Terrorism, Asymmetric Warfare, and Weapons of Mass Destruction: Defending the U.S. Homeland (CSIS) (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "The tragic attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001 have made it all too clear that wars do not..." (more)
Key Phrases: different biological weapons, net technical assessment, independent extremists, United States, State Department, Department of Defense (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A comprehensive and prescient guide. ... [This] important work heralds an era when pragmatic concentration on our own security is not neo-isolationism, but the foundation of a more realistic internationalism.”–The New York Times Book Review

Product Description

New threats require new thinking. State attacks involving long-range missiles or conventional military forces are not the only threat to the U.S. homeland. Covert attacks by state actors, state use of proxies, independent terrorist and extremist attacks by foreign groups or individuals--and even by residents of the United States--are significant issues for future U.S. security. In this comprehensive work, Cordesman offers a range of recommendations, from reevaluating what constitutes a threat and bolstering homeland defense measures, to improving resource allocation and sharpening intelligence.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 456 pages
• Publisher: Praeger; 1 edition (November 30, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275974278
• ISBN-13: 978-0275974275
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #898,731 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Textbook, April 1, 2002

By	Andrew S. Rogers (Seattle, Washington) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

If you were to teach a graduate seminar in 'homeland defense,' you could make a strong case for using this book as your teaching text. It's an extremely comprehensive look at the topic, with sections on everything from risk analysis to the roles of various state and federal agencies. It also scores high on Buzzword Bingo -- featuring not only the title phrases 'weapons of mass destruction,' 'asymmetric,' and 'homeland' (who ever used that term prior to September 11?) but other current insider jargon like jointness, CBRN, proxies, and learning curve. Civil and military aspects of the 'homeland defense' question are all thoroughly covered.

If there is a deficiency, it's in discussing the larger context in which attacks are likely to occur. Cordesman posits a world in which threats exist, and the decision-maker has to prepare for, detect, counter, and respond to them. What's missing is an analysis of why threats exist in the first place -- in the plaintive wail of the headline writers, 'Why do they hate us?' Might not finding ways to get 'Them' to hate us less be an element of 'homeland defense' as well? Assessing HOW we're at risk without also figuring out WHY strikes me as akin to trying to fix a leaky bathtub without first turning off the faucet.

But within the narrower focus of Cordesman's book, he does a very thorough job. I can imagine this title showing up on a lot of desks in Washington, D.C., and that's probably a good thing.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hits the nail on the head!, October 25, 2004

By	M. Conrad Hunter (Southern California) - See all my reviews

Anthony H. Cordesman's Terrorism, Asymmetric Warfare, and Weapons of Mass Destruction: Defending the U.S. Homeland is a text I assign as the centerpiece for a Law Enforcement Intelligence course. This very comprehensive work covers the main elements for an actionable policy against threats both foreign and domestic.

Possibly the most significant aspects of the volume are the merging of the historically polar fields of military and civilian security forces, and erasing the line between national security and foreign defense policy.

Cordesman focuses less on winning the war, and more on sustaining the peace. This is accomplished by first, encouraging a government policy that the military take a lower profile, requiring the police to shoulder a greater portion of the responsibility for peacekeeping.

Second, there is a much greater emphasis on special operations, which focus on the primary objective, i.e., to achieve containment and in particular limiting the appeal of the extremists to their likely sympathizers, even if total elimination may be unachievable.

Additionally, the book identifies consistent, and prescient factors, which strongly influence the likelihood of success in a counterinsurgency campaign. These include, but are not limited to the following:
· Geopolitical conditions, such as whether there are bordering states sympathetic to the guerrillas in order to give them a haven and a supply base.
· Multiple fronts, which the government must concern itself. The availability of highly trained military and police are necessary to combat small, highly mobile or embedded guerrillas. The more entrenched, and therefore, the more legitimized the insurgency becomes, the more difficult it becomes to undermine their activities, funding, recruitment and support from the population.
· Ethnic and religious homogeneity of the indigenous population. The population must be won over to support the government.
· The importance of intelligence in a counterinsurgency war cannot be over-emphasized; and this includes a deep understanding and appreciation of the time and effort required to develop and cultivate sources. There is and never will be, a substitute for HUMINT.

Defending the U.S. Homeland depicts a pragmatic policy comprised of a mailed fist, properly coordinated with a velvet glove, heart-and-minds campaign. Undoubtedly, guarding against future transnational crime and terrorist threats, indicate a need for greater communication and flexibility in both U.S. intelligence operations and policy.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrorism, Asymmetric Threats, and Weapons of Mass Destruct, March 11, 2002

By	James M. Williams (Wasilla, AK United States) - See all my reviews

Originally I bought this book looking for information concerning National Missile Defense. It did not hit the mark, but it IS an excellent source of information on international threats to the US. I recommend it to all in the new Homeland Defense Administration and all the National Guard Civil Support Teams. Mr. Cordesman covers risk assessments, threat assessment and prioritization, types of anticipated attacks and how to respond, Federal efforts (by department and agency) to establish homeland defense, lessons learned, and final recommendations.