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Humans are notoriously bad at judging risk of low-probability events. We may fear getting struck by lightning, which kills approximately 40 people per year nationwide, but think little of the [...]

Vesel traffic services (VTSs) ensure the safe and efficient handling of traffic busy waterways like the English Channel and the approaches to New York. This technique, wherein electronic sensors and [...]

This article considers whether policy makers in the aviation security field have learned from actual or apparent aviation security breaches in the late 1980s through 2001. The author finds that the loss of Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988 and TWA Flight 800 in 1996 did lead to greater policy-making attention to a relatively narrow range of issues raised by these events. The author also finds that the September 11 terrorist attacks led to a comprehensive search for improved policy tools to prevent a recurrence of the attacks. The author argues that this post-September 11 search would not have been possible without the debates on aviation safety that accompanied the earlier events. Keywords: terrorism; aviation security; policy change; policy learning; agenda setting: policy process; September 11 attacks

Facilities and their services can be lost due to natural disasters as well as to intentional strikes, either by terrorism or an army. An intentional strike against a system is called interdiction. The geographical distribution of facilities in a supply or service system may be particularly vulnerable to interdiction, and the resulting impacts of the loss of one or more facilities may be substantial. Critical infrastructure can be defined as those elements of infrastructure that, if lost, could pose a significant threat to needed supplies (e.g., food, energy, medicines), services (e.g., police, fire, and EMS), and communication or a significant loss of service coverage or efficiency. In this article we introduce two new spatial optimization models called the r-interdiction median problem and the r-interdiction covering problem. Both models identify for a given service/supply system, that set of facilities that, if lost, would affect service delivery the most, depending upon the type of service protocol. These models can then be used to identify the most critical facility assets in a service/supply system. Results of both models applied to spatial data are also presented. Several solutions derived from these two interdiction models are presented in greater detail and demonstrate the degree to which the loss of one or more facilities disrupts system efficiencies or coverage. Recommendations for further research are also made. Key Words: critical infrastructure, facility location, p-median problem, maximal covering, interdiction.

President Bush defined the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks as 'acts of war.' His response was to promulgate policies, domestic and foreign, geared to protect against any future attacks against the United States. He urged swift passage of legislation that delegated vast new powers to the executive branch through the USA Patriot Act and two use-of-force resolutions, issued an executive order authorizing military tribunals, and announced a new national security strategy of preemption. These policies centralized power in the executive branch, and shifted it from Congress and the courts., On March 20, 2003, the day after President George W. Bush initiated the war against Iraq, the following exchange occurred between a reporter and White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer: [...]

The transnational terrorism and some of the collective action issues that it poses in the aftermath of 9/11 attacks, are investigated from alternative view points that include the terrorist group's leaders, suicide bombers, and the targeted government. Other failures on the part of the governments that involve intelligence and duplication of efforts are analyzed. Issues concerning the costs of terrorism, and what works and what does not against terrorism, are addressed.

The bomb blast in Bali that killed over 100 Australian citizens on 11 November 2002 is a series of raids that began in Sydney and Perth in pursuit of an alleged Jemaah Islamiah (JI) cell in Australia. This investigation began in the wake of December 2003 arrests in Singapore of a JI cell planning to attack the Australian high commission.

There has been an emphasis on achieving dominance in information operations in any conflict. However, this emphasis becomes just as important in the fight against terrorism, since terrorists often make use of informtion technology for their own aims.