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Perception of
the Terrorism Risk
By Dalia Bseiso
“Terrorism – more specifically
the threat of terrorism – has become a driving cultural and political
force.
Credible threat is the currency of terrorist organizations. An
organization
that cannot threaten and be taken seriously has no power to change
attitudes
and behaviors. Because the power of terrorism comes from such threats,
controlling risk has taken on national significance, with an entire
cabinet-level department, as well as local and state-wide partner
agencies,
devoted to managing (and hopefully reducing) risk. These agencies
cannot
properly reduce risk, though, without first understanding how risk is
perceived. Because of the United States’ political
structure, public
attitudes toward terrorism occupy a pre-eminent place in establishing
government priorities.”
(See citation below)
After the
September 11 attacks in
2001, a great number of people experienced the terrible effects of
terrorism.
This and similar events from around the world alerted people to be
aware of
possible terror risks, as major facilities and services are always at a
risk of
being targeted by terrorist attacks. These kinds of attacks instill
fear in
people, particularly as people have virtually no control over them, and
this is
the most frightening aspect of it. Natural deaths, for instance, are
not as fearsome
since, as difficult as they may be to deal with, the cause is easier to
understand and accept.
It
was only after September 11 that American people gained
an actual sense of how destructive terrorism can be. Even if some
Americans pay
attention to world news, many are still disconnected from the rest of
the
world, and thus unable to relate to tragic events occurring elsewhere.
Since
the attacks in the United
States, however, both terrorism and
emergency management received an unprecedented amount of attention
within the
country and throughout the rest of the world. It is interesting
to think
about the new technology that has been developed as part of these new
efforts
to combat terror. While these efforts could indeed save lives, some of
the new
technology has the potential for negative implications in regards to
the
invasion of privacy, which is something that people do not seem to be
very
concerned about. Terrorist groups are becoming more sophisticated each
day, as
they are also capable of acquiring more advanced technology. In
addition, these
groups are training thousands in the “profession” of terrorism, making
them
capable of conducting multiple attacks simultaneously, with devastating
consequences.
Very
large amounts of money, resources and manpower have
been invested in homeland security and anti-terrorism efforts
world-wide and
within the United
States.
These actions have led people to believe that the nation
is ready and
prepared against future attacks. Most Americans now feel more secure
and are
able to move on with their lives, without having the feeling of being
threatened. The majority of these efforts are focused on security by
tracking
down the terrorists that are already within the borders of the country,
and by
not allowing the entry of those who attempt to enter. However, one can
never be
too prepared for all different scenarios of terrorist attacks, as it is
impossible
to predict with certainty what the next target of an attack could be.
But at
the same time, one’s ability to respond effectively is based entirely
on the
preparedness efforts. Clearly, certain areas are more vulnerable to
attacks,
such as airports/airplanes, or other high importance sites, but these
could
also be the least likely fronts of attack, if terrorists decide to
focus on
less protected and unpredictable targets.
Therefore, in
my opinion, the
terrorism risk is still quite real, and I believe that the US
could
continue to be a target to terrorist attacks, mostly because of its
foreign
policy. The current US Administration constantly reminds the American
people of
the threats and dangers of terrorism, not only in its efforts to
protect and
prevent against any kind of future attacks, but also to serve its
political
agenda. Although I fully agree with these efforts and that the fight
against
terrorism should be continued until its end, I believe that the actual
reasons
behind terrorism should not be taken for granted and must also be
addressed seriously.
Clinton M. Jenkin. “Risk
Perception and Terrorism: Applying the Psychometric Paradigm” in
Homeland
Security Affairs, Volume II No. 2: July 2006.
http://www.hsaj.org/?fullarticle=2.2.6
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