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After Orlando: What America Can Learn from Israel's Culture of Preparedness

(National Interest) Kevin Reagan - The Orlando massacre and last December's San Bernardino attack highlight the unsettling reality that there are a plethora of soft targets in the U.S. and that ISIS and their ilk will not hesitate to engage them. In 2009, the Homeland Security Institute (HSI) published a report for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) contrasting the U.S. and Israeli approaches to informing and engaging their civilian populations on counterterrorism and national security. While acknowledging the differences in the nature of the terror threats faced by the two states, the report suggested a number of ways in which the U.S. could benefit from emulating the Israeli example. Terrorism preparedness in Israel is "a joint responsibility whereby government provides proper education to inform its citizens about the threat and survival tactics while the citizens assume responsibility to operationalize a national culture of preparedness as an able and willing partner in emergencies." In fostering a sense of civic responsibility and a culture of preparedness for terrorism from an early age, Israeli society is more accepting and proactive in preparing for attacks and thereby more resilient in recovering from them.
2016-06-15 00:00:00
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