Fears of Terrorism Are Unjustified - by Leon Hadar

Leon Hadar writes:

"Not only should terrorism be seen as a marginal threat in geostrategic terms, it could also prove to be a rather limited and manageable problem as far as domestic security in the US and other countries is concerned, argues John Mueller, the head of security studies at Ohio State University...

"Prof. Mueller... contends that '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.' The number of people worldwide who die as a result of terrorism is generally only a few hundred a year – tiny compared to the numbers who die in car accidents and is closer to the number who drown in bathtubs in the United States...

"In a way, terrorists force us to redirect resources from sensible programs and future growth in order to pursue unachievable but politically popular levels of domestic security. From that perspective, the terrorists have won an important victory that mortgaged our future. For example, measures that delay airline passengers by half an hour could cost the American economy $15 billion a year.

"What is needed is not a declaration of 'a war' on terrorism, not to mention the sense of hysteria that is advanced by politicians in the media, but a convincing, coherent, and nuanced answer to several questions...

" 'How much should I be willing to pay for a small reduction in probabilities that are already extremely low?'

" 'How much should I be willing to pay for actions that are primarily reassuring but do little to change the actual risk?'

"The message that officials in Washington seem to be sending these days to the American public is: Be scared; be very, very scared – but go on with your lives.

"Such messages, as one critic put it, have helped create 'a false sense of insecurity.'

"And that is exactly what the terrorists with their limited resources and power want to achieve."

Fears of Terrorism Are Unjustified - by Leon Hadar