War on Terror Flashcards
Responses to 9/11 in the US
In 2002, the 9/11 Commission Report created:
Director of National Intelligence
- Coordinates data from primary intelligence agencies
- Key intelligence advisor to President
National Counterterrorism Center
-Analyzes and integrates all intelligence pertaining to terrorism and counterterrorism, except for purely domestic counterterrorism info
FBI made terrorist attacks its #1 priority
- Cyber Division created in 2001
Department of Homeland Security
Created on 11/19/2001 as a Cabinet level agency with the following mission:
- Prevent terrorist attacks within the US
- Reduce US vulnerability to terrorism
- Minimize damage and recover from attacks
Combined 23 existing agencies into a “superagency” focused on:
- Border and transportation security
- Emergency preparedness and response
- Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear countermeasures
- Information analysis and infrastructure procession
3rd largest Cabinet dept.
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Vulnerability
Vulnerability is inevitable
- If invulernability is the goal, HS spending is unlimited
Vulnerability considers the possibility of harm, risk its probability
Terrorism risk inside US is minimal because:
- Democratic institutions limit violent extremism
- Economy and governmental capacity limit effects of attacks
- Al Qaeda not as dangerous as portrayed, Jihadism is declining
Terrorist threat
9/11 attacks more an abberation than a frontrunner
Politics of Homeland Security
Why do Americans want more homeland security than they need?
Cognitive biases cause people to worry more about terrorism than they should
-They demand more protection than cost benefit analysis would provide
US citizens information about terrorism comes largely from politicians and government organizations with an interest in reinforcing excessive fears
Cognitive Biases about Risk
Heuristics- mental shortcuts based on impressions
Availability heuristic- people overestimate the odds of an event or scenario they can picture
Events become cognitively available when they are recent, have a memorable image and recieve great publicity
Terrorism is an examplary available risk because it creates strong images and attracts media attention
Terrorism is almost a perfect storm for provoking fear and overreaction
Political motives of fear
Cognition alone cannot explain public demand for protection from unlikely dangers.
We need to look at the incentives that motivate the experts that teach us about danger
Government dominates both creation and interpretation of threats
Security theater
Measures that do not provide real security, but a sense of security (e.g. airport security)
Critics say this is dishonest and useless
Others say dishonest but the reduction of exaggerated fears may be useful
Spectacle might remind people of danger and fear- increased fear without increased security
Cost Effectiveness
Far more costly per life saved than most health and safety regulations
Objection to cost benefit analysis
Terrorism is political coercion that defends our values
-Defending against human, political dangers is a deterrent
Terrorism and counterterrorism are concerned with more than safety, they concern fear and the political effects of attacks
-What seems excessive from cost-benefit may seem appropriate
Logic of this exception would justify any policy to combat terrorism
Cost-benefit analysis is not the criteria to evalute policies, but a necessary one
