Terror, Security, and Money
Balancing the Risks, Benefits, and Costs of Homeland Security
Published on 15. December 2011
Book
Paperback/Softback
280 pages
978-0-19-979576-5 (ISBN)
Description
In the years following 9/11, the United States spent billions and billons on powerful surveillance and security systems and created a massive new government agency, the Department of Homeland Security. John Mueller, one of America's most trenchant critics of America's drive for enhanced security at all costs, has argued that while these measures have largely been unnecessary, the public succumbed to an alarmist media and a shrewd governmental scare campaign and came to support these measures. The price, Mueller has contended, has been a massive misallocation of resources. In previous books, Mueller focused on why national security threats are 'overblown,' but in Terrorism, Security, and Money, he teams up with Mark Stewart, a civil engineering professor and recognized authority on risk assessment for the built infrastructure, to put forth a more rational and cost-effective approach to managing domestic security. Instead of offering a critical account of the situation we're in, Mueller and Stewart instead focus on providing solutions based on the risk assessment science. After cataloguing the mistakes that the US has made (and continues to make), like spending wildly on ill-considered plans to mitigate unlikely threats, they offer tools-based probabilistic risk assessment that have the potential to redirect our efforts toward a more productive--and far more cost-effective--course.
Reviews / Votes
Our political and media systems often seem paralyzed or even deranged by the prospect of terrorism. Very few people can talk rationally about the threat, the possible defenses, and what we gain and lose through increased security measures. John Mueller and Mark Stewart are notable exceptions. If you wonder whether airport security really makes sense, or how much is enough in protecting against attacks, consider the calm and convincing case they lay out in this book. * James Fallows, The Atlantic * Just when you thought that nothing more could be said about the war on terror, John Mueller and Mark Stewart offer a brilliant new analysis and call to action, filled with insight, intelligence, and sharp writing. It's one of the rare books for which one can say that every politician and informed citizen should read it. * Steven Pinker, Harvard College Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of The Better Angels of our Nature * Terror, Security, and Money is enlightening, hard-hitting, and packed with common sense. Mueller and Stewart's evenhanded analysis of homeland security's costs and benefits is essential reading for anyone concerned whether our massively expensive security regime is worth the price. * Bruce Schneier * Overall, Mueller and Stewart have moved the ball forward quite a bit. Their assumptions are reasonable, their analysis cautions... * Political Science Quarterly *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Illustrations
30 line, 10 b&w illus.
Dimensions
Height: 237 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
372 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-979576-5 (9780199795765)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
John Mueller | Mark Stewart
Terror, Security, and Money
Balancing the Risks, Benefits, and Costs of Homeland Security
Book
12/2011
Oxford University Press Inc
€145.00
Shipment within 15-20 days
John Mueller | Mark G. Stewart
Terror, Security, and Money
Balancing the Risks, Benefits, and Costs of Homeland Security
E-Book
11/2011
OUP eBook
€13.49
Available for download
John Mueller | Mark G. Stewart
Terror, Security, and Money
Balancing the Risks, Benefits, and Costs of Homeland Security
E-Book
10/2011
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€17.49
Available for download
Persons
John Mueller is Woody Hayes Chair of National Security Studies, and Professor of Political Science at Ohio State University. He is the author of Atomic Obsession (OUP 2009).
Mark Stewart is Professor of Civil Engineering and Director of the Centre for Infrastructure Performance and Reliability at the University of Newcastle in Australia.
Mark Stewart is Professor of Civil Engineering and Director of the Centre for Infrastructure Performance and Reliability at the University of Newcastle in Australia.
Author
Chair of National Security Studies; Professor of Political ScienceChair of National Security Studies; Professor of Political Science, Ohio State University
Professor of Civil Engineering; Director of the Centre for Infrastructure Performance and ReliabilityProfessor of Civil Engineering; Director of the Centre for Infrastructure Performance and Reliability, University of Newcastle
Content
Preface ; Chapter 1: Assessing Risk ; Chapter 2: Terrorism as a Hazard to Human Life ; Chapter 3: The Full Costs of Terrorism ; Chapter 4: Evaluating Homeland Security Spending ; Chapter 5: Protecting the Homeland: Some Parameters ; Chapter 6: Homeland Protection: Infrastructure ; Chapter 7: Protecting the Airlines ; Chapter 8: Assessing Policing, Mitigation, Resilience ; Chapter 9: Conclusions and Political Realities ; Appendix: The Risk Assessment Process