Posted: June 19th, 2015

Topic: MATRIX-Terrorism

Name:

Course:

Tutor:

Date:

Part 1:

Topic: The role of Homeland security in protecting the nation against WMDs

Research question: How does Homeland security protect the nation from WMDs as well as providing early detection and early warnings of bio-terrorist attacks?

In all cases, terrorist attacks usually have direct costs to both the society and the government. The attacks usually seek for overreactions like sympathy gains for terrorists and reduced strength of politics and the government in the attacked country. Such effects normally legitimize terrorist groups. They can be minimized by prioritizing on security efforts and avoiding promises of a great security. Focusing on homeland security can protect civil liberties and reduce chances of terrorist attacks.

Part 2

Why I chose the topic

The primary reason for choosing the topic was to understand how homeland security promotes early detection and warning of attacks and how this can protect a nation from terrorist attacks. Currently, terrorism is on the rise and most terrorist groups recruit members using internet, which has increased the number of terrorists globally. The terrorists also use the internet for planning attacks. Researching on homeland security would facilitate an understanding how domestic security can take part to monitor terrorist activities both online and physically to prevent the attacks (Herrmann 3).

The other reason for is to understand how the information gathered through homeland security can be used to protect a nation from terrorist attacks that involve the use of WMDs. The protection against terrorist attacks could prevent the legitimization of terrorist groups through preventing the waste of blood treasure and eliminating the need for directions that may follow the wrong path, thus resulting in sympathy gains for terrorists. It could also strengthen the political order of a nation, thus ensuring right responses when various challenges are encountered (Herrmann 4).

Reasons for interests in finding the true answers to the question

With true answers to the research question, I would be able to inform an action. The study is aimed at contextualizing the findings within a larger research body. The true answers would produce applicable knowledge in strengthening prevention programs against terrorism at the national level. Homeland Security Department could use the findings of the study and translate them into practice to strengthen security of the nation because the study is aligned to the needs of policy makers and the public.

The study will be well-conducted, which makes it vital to the success of security endeavors of nations in the global scene. The true answers to the research questions will form a foundation for developing programs that can be translated to effective global policies against terrorist attacks involving the use of WMDs. The responses can only be found through empirical research that would prevent the theorization of various measures that could be effective or might work; the answers can be obtained through conducting a study that would produce quality information that is useful in basing policy decisions (Russell & John 56). Consequently, the problem of terrorism will effectively be addressed.

Furthermore, finding the true answers to the study would enhance my knowledge on the importance of early detection and warning in preventing security attacks. Through the study, I will be able to understand how various state departments use the warning information to design responses to planned attacks so as to prevent the attacks (Russell & John 56). Furthermore, it would enhance my knowledge on how the early detection and warnings are used to prevent the progression of terrorist activities in a state.

Key stakeholders of the research project

The Homeland Security Department is a major stake in the research project because it will be used to gather information on how it protects citizens from WMDs (Congress and the Nation 942). The research will enable the members of the department to understand the importance of early detection and warning of bio-terrorist attacks. Consequently, they will improve their commitment to improve the mechanisms of detection and warning before the actual attacks, thus improving the security of the public in general. The current measures taken by the department are based on initial findings. The study will provide the department with fresh knowledge to advance the policies to make them more effective and practical.

The other stake interested in the study is health department concerned with the prevention of bio-terrorism. The study will enable them understand the importance of early detection of diseases and other health threatening agents that could be used by terrorists in their activities to harm the citizens of a particular nation (Congress and the Nation 942). Consequently, they would be encouraged to enhance their systems of disease surveillance to detect the abnormal patterns taken by some diseases and injuries. This would enable the government to invest in resources necessary in the effective response of the rarely explained diseases. Early detection could also help health departments to administer effective treatment at the right time in case the terrorists are successful with their bio-terrorism plans. This would reduce the chances of transmitting the agents.

Finally, the citizens are also stakeholders in the research because they are the primary targets of terrorist attacks. Their interest in the research could enable them understand the importance of early detection and warnings. Consequently, they would collaborate with the security departments to detect terrorist activities within a society early enough before the actual occurrence. Besides enabling the security departments to respond effectively to the attacks, citizens could enhance security by participating in early detection and warning activities, which could reduce their vulnerabilities to the attacks (Congress and the Nation 942).

Additional smaller questions that could help in answering the questions

1. What is the role of homeland security in protecting the nation from weapons of mass destruction
2. What are the benefits of early detection in protecting a nation from WMDs?
3. Do early warnings of bio-terrorist attacks enhance the ability of homeland security to protect the nation from WMDs?

Assumptions brought to the project

The project has three key assumptions. First, the level of national preparedness is idealized and it is possible to achieve high levels of preparedness to respond to events of significance to a state regardless of their form or origin. This is through conducting an in-depth research to establish the true answers to the research question. The other assumption is that the government has the key role of influencing national policies for preparedness by providing government agencies with resources for developing effective policies. The resources could either be financial or technical. Finally, homeland security policies in early detection and early warning of bioterrorism are coherent and reflect on the involvement of the government in the development and implementation of the policies (Clovis).

The experiences that have shaped the way I think about the assumptions is the analysis of past studies that have led to the development of effective homeland security policies and the belief that the government plays an important role in implementing policies (Clovis). An analysis of various policies related to the study reveals why the assumptions are relevant and can make homeland security to be responsible in building resilience in the community and raising preparedness for detection and warning at early stages.

Before beginning to work on the project, I thought that the homeland security policies in early detection and early warning of bioterrorism were incoherent, which is the reason behind the failure of some policies in combating the use of WMDs by terrorists. However, by analyzing various studies to develop and implement a policy, I have realized that they are coherent and reflect on the government’s involvement to implement developed policies. Some policies fail due to inadequate resources in the development process, especially when the government is not wholly involved. I also thought that the key role of the government was the implementation of policies alone. I now understand that the government provides resources and other supportive mechanisms to promote the development of effective resources (Clovis).

Lessons learnt

One of the key lessons learnt from the preliminary research is that homeland security has the ability to protect a nation from WMDs through early detection and warning of bio-terrorist attacks. Another lesson is that most policies are based on empirical studies that usually give the true condition of a particular problem affecting the society. Moreover, studies leading to the development and implementation of policies are based on specific assumptions that determine their scope and applicability. If flawed assumptions are used in a study, the policy developed afterwards is likely to be ineffective.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Clovis, Samuel. “Promises Unfulfilled: The Suboptimization of Homeland Security National Preparedness.” Homeland Security Affairs Vol. 4 No. 3, 2008. https://www.hsaj.org/articles/116

Congress and the Nation 2001-2004: Politics and Policy in the 107th and 108th Congresses. Washington: Congressional Quarterly Service, 2006. Print.

Herrmann, Jeffrey W. Handbook of Operations Research for Homeland Security. New York: Springer, 2013. Print.

Russell, Brenda, and John Purcell. Online Research Essentials: Implementing and Designing Research Studies. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2009. Print.