

Part III: Capacity Building

9. U.S. Preparations for Biological Terrorism: Legal Limitations and the Need for Planning
   Juliette N. Kayyem

10. Ambulances to Nowhere: America’s Critical Shortfall in Medical Preparedness for Catastrophic Terrorism
    Joseph A. Barbera, Anthony G. Macintyre and Craig A. DeAtley

11. Emergency Communications: The Quest for Interoperability in the United States and Europe
    Viktor Mayer-Schönberger

Part IV: Lessons Learned from International Cases

12. Israel’s Preparedness for High Consequence Terrorism
    Ariel Merari

13. Consequence Management in the 1995 Sarin Attacks on the Japanese Subway System
    Robyn L. Pangi

14. Civil Liberties, Terrorism, and Liberal Democracy: Lessons from the United Kingdom
    Laura K. Donohue

About the Authors

Index

About the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs