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Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management Crisis and Emergency Management Newsletter Website |
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February
2004
Volume 6
- Number 1 |
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The
Perception of the
Terrorism Risk By: Ahmed
ALShamsi Jan 27th
After the terrible events
of Sept. 11, many Americans - and
people around the world -- feel more at risk than any time in their
lives. In
covering the story, journalists need to consider what the real risk of
terror
is. People as well need to sharply identify what kind of events they
need to
pay attention to, and what incidents they need to watch closely in
order to be
prepared. In addition, it appears, in my judgment, that one of the
goals of the
current US administration, is to keep reminding people of the threats
and risks
of terrorism not only to prevent any future attacks, but also to use
the terror
issue for political purposes, mainly, the coming presidential elections
of
2004. I strongly
believe that the battle against terrorism must continue to the end,
however,
the idea of going after terrorist organization all over the world
instead of
addressing the real reasons behind terror, can’t work and will not take
us far
in this very important battle. The risks
of terrorism can affect the following areas: the national and
international
economy, the welfare of human beings, and more important, the human
civilization itself. As we all
know, it is not any more the era of isolated and remote statehoods and
empires
of the previous centuries. The world is a global village and its events
and
major incidents are extremely related to each other. Among terrorist
organizations’ goals when they strike, is to weaken the economy of a
certain
country. Once they achieve their task and hit their economical targets
effectively, the target country (s) would suffer massive economic risks
and it
would reflect in the international economy in a way or another. The US
economy,
in the view of many researchers, was targeted by Al Qaida on 2001. Any
activity of the economy can be targeted and no one can be excluded. An
example
of this is the cyber-terror. Evidence of cyber-terror activities was
found in
several areas after 9/11. Indian Internet sites defaced by Pakistani
hacker
groups have been political, highly visible or involved in information
dissemination. Examples include an Indian government site, television
network,
newspaper, science agency and an atomic research facility. In the
latter
incident, five megabytes of possibly sensitive nuclear research or
other
information was reportedly downloaded. Pro-Pakistan defacements of
Indian Web
sites has risen dramatically, and one pro-Pakistan hacker group has
targeted
U.S. sites in the past, defacing those belonging to the Department of
Energy
and the U.S. Air Force. When Egypt
was fighting its local fundamental groups, the economy of the country
was
largely influenced and several believed that the Egyptian economy was
the prime
victim. The welfare
of people can be another victim of terrorism as well. While launching
their
war, terrorists put the establishments of a state along with the
services that
these establishments offer to people at risk. Hospitals and other
health
facilities, schools and other educational institutions, and other
providers for
the wealth and essential services of a country, can be targeted by
terror. Lack
of safety and the continues fear of the unknown, is one of the major
goals that
terrorism is aiming at all the time. The threat
of terrorism differs from other hazards of life for several reasons:
the damage
is deliberately done by other humans and involves a large number of
deaths and
injuries, usually incurred in one massive event which may be difficult
for most
people to comprehend. While all deaths are upsetting, a death caused by
a
health problem doesn't generate the type of fear the 9/11 attacks have.
Even
massive earthquakes wouldn’t generate the kind of fear that terrorists
bring.
We also have little personal control over terrorist strikes. In
contrast, we
can decide to stop smoking or start exercising. We can predict that a
nutritious diet and engaging in daily physical activity will increase
our
chances of a longer, healthier life. The risks of terrorism, involves
several
actions like the factors that may put us at risk for experiencing
terrorism
firsthand are uncertain or unknown. Terrorism
aside, people everywhere have always lived and worked in risk-saturated
environments. Most of the time, we don't actively dwell on the hazards
of daily
living — perhaps because we have varying degrees of control over them,
which we
do not have in the case of terrorism. Since the
problem is, no one really knows. As a result, each of us must decide
how to
think about our common future with terror, and it is the responsibility
of the
news media to provide the public with a realistic perspective and the
best
possible information for evaluating personal risks.
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