A False Sense of Insecurity?

[TWAnr]

A False Sense of Insecurity?

John Mueller holds the Woody Hayes Chair of National Security Studies at the Mershon Center at Ohio State University. His most recent book, The Remnants of War, has just been published by Cornell University Press.

[Excerpt]

For all the attention it evokes, terrorism actually causes rather little damage and the likelihood that any individual will become a victim in most places is microscopic. Those adept at hyperbole like to proclaim that we live in “the age of terror.â€￾ However, while obviously deeply tragic for those directly involved, the number of people worldwide who die as a result of international terrorism is generally only a few hundred a year, tiny compared to the numbers who die in most civil wars or from automobile accidents. In fact, in almost all years, the total number of people worldwide who die at the hands of international terrorists anywhere in the world is not much more than the number who drown in bathtubs in the United States.

Until 2001, far fewer Americans were killed in any grouping of years by all forms of international terrorism than were killed by lightning, and almost none of those terrorist deaths occurred within the United States itself. Even with the September 11 attacks included in the count, the number of Americans killed by international terrorism since the late 1960s (which is when the State Department began counting) is about the same as the number of Americans killed over the same period by lightning, accident-causing deer, or severe allergic reaction to peanuts.

 

[Gilding the Lily]

A False Sense of Insecurity?

John Mueller holds the Woody Hayes Chair of National Security Studies at the Mershon Center at Ohio State University. His most recent book, The Remnants of War, has just been published by Cornell University Press.

[Excerpt]

While I agree that *death* by terrorism is highly unlikely, this excerpt (the rest of the book likely covers it) ignores the fact that terrorism causes damage other than death. What about the potential damage to our economy and communal peace of mind... not to mention the potential damage to our personal liberty and freedom due to overzealous-but-good-willed politicians.

In fact, the definition of terrorism lends itself to the conclusion that the *damage* that should be studied is the amount of fear that the American people are currently living in.

I have not read the book, but I assume that the author studies whether the amount of fear and terror currently held by the American people is justified by the remote - and highly unlikely - possibility of being killed by a terrorist attack.

Furthermore, I get the feeling from this excerpt, that the author ultimately concludes that the current state of fear is not justified by the low likelihood of *damage* by terror.

 

[TWAnr]

Based upon Gilding the Lily's response, a brief clarification appears to be in order.

This excerpt is not from John Mueller's book "The Remnants of War," but from his article A False Sense of Insecurity?, which appeared in Regulation Magazine, a publication of the Cato Institute.

Click on the above link, or on the link in the original post, to read the complete article.

 

[Gilding the Lily]

Oops. Thanks for the clarification. My fault.

However, now that I have read the article, I find that my assessment of the author's argument was not too far off.

Interesting stuff... thanks for the link!

 

[UAL_TECH]

OSU Professor of Political Science :blink:

John Mueller holds the Woody Hayes Chair of National Security Studies

Ordained by a 'Great' football coach.

B) UT