POLICY MEMOS
AP Photo
May 5, 2008
Preventing Terrorist Attacks: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom
By Erik J. Dahl, Research Fellow, International Security Program
Why do terrorist attacks frequently succeed, even though later investigations almost always show that warnings had been available but were either misunderstood or ignored? Conventional wisdom, as seen in the 9/11 Commission Report, holds that disasters such as the 9/11 attacks have been caused by failures of analytical imagination, a lack of long-term strategic intelligence on the threat, and organizational limitations that prevent the U.S. intelligence community from being able to “connect the dots” of the existing intelligence.
AP Photo
March 3, 2008
Homeland Security: How to Improve Interoperability for State and Local Responders
By Erica Chenoweth, Research Fellow, International Security Program and Susan Clarke
One of the most important lessons of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks is that, in order to respond successfully, local agencies must be able to exchange information in real time. In the past seven years, the federal government has given millions of dollars to state and local governments with the goal of improving interoperability programs. However, state and local politics often get in the way of effective use of the money. Our research provides insight and recommendations into how state and local governments can improve the effectiveness of these programs.
January 1, 1998
Natural Resource Extraction in the Latin American Tropics: A Recent Wave of Investment Poses New Challenges for Biodiversity Conservation
