Skip to main content
Support
Article

Bombs, Plots, and Laws

Barbara Falk

The Boston Marathon bombing highlighted two issues long debated by legislators and security professionals in the wake of 9/11 and the now infamous “Global War on Terror” initiated by President George W. Bush…

First, the danger of the “enemy within”—supposedly “homegrown” terrorists who are simultaneously alienated and radicalized, often with the help of the Internet. Second, the difficult task faced by law enforcement and intelligence agencies in uncovering such low-tech plots in advance. After all, with a 24 hour news cycle and an inevitable media feeding frenzy, even a relatively low number of casualties (say, compared with the civil war in Syria) can have a high impact. Especially given a target which is already an over-hyped media event.

Read more here

About the Author

Barbara Falk

Barbara Falk

Former Public Policy Scholar;
Associate Professor, Department of Defence Studies, Canadian Forces College (Toronto)
Read More

Canada Institute

The mission of the Wilson Center's Canada Institute is to raise the level of knowledge of Canada in the United States, particularly within the Washington, DC policy community.  Research projects, initiatives, podcasts, and publications cover contemporary Canada, US-Canadian relations, North American political economy, and Canada's global role as it intersects with US national interests.  Read more