Preface

U.S. policy regarding international affairs, terrorism, and disasters has witnessed ongoing tension between the security and emergency management points of view. Since the late 1940s, there has been recurring disagreement about the priority given to conflict disasters versus other types of hazards. Several events elevated the stakes in this debate and created additional urgency to find some sort of consensus about future priorities.

First, the 9/11 attacks and the recent Hamas violence in Israel underscore the fact that the threat of terrorism needs to be taken seriously by disaster scholars and emergency managers. No one should pretend that the world is the way it once used to be.

Second, Hurricane Katrina and a plethora of other disasters remind homeland security officials that they must not disregard human vulnerability to natural hazards. The frequency of natural, technological, and anthropogenic disasters is simply too great to ignore. In addition, the consequences of compound interactions are getting worse over time.

With these observations in mind, it is the opinion of this author that both homeland security and emergency management functions need to be addressed concomitantly in the future. Terrorist attacks are increasing in frequency, and their negative outcomes are widespread. While the possibility of terrorism involving weapons of mass destruction or cyberterrorism is uncertain, the impact of such attacks would indeed be overwhelming. More resources will be needed to address every type of threat.

However, government attention and resource distribution should also take into account the broad aspects of homeland security. Terrorism has been given the lion’s share of public support in recent years, but this attention should not be allowed to overshadow the essential functions and contributions of emergency management.

Unfortunately, policy makers unintentionally created a substantial divide between the homeland security and disaster communities. Politicians may have overreacted to 9/11, and their decisions initially diminished the existing emergency management system of the 1990s. This has caused some ill feelings among emergency managers toward the military and the law enforcement communities, which is not a good situation when one considers the fact that terrorists have vowed to kill Americans everywhere (including at home).

Added to this ongoing discussion is the fact that additional risks have become more prevalent in recent years. This includes a rise in various types of crime, the occurrence of riots, the global COVID-19 pandemic, and concerns about climate change. Thus, those involved in homeland security and emergency management must also work collaboratively with other public safety, public health, and environmental agencies and officials to address the challenges of our day.

This book, Introduction to Homeland Security: Terrorism Prevention, Public Safety and Emergency Management, Third Edition, aims to provide a foundation that could assist in spanning the chasm between the disaster and terrorism communities. Its focus on terrorism may help to educate those who do not yet understand the need to prepare for this expanding threat. Its concentration on emergency management will remind homeland security officials that reinventing of the wheel is not only unnecessary but problematic. In addition, the book educates homeland security and emergency management professionals about other important considerations pertaining to unabated crime, social discord, physical well-being, and our precious natural resources.

Of course, taking this approach could result in increased antagonism between the different parties. It is also possible that the author has not adequately portrayed the specific details pertinent to all of the actors involved in the broad and interdisciplinary array of homeland security, emergency management, public safety, public health, and environmental protection activities. Nevertheless, it is the author’s hope that this work will educate those working in each area and help promote a synergy of effort.

Chapter 1, “Understanding a Global Priority: Diverse Threats, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Emergency Management,” examines the significant impacts of 9/11, the Hamas attacks in Israel, and other events in world history. It also defines homeland security and supplements homeland security with an emergency management perspective, thereby offering a broader view of how to deal with terrorist attacks.

Chapter 2, “Identifying Terrorism: Ideologically Motivated Acts of Violence and Their Relation to Disasters,” identifies the numerous definitions and perspectives of terrorism, comparing how these are both alike and dissimilar. This chapter also looks at the connections between terrorism and other types of disasters.

Chapter 3, “Recognizing the Causes of Terrorism: Differing Perspectives and the Role of Ideology,” explores what motivates people to participate in terrorism, paying special attention to how historical conflicts, mistakes in foreign policy, and extreme levels of poverty may impel some to engage in terrorist attacks.

Chapter 4, “Comprehending Terrorists and Their Behavior: Who They Are and What They Do,” assesses the nature of individual terrorists and those associated with groups and states and identifies how they finance operations, communicate with secret codes, and carry out attacks.

Chapter 5, “Uncovering the Dynamic Nature of Terrorism: History of Violence and Change over Time,” explores why terrorism initially emerged, how it evolved in other nations, and the ways it has manifested in the United States.

Chapter 6, “Evaluating a Major Dilemma: Terrorism, the Media, and Censorship,” looks at the difficult relationship between terrorism and the media, how to predict how reporters view terrorism, and the drawbacks and limitations of censorship.

In Chapter 7, “Contemplating a Quandary: Terrorism, Security, and Liberty,” you learn why, as a participant in homeland security, it is imperative that you assess the tradeoffs between security and rights and why terrorism exploits the tension between them.

Chapter 8, “Preventing Terrorist Attacks: Root Causes, Law, Intelligence, and Counterterrorism,” addresses the root causes of terrorism and explores primary ways of preventing attacks, like promoting laws that prohibit terrorism and punish those who support it, protecting all points of entry into the United States, and relying on human and other sources of intelligence to apprehend terrorists before they strike.

In Chapter 9, “Securing the Nation: Border Control and Sector Safety,” the permeability of the U.S. border is mentioned along with measures to prevent the infiltration of terrorists onto American soil. It also discusses the vulnerability of various economic sectors and describes ways to secure railways, air transportation, sea ports, and chemical facilities.

Chapter 10, “Protecting Against Potential Attacks: Threat Assessment, Mitigation, and Other Measures,” looks at the benefits of mitigation practices, such as working with others to assess threats posed to critical infrastructure, key assets, and soft targets, as well as differentiating between structural and nonstructural mitigation methods.

In Chapter 11, “Preparing for the Unthinkable: Efforts for Readiness,” it is revealed that preparing for terrorism is one of the central responsibilities of homeland security. To help your community prepare for possible terrorist attacks, you will need to be familiar with the executive orders and legislation issued by the president and congress and set the foundation for preparedness by creating an advisory council, passing ordinances, acquiring monetary resources, and establishing an EOC.

Chapter 12, “Responding to Attacks: Important Functions and Coordination Mechanisms,” examines effective ways to react to terrorist attacks, including the numerous functions involved, such as investigation, the protection of first responders, and the treatment of the victims of terrorist attacks.

Chapter 13, “Recovering from Impacts: Short- and Long-term Measures,” addresses the variety of recovery measures that need to be performed after a terrorist attack takes place, including declaring a disaster or state of emergency, addressing mass fatality issues, disposing debris, and providing emotional support for those who have been emotionally impacted by the event.

Chapter 14, “Assessing Significant Threats: WMD and Cyberterorrism,” assesses the probability that terrorists will launch more unique and devastating attacks. It identifies the threat of radiological, nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons along with numerous recommendations to counter such assaults. The chapter also describes the risk of cyberterrorism and mentions the measures being taken to increase preparedness in this area.

Chapter 15, “Evaluating Other Pressing Problems: Criminal Activity, Social Disturbances, Pandemics, and Climate Change,” explores additional risks that must be taken into consideration today by both homeland security and emergency management professionals. These risks include a variety of problems relating to organized crime, illegal drugs, human trafficking, protests, riots, COVID-19, and global warming.

In Chapter 16, “Looking Toward the Future: Challenges and...