CIAO DATE: 06/05

Countering Terrorism: Dimensions of Preparedness

Arnold M. Howitt and Robyn L. Pangi

MIT Press

September 2003

 

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 US 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.

Arnold M. Howitt directs the Executive Session on Domestic Preparedness and co-chairs the Crisis Management training program at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.

Robyn L. Pangi is a research associate at the Executive Session on Domestic Preparedness.

 

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Part I: Strategies and Institutions

Chapter 1: The Architecture of Government in the Face of Terrorism (PDF, 20 pgs, 213 KB)
Ashton B. Carter

Chapter 2: Intergovernmental Challenges of Combating Terrorism
Arnold M. Howitt and Robyn L. Pangi

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

Chapter 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

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

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

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

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

Part III: Capacity Building

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

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

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

Part IV: Lessons Learned from International Cases

Chapter 12: Israel's Preparedness for High Consequence Terrorism
Ariel Merari

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

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

About the Authors

Index