Journal Articles

INTRODUCTION TO THE ARTICLES

The study of homeland security is a challenging field of study that requires experts, students, and members of society to understand the underlying reasons for the creation of homeland security systems, as well as the configuration of these systems.  Those who examine homeland security must necessarily study data and theories grounded from a variety of disciplines, including political science, public administration, and the administration of justice.

Federal, state, and local authorities are perennially challenged by the problem of designing homeland security systems which reflect threats emanating from the current terrorist environment.  These challenges are not new, and have historically posed very serious policy questions for all sectors of society.  Unfortunately, these are challenges that are not easily resolved, and which will continue to be at the center of domestic policy.. The possibility of political violence is an unresolved problem, and exists across the nation.  There are no ideal political, national, or social solutions that guarantee immunity from the possibility of being touched by terrorist violence. 

The purpose of this online resource is to stimulate critical discussion about the attributes of homeland security systems and terrorist environments.  This resource is organized into thematic parts which correspond to the textbook’s chapters.  Articles have been selected from reputable scholarly journals, and additional articles are recommended for further study.

TEN CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS

  • Does a central cause exist which explains the creation of homeland security environments?
  • Is it possible to accurately predict the likelihood of terrorist violence?
  • What are the policy implications of research that indicates an association between homeland security measures and civil liberty challenges?
  • Do homeland security measures effectively reduce the incidence of terrorism?
  • Are particular levels of authority within the homeland security enterprise more effective in managing terrorist environments?
  • Are innovations such as target hardening effective?
  • How popular is the current homeland security enterprise?  What explains different public opinions in different regions?
  • What are some of the challenges faced by reformers who sincerely seek to reduce the extent of the homeland security enterprise in order to preserve civil liberty?
  • How important are international legal institutions and conventions for preventing terrorist violence?
  • Has enough research been conducted on the sociological and psychological impact of a pervasive homeland security environment?

CHAPTER 1. Policy and History: Defining Homeland Security

SAGE Journal Articles

Reccomended Readings

  • United States National Intelligence Council.  National Intelligence Estimate: The Terrorist Threat to the US Homeland.  Washington, D.C. (July 2007).
     

Web Resources

CHAPTER 2. Homeland Security and the All-Hazards Umbrella

SAGE Journal Articles

Recommended Readings

  • H.H.A. Cooper investigates the difficulty in defining terrorism within the context of the many different approaches to identifying the problem.  Arnold Hirsch discusses the impact of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans from an historian’s perspective.  Lauderdale and Oliverio’s essay summarizes the necessity for critical discussions on the subject of terrorism.  Trotter and Fernandez explore the meaning of Hurricane Katrina from an historian’s perspective by evaluating U.S. and African American urban history.  The U.S. Department of State and National Intelligence Council reports are useful reviews of the global terrorist environment.
    • Cooper, H.H.A..  “Terrorism: The Problem of Definition Revisited.”  In American Behavioral Scientist, 44:6 (February 2001).
  • Hirsch Arnold R.  “(Almost) A Closer Walk with Thee Historical Reflections on New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina.”  In Journal of Urban History, vol. 35 (July 2009).

Web Resources

CHAPTER 3. Legal Foundations of Homeland Security

SAGE Journal Articles

Recommended Readings

  • Jalata, Asafa.  “State Terrorism and Globalization: The Cases of Ethiopia and Sudan.”  In International Journal of Comparative Sociology, 46:1-2 (2005).

CHAPTER 4. Civil Liberties and Securing the Homeland

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CHAPTER 5. Agencies and Missions: Homeland Security at the Federal Level

SAGE Journal Articles

Recommended Readings

  • Gordon Adams critiques the emphasis on military-related budgeting for national security needs.  Patricia Degenarro discusses the necessity for improved collaboration between civilian authorities and the military.  Yee-Kuang Heng posits that the designation of responses to terrorism as a rhetorical “war” poses difficulties from the perspective of risk management.
  • Adams, Gordon.  “Diminishing Returns.”  In Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, vol. 62 (May 2006).

CHAPTER 6. Agencies and Missions: Homeland Security at the State and Local Level

SAGE Journal Articles

CHAPTER 7. Sea Change: The New Terrorism and Homeland Security

SAGE Journal Articles

CHAPTER 8. The Threat at Home: Domestic Terrorism

SAGE Journal Articles

CHAPTER 9. Porous Nodes: Specific Vulnerabilities

SAGE Journal Articles

Recommended Readings

  • Prieto, Daniel B.  “Turn Back the Clock: Off-the-Shelf Security.”  Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists,  vol. 63 (May 2007).

CHAPTER 10. Critical Resources: Preparedness and Planning

Berenskoetter evaluates the U.S.-European security relationship by comparing centrally security documents produced by the transatlantic partners.  Bunn and Wier evaluate the important question of the feasibility of nuclear weapon construction by terrorists.  Coaffee, O’Hare, and Hawkesworth discusses urban preparedness and proposes a “spectrum of visible security.”  Charles Curtis addresses the question of whether demand for WMDs can be reduced.    A longitudinal historical dataset on domestic terrorism in Europe is presented and discussed by Jan Oskar Engene.  Iqbal and Zorn examine the political consequences of assassinations of heads of state.  Monahan and Palmer discuss the political and public issues governing data-sharing “fusion centers” established by DHS.  Continuing the thread of discussion on nuclear terrorism, Simon Saradzhyan offers a case study of potential nuclear terrorism in Russia, and in her article Lynne Snowden explores the potentiality that violent extremists will attempt to develop or otherwise obtain nuclear weapons.

Berenskoetter, Felix Sebastian.  “Mapping the Mind Gap: A Comparison of US and European Security Strategies.”  In Security Dialogue, vol. 36, (March 2005).

Engene, Jan Oskar.  “Five Decades of Terrorism in Europe: The TWEED Dataset.”  In Journal of Peace Research, 44:1 (2007).

Bunn, Matthew and Anthony Wier.  “Terrorist Nuclear Weapon Construction: How Difficult?”  In The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 607 (September 2006).

Coaffee, Jon, Paul O’Hare, and Marian Hawkesworth.  “The Visibility of (In)security: The Aesthetics of Planning Urban Defences Against Terrorism.”  In Security Dialogue,  vol. 40 (August/October 2009).

Curtis, Charles B.  “Curbing the Demand for Mass Destruction.”  In The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 607 (September 2006).

Iqbal, Zaryab and Christopher Zorn.  “The Political Consequences of Assassination.” In  Journal of Conflict Resolution, vol. 52 (June 2008).

Monahan, Torin and Neal A. Palmer.  “The Emerging Politics of DHS Fusion Centers.”  In Security Dialogue, vol. 40 (December 2009).

Saradzhyan, Simon.  “Russia: Grasping the Reality of Nuclear Terror.”  In The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 607 (September 2006).

Snowden, Lynne L.  “How Likely are Terrorists to Use a Nuclear Strategy?”  In American Behavioral Scientist, 46:6 (February 2003).

CHAPTER 11. Always Vigilant: Intelligence and Hardening the Target

Betz and Stevens “attempt to interrogate some of the predominant forms of analogical reasoning within current cyber-security discourse, with a view to clarifying their unstated premises, major strengths and, vitally, points of conceptual failure.”  Bartosz Bolechów argues that the United States has committed a number of policy mistakes that are associated with its being the target of terrorist violence.  Cavelty and Mauer discuss theoretical issues involving “reflexive” intelligence.  Devine’s contribution projects the future of intelligence and espionage.  Karen Douglas, et. al. investigated online self-enhancement strategies by White supremacist groups.  Similarly, Margaret Duffy presents an analysis of the online activities of American hate groups, as does Brian Levin in his article.  Epkins investigates the reporting on terrorism by “prestige press” reporters.  Steve VanderHeiden explores the case for classifying attacks against inanimate targets—often practiced by ecological extremists—as acts of terrorism. 

Betz, David J. and Tim Stevens.  “Analogical Reasoning and Cyber Security.”  In Security Dialogue.  (April 2013).

Bolechów, Bartosz.  “The United States of America Vis-à-Vis Terrorism: The Super Power’s Weaknesses and Mistakes.”  In American Behavioral Scientist, 48:6 (February 2005).

Cavelty, Myriam Dunn and Victor Mauer.  “Postmodern Intelligence: Strategic Warning in an Age of Reflexive Intelligence.”  In Security Dialogue, (April 2009).

Devine, Jack.  “Tomorrow’s Spygames.”  In World Policy Jouranal, vol. 25 (September 2008).

Douglas, Karen M., Craig McGarty, Ana-Maria Bliuc, and Girish Lala.  “Understanding Cyberhate: Social Competition and Social Creativity in Online White Supremacist Groups.”  In Social Science Computer Review, 23:1 (Spring 2005).

Duffy, Margaret E.  “Web of Hate: A Fantasy Theme Analysis of the Rhetorical Vision of Hate Groups Online.”  In Journal of Communication Inquiry, 27:3 (July 2003).

Epkins, Heather Davis.  “Working the ‘Front Lines’ in Washington, DC: Digital Age Terrorism Reporting by National Security Prestige Press.”  In Media, War & Conflict, vol. 5 (April 2012).

Levin, Brian.  “Cyberhate: A Legal and Historical Analysis of Extremists’ Use of Computer Networks in America.”  In American Behavioral Scientist, 45:6 (February 2002).

VanderHeiden, Steve.  “Eco-terrorism or Justified Resistance?  Radical Environmentalism and the ‘War on Terror’.”  In Politics & Society, 33:3 (September 2005).

Micah Zenko presents an historical review of intelligence estimates of nuclear terrorism. Zenko, Micah.  “Intelligence Estimates of Nuclear Terrorism.”  In The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 607 (September 2006).

Recommended Readings

United States Department of State.  “White House Counterterrorism Reports.”  http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/wh/.

United States National Intelligence Council.  National Intelligence Estimate: The Terrorist Threat to the US Homeland.  Washington, D.C. (July 2007).

CHAPTER 12. Critical Outcomes: Response and Recovery

Michelle Byng engages in an examination of the redefinition of identity among Muslim Americans since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.  Christian Davenport presents a case study of the use of undercover investigations by government authorities of the nationalist organization Republic of New Africa during the late 1960s and early 1970s.  Karin Jordan assesses two crisis intervention techniques available to counselors when catastrophic events occur.  Michael Katz explores why, with very few exceptions, American cities do not experience violent civil disorders.    Maurer and Zoloth discus critical issues concerning biosecurity.  Tucker contributes a literature review of discussions on the interaction between the life sciences and international security.

Byng, Michelle D.  “Complex Inequalities: The Case of Muslim Americans After 9/11.”  In  American Behavioral Scientist, vol. 51 (January 2008).

Davenport, Christian.  “Understanding Covert Repressive Action: The Case of the U.S. Government Against the Republic of New Africa.”  In Journal of Conflict Resolution, 49:1 (February 2005).

Gruenewald, Jeff.  “A Comparative Examination of Homicides Perpetrated by Far-Right Extremists.”  In Homicide Studies, vol. 15 (May 2011).

Jordan, Karin.  Providing Crisis Counseling to New Yorkers After the Terrorist Attack on the World Trade Center.”  In The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families, 10:2 (April 2002).

Katz, Michael B.  “Why Don’t American Cities Burn Very Often?”  Journal of Urban History, vol. 34 (January 2008).

Maurer, Stephen M. Maurer and Laurie Zoloth.  “Synthesizing Biosecurity.”  In Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, vol. 63 (November 2007).

Tucker, Jonathan B.  “A Biosecurity Reading List.”  In Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists,  vol. 66 (January 2010).

CHAPTER 13. The Future of Homeland Security

Michael Byers discusses the legal argument proposed by the United States for waging the war on terrorism.  Clauset, Young, and Gleditsch report and discuss research on the frequency and severity of terrorist events since 1968.    Kelly Damphousse evaluates what effect terrorism events have on subsequent prosecution strategies.  Marieke De Goede examines European opposition to the doctrine of pre-emption in the war on terrorism.  De Goede also presents a discussion of the politics of risk and premediation as a security practice.  Dodds explores the contribution of visual artists to public understanding of terrorism and other issues.  Enders and Jindapon compare the “Big 4” game (name, rank, serial number, date of birth) to a two-stage game the “Little Fish” game in which detainees are permitted to reveal lower level information to interrogators.  A longitudinal historical dataset on domestic terrorism in Europe is presented and discussed by Jan Oskar Engene.  Erickson presents an interesting review of how terrorism is portrayed in U.S. popular culture.   An examination is made of the Bush administration’s pre-emptive strike doctrine by Sanjay Gupta.  Hallsworth and Lee examine the theoretical emergence of the security state as successor to the liberal welfare state.  Huq’s contribution projects the future of counterterrorism.  Martin Innes evaluates the impact of terrorist attacks on counterterrorist strategies among UK police.  Bonnie Jenkins presents the case for focusing on the ambitions of nonstate actors in combating nuclear terrorism.  The debates and evolution of legal responses to terrorism is discussed by Brian Levin.  Kessler and Werner examine extrajudicial killing from the perspective of risk management.  Lankford and Gillespie examine the explanations for terrorist indoctrination to discuss the effectiveness of Saudi Arabia's rehabilitation program.  The moral and ethical aspects of torture are discussed by Douglas McCready.  McGarrell, et. al. recommends an approach and application of the intelligence-led policing (ILP) model for counterterrorism policies.  In his article, Rein Müllerson argues that a human rights perspective is needed when the world community responds to terrorist threats.  Oliverio and Lauderdale suggest avenues for future research on terrorism.  Shields, Damphousse, and Smith present an assessment and analysis of guilty pleas among terrorists.  Important U.S. Fifth Amendment constitutional perspectives on torture are discussed by Geoffrey Skoll.  Brent Steel investigates how the treatment of terrorist suspects affects the American sense of honor and self-identity.  James Stever argues that the new era of terrorism requires a reevaluation of previous models of intergovernmental management.  Patricia Sullivan discusses the question of why seemingly powerful nations lose limited wars.  Geir Ulfstein assesses new legal issues presented by the use of force against terrorists and terrorist governments. 

Byers, Michael.  “Terrorism, the Use of Force and International Law After 11 September.”  In International Relations, 16:2 (2002).

Clauset, Aaron, Maxwell Young, and Kristian Skrede Gleditsch.  “On the Frequency of Severe Terrorist Events.”  In Journal of Conflict Resolution, 51:1 (February 2007).

Damphousse, Kelly R.  “The Morning After: Assessing the Effect of Major Terrorism Events on Prosecution Strategies and Outcomes.”  In Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 23:2 (May 2007).

De Goede, Marieke.  “The Politics of Preemption and the War on Terror in Europe.”  In European Journal of International Relations, vol. 14 (March 2008).

De Goede, Marieke.  “Beyond Risk: Premediation and the Post-9/11 Security Imagination.”  In Security Dialogue, vol. 39 (April 2008).

Dodds, Klaus.  Steve Bell's Eye: Cartoons, Geopolitics and the Visualization of the`War on Terror'.”  In Security Dialogue, vol. 38 (June 2007).

Enders, Walter, and Paan Jindapon.  “On the Economics of Interrogation: The Big 4 Versus the Little Fish Game.”  In Journal of Peace Research, vol. 48 (May 2011).

Engene, Jan Oskar.  “Five Decades of Terrorism in Europe: The TWEED Dataset.”  In Journal of Peace Research, 44:1 (2007).

Erickson, Christian W.  “Counter-Terror Culture: Ambiguity, Subversion, or Legitimization?”  In Security Dialogue,  (June 2007).

Gupta, Sanjay.  “The Doctrine of Pre-Emptive Strike:  Application and Implications During the Administration of President George W. Bush.”  In International Political Science Review, vol. 29 (March 2008).

Hallsworth, Simon, and John Lea.  “Reconstructing Leviathan: Emerging Contours of the Security State.”  In Theoretical Criminology, vol. 15. (May 2011).

Huq, Aziz Z.  “Imagining Counterterrorism’s Future.”  In World Policy Journal, vol. 25 (December 2008).

Innes, Martin.  “Policing Uncertainty: Countering Terror Through Community Intelligence and Democratic Policing.”  In The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 605 (May 2006).

Jenkins, Bonnie.  “Combating Nuclear Terrorism: Addressing Nonstate Actor Motivations.”  In The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 607 (September 2006).

Kessler, Oliver and Wouter Werner.  “Extrajudicial Killing as Risk Management.”  In Security Dialogue, vol. 39 (April 2008).

Lankford, Adam, and Katherine Gillespie.  “Rehabilitating Terrorists Through Counter-Indoctrination: Lessons Learned From The Saudi Arabian Program.” In International Criminal Justice Review, vol. 21 (June 2011).

Levin, Brian.  “Trials for Terrorists: The Shifting Legal Landscape of the Post-9/11 Era.”  In Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 23:2 (May 2007).

McCready, Douglas.  “When is Torture Right?”  In Studies in Christian Ethics, vol. 20 (December 2007).

McGarrell, Edmund F., Joshua D. Freilich, and Steven Chermak.  “Intelligence-Led Policing As a Framework for Responding to Terrorism.”  In Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 23:2 (May 2007).

Müllerson, Rein.  “Being Tough on Terrorism or Respecting Human Rights: A False Dilemma of Authoritarian and Liberal Responses.”  In American Behavioral Scientist, 48:12 (August 2005).

Oliverio, Annamarie and Pat Lauderdale.  “Terrorism as Deviance or Social Control: Suggestions for Future Research.”  In International Journal of Comparative Sociology, 46:1-2 (2005).

Shields, Christopher A., Kelly R. Damphousse, and Brent L. Smith.  “Their Day in Court: Assessing Guilty Plea Rates Among Terrorists.”  In Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 22:3 (August 2006).

Skoll, Geoffrey R.  “Torture and the Fifth Amendment: Torture, the Global War on Terror, and Constitutional Values.”  In Criminal Justice Review, vol. 33 (March 2008).

Steele, Brent J.  “’Ideals That Were Really Never In Our Possession’: Torture, Honor and US Identity.”  In International Relations, vol 22 (June 2008).

Stever, James A.  “Adapting Intergovernmental Management to the New Age of Terrorism.”  In Administration & Society, 37:4 (September 2005).

Sullivan, Patricia L.  “War Aims and War Outcomes: Why Powerful States Lose Limited Wars.”  In Journal of Conflict Resolution, 51:3 (June 2007).

Ulfstein, Geir.  “Terrorism and the Use of Force.”  Security Dialogue, 34:2 (June 2003).