Understanding Homeland Security
SAGE Journal Articles
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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. History and Policy: Defining Homeland Security
Alex Bellamy discusses the moral and ethical justifications for initiating the war in Iraq.
Brian Burgoon investigates the impact of social welfare policies on the causes of terrorism. Richerd Chasdi offers an insightful investigation of a “resiliency continuum” that examines nation-state population resiliency to several spectacular terrorist events. Walter Enders, et. al. report research comparing the dynamics of international and domestic terrorism. Gray and Wilson report research on how people interpret the war on terrorism. Heng and McDonough discusses the need to develop new analytical frameworks for examining options for countering terrorism. Policy alternatives to the war on terrorism are presented and evaluated by Arnd Jürgensen. Sandler reviews the analytical study of terrorism within the context that all participants are rational actors. In a second contribution, Sandler also identifies the main contributions of empirical and theoretical literature on terrorism. Stephen Schwartz raises the critical issue of security within the contexts of renewed U.S. isolationism and misperceptions of the Muslim world. The U.S. Department of State and National Intelligence Council reports are useful reviews of the global terrorist environment. Peter Van Ham discusses how domestic diplomacy for the “hearts and minds” of the Muslim world is a key factor for waging the United States’ war on terrorism.
Schwartz, Stephen. “Security or Freedom First?” American Behavioral Scientist, vol. 51 (May 2008).
United States Department of State. The National Security Strategy of the United States. March 2006.
United States Department of State. “White House Counterterrorism Reports.”