Document Actions
Lessons from the Failed Homeland Security Advisory System
Title: Lessons from the Failed Homeland Security Advisory System
Date: Fall 2007
Author: Jacob N. Shapiro and Dara Kay Cohen
Institution: International Security
Bibliographic Entry: Shapiro, Jacob N. and Dara Kay Cohen. “Lessons from the Failed Homeland Security Advisory System.” International Security, Vol. 32, No. 2 (Fall 2007), pp. 121–154. http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/international_security/v032/32.2shapiro.pdf (Accessed January 14, 2008).
Electronic Link: http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/international_security/v032/32.2shapiro.pdf
Key Words: homeland security advisory system, terrorism
Summary of Key Points, Issues, Conclusions:
This article examines the Homeland Security Advisory System’s effectiveness, problems, and courses of action. It argues that because of our government structure, there are two ways to motivate citizens to take protective actions: share specific threat information or generate confidence in the alert system. The first section describes the Homeland Security Advisory System, examines its origins, and outlines its gradual failure. The second section briefly explores terrorism alert systems in other nations. The third section examines the logic and purposes of terror alerts. The fourth section analyzes three key weaknesses of the HSAS: (1) contradictions and tensions inherent in the system reduce its credibility and can lead to unexpected actions by both government and private-sector participants; (2) HSAS is extremely sensitive to wrong assumptions because it does not contain defined actions; and (3) the complexity of the system can lead to unexpected secondary effects. The fifth section develops our alternative system using “procedural fairness” which is preferable because it maximizes trust without revealing potentially damaging information.
Name of Researcher: Katie Stout
Institution: Integrative Center for Homeland Security, Texas A&M University
Date Posted: January 23, 2007