"National Security Mom" offers the basics of current terrorism trends and national security policymaking from a parent's perspective. Written by a mother of five and 20-year veteran of counterterrorism in the US Intelligence Community, this book de-mystifies the underworld of terrorism and offers a unique comparison of how the super-secret intelligence approach to securing our nation is surprisingly similar to how parents secure their homes and families. By comparing the expertise parents gain while running their households to the skills required to govern, "National Security Mom" empowers America's parents to engage with confidence in the public national security debate. The simple premise, that everything we need to know about securing our nation we have learned from our family life, offers hope that no matter what security challenges America faces, our nation will be proud and secure. We need only follow the guidance we give our children, such as "clean up your own mess," "tell the truth," and "don't give in to a bully," to ensure our nation's welfare. Moms know that the most important lessons they teach their children will last a lifetime. Who better to entrust the security of our nation than mothers?
National Security Mom
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
A Senior Counterterrorism Analyst, Gina Bennett has authored some of the earliest warnings of today's terrorism trends, including the 1993 report that warned of the growing danger of Osama Bin Laden and the extremist movement he was fomenting. Her analysis has been called "prescient," "genius" and "prophetic" by major media and former government officials who recognize the insightfulness of her work nearly a decade later. While serving as the Senior Deputy National Intelligence Officer for Transnational Threats, she was the principal author of the hotly debated 2006 National Intelligence Estimate "Trends in Global Terrorism: Implications for the U.S."
Mom of five, Ms. Bennett is equally comfortable making copies of "Yam Jam" at the elementary school as briefing the President on terrorism trends, and can be seen doing both on the same day. Ms. Bennett says,"For much of my career, I mistakenly led two separate lives--terrorism analyst by day and mom by night. But over the years I realized that everything I ever needed to know about securing our nation I learned as a child and practiced in parenting my own children. By sharing this knowledge and my experience, I hope all mothers will take up the mantle of national security mom in their own communities."
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
PREFACE
National Security Mom: Why "Going Soft" Will Make America Strong
I lead two lives. For years I believed that my life as a terrorism analyst in the United States Intelligence Community and my life as a mom were separate. But after twenty years of government service and fifteen years of parenting, I have realized they are not.
I have been in this "war on terror" for a long time. In 1993, I published a paper warning about Osama Bin Laden and the extremist movement he represents. Ever since, most of what I have done at work has been a secret I could not share with my husband and five kids. But without their support, I would not be able to do all I've done. Over the years I have come to realize that everything I ever needed to know about national security, I learned from them. And all we need to do as a nation to ensure our security is to follow the advice we give our children. If only we had the courage to do it.
So often parenting is all about tough love. We teach our children the hard lessons of life so they are prepared to cope in the real world. This is how we pass on security--by helping them be independent and responsible. I can't help my daughter finish the science project she failed to start if I want her to learn accountability and respons-ibility nor can I teach my son to be proud of who he is if I let him cave in to peer pressure. Teaching our children that life is not fair is hard. And it is also a difficult concept for us to face as Americans. No matter how much we spend on counterterrorism, there will be terrorists. Thousands of men and women will do all they can, but they are not going to be able to prevent all surprises.
We will survive if challenged again because our national security is more enduring than the absence of an attack. If we are on pins and needles, wondering every day if our government is going to be able to stop every plot, is that security? Isn't that the very definition of insecurity--constant fear and anxiety over what might happen?
The strength and security of my family is not dependent upon our home security system. It stems from the good example my husband and I set for our children and the unconditional love we consistently demonstrate. Our nation's security is not dependent upon the lack of terrorist attacks. Our security rests with the endurance of our values and principles of democracy and our commitment to them. Our strength is not the projection of power or the absence of challenge. It is the character our nation demonstrates when challenged that makes America strong and secure.
This book is not intended to be a rigorous, academic treatment of the origins of, or trends in, terrorism. I fully admit there are generalizations and simplifications of the complicated world we live in. This book is also not intended to be a commentary on previous administrations' national security and foreign policies. I do not believe foreign policy and security choices fall neatly into any political party's platform. It is merely the reflections of a mother who has been involved in counterterrorism for a long time. My hope is to encourage others to think about our nation's security in very different terms from the way it is typically depicted by demystifying the issue and describing it in terms that every parent can understand.
I have divided the book into Three Parts:
Part One describes how the rules parents try to live by also apply to making our nation strong and secure.
Part Two offers a discussion of how the lessons we teach our children are appropriate for our nation and imagines a day when our children are America's leaders.
Part Three takes some liberties with famous quotes about parenting to highlight the similarities between parenting and governing a nation. This section is meant to encourage parents, especially mothers who tend to be less inclined to engage in national security and foreign policy debates, to participate in important government decisions.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mom vs Terorism Expert: Different jobs, Similar Goals,
By Melanie K (Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: National Security Mom: Why "Going Soft" Will Make America Strong (Hardcover)
A new book by Gina M. Bennett, a 20-year veteran of the US Intelligence Community and mother of five children, National Security Mom: Why "Going Soft" Will Make America Strong, takes the complicated issues involved in our national security, particularly in the "post 9/11 world," and distills them into easily digestible pieces. The book's unique twist is how Ms. Bennett relates the issues of national security to what goes on in a typical family. That the values that we learned as children and, as parents, are instilling in our own children, are the very same values needed to run government and handle some of the complex issues involved in national security, such as:
* Tell the truth * If you make the mess, you clean it up * Don't give in to a bully * Choose your friends wisely * Learn from your mistakes And of course, the job description for parents also requires an in-depth knowledge of issues such as crisis management, conflict resolution, budgeting and diplomacy. So why aren't there more women in government? On paper, many women--especially mothers--are uniquely suited to participating in government, on whatever level they choose. There are of course other qualifications that must be met--particularly for higher office--but there should be more women serving on city counsels, as mayors, as governors and in Congress. Ms. Bennett pulls this telling statistic from the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University: "In 2008 women hold only 16.3% of the seats in Congress; 16% of the Senate seats; 23.5% of the statewide elective executive offices across the country; 23.7% of the state legislative positions; and of the mayors of the hundred largest cities in America, only eleven are women." She also notes that "We can blame history, the educational system, men, and many other underlying factors for why this is the case. But we also have to ask ourselves whether our disengagement perpetuates the myth that men are somehow more naturally suited to govern." Sure, some days we barely have time to do the laundry and the grocery shopping--where on earth are we going to find time to volunteer at our child's school, much less to run for elected office? I work from home part-time and have only been able to volunteer in my daughter's classroom once. And she's in first grade, so that's two years of not being able to find the time. Because we are living in the "post 9/11 world," Ms. Bennett tackles some of the larger questions that relate directly to her argument that more women, more mothers should be in government: * How much personal freedom are we willing to give up in the name of "security"? * How do we protect our children while making sure that they enjoy the freedoms granted in the Bill of Rights--freedoms we used to take for granted? * The terrorists win if we to afraid to go about our lives as usual. They are generally unpopular even in their own countries and feed off the fear and attention they engender. And as to the title's assertion "Why `Going Soft' Will Make America Strong," "[in matters of national security, foreign policy and counter terrorism] Anything other than belligerent speech is considered to be weak . . . [but] strength and security come from more than just physical might . . . I believe that to resolve problems, we have to understand them first. I prefer to believe that American policies have had bad results in some places rather than sticking my head in the sand. . . . I believe it demonstrates more courage to allow people whose beliefs you reject to have their say; it takes more integrity to admit you've made mistakes; and it takes far more strength to reject change in the face of a threat. I am a mother and that is the strength I know. That is the definition of strength that I will pass to my children so that they understand that there is a balance." I've been a stay-at-home, work-from-home mom for the past six years. In six years I've spent a lot of time in playgroups, at the playground and on play dates. And I've never ceased to be amazed at the number of women who don't think that politics has anything to do with them. But everything that happens in government--from the local, to the state, to the national level has ripples of consequence. Imagine that you're at the park with your child. You go the lake to feed the ducks and your child tosses a rock into the pond. Watch what happens to the ripples. That's politics. And what's at stake? The laws that are passed effect your family; the judiciary, both elected and appointed, and how they interpret those laws; the military--will the draft be reinstated, and where will our soldiers--our sons and daughters--be sent?; the national debt--will our kids and grandchildren really be paying for our excesses? All of it affects us every day. But how does this apply to me? I am the ultimate armchair political junkie. If I don't get an hourly fix--or at least several times a day--I start twitching--particularly in an election year. There's a little panic: What happened? Something must have happened in the time I've been away from my computer. But, other than haranguing friends and a few strangers, and writing a few letters to the editor, I'm a passive audience. I hear "Are you going to get involved? Maybe run for office?" and my answer is always "No." I don't have the time, the mental capacity, the self-confidence, or the ambition. All of those things that I imagine politicians need to be successful. But then I've always thought being involved in government meant running for city counsel and higher. It never occurred to me to start smaller--the PTA? A position on the board of one of my groups? But after reading National Security Mom, I'm at least thinking about it. Because being more involved does matter. To me, to my family, to my children's future.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Read for Everyone,
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This review is from: National Security Mom: Why "Going Soft" Will Make America Strong (Paperback)
One of the most interesting books I have read in years. Anyone who follows the news and foreign affairs should take the opportunity to read this book which provides a unique and personal perspective on government and foreign affairs. As we approach the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 9-11-01, it will be a reminder to all of us of what is at stake.
Mrs. Bennett has taught us many lessons in this book.
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