NCJ Number
215502
Journal
Journal of Police Crisis Negotiations Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Dated: 2006 Pages: 69-92
Date Published
2006
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This article examines the political purpose underlying the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001 (9-11) through an analysis of the major assumptions dominating the thinking about terrorism.
Abstract
The author argues that the 9-11 attacks were symbolic targets for Osama bin Laden, designed to make the United States look weak. In response, the United States attacked a symbolic target in the Middle East--Iraq--to send a message that the United States would strike back. In order to test the assumption that terrorism is difficult to achieve, the author conducted a reconnaissance operation that illustrated the ease with which several potential targets could be vulnerable to terrorist attacks, including a water pumping station, large electrical transmission towers and transformers, and a large suburban mall. Three examples of recent disasters are presented to demonstrate the fragility of our social system: a plot by anti-government militants to blow up two propane tanks near Sacramento, CA; an overturned truck on a Chicago expressway that caused toxic fumes; and a small fire in a telephone exchange company building in Chicago. Each disaster resulted in major upheavals and were costly to repair. The analysis involved an examination of 17 key questions regarding terrorism and the attacks of 9-11. Questions included: (1) is terrorism difficult to achieve; (2) can airline security stop terrorism; (3) were the 9-11 hijackings a sophisticated plot? (4) were the attacks carried out with “military-like precision;” (5) are suicide bombers mentally ill; (6) were the 9-11 attacks expensive; (7) was 9-11 a product of a clash of cultures; (8) is terrorism a threat to our national security; (9) did we suffer a “terrible blow” on 9-11; (10) can Osama bin Laden defeat the United States Government; (11) what is the goal of terrorism; (12) why is bin Laden so enraged at the United States; (13) will eliminating Osama bin Laden put an end to terrorism; and (14) is the war on terror a political war? Notes