Final Warning: Averting Disaster in the New Age of Terrorism

Delineates the use, methods, and results of the seemingly norm of terrorism, and the lack of defense to combat the danger

The authors argue that terrorism is becoming the norm of global conflict, that there are virtually no safeguards against terrorist acquisition of biological, chemical or radiological weapons components, that key "choke" points such as electrical power stations, gas pipelines, water reservoirs, the food chain, are vulnerable to attack. Maintaining that television amplifies the effects of terrorist actions, they predict that the role of the news media as a whole will become increasingly controversial. Although they list methods to improve crisis management, Kupperman, adviser to the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., and Kamen, a Washington correspondent, conclude that there is little to prevent terrorists from targeting domestic soft spots, there are only ways of coping with their attacks. Frightening and precise, the book's warnings sound a resonant alarm.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Throughout the 1980s, terrorism gained both in sophistication and execution. In this book, Kupperman, a security expert, and Kamen, a journalist, chide the West for doing little to avert future catastrophes. They recommend that airports be closed to non-passengers, urge a stockpiling of generators and heavy machinery to replace crippled equipment, and contend that our computer and transportation networks remain vulnerable. Because of the authors' sweeping assertions, their book often lacks objectivity. They focus on retaliation and fail to address terrorism's political dimensions. They call on the United States to adopt the Israeli model without warning that, despite draconian measures, Israel still is not immune to acts of violence. More balanced assessments are provided by Robin Wright's Sacred Rage ( LJ 11/15/85) and Terrorism, Ideology and Revolution , edited by Noel O'Sullivan (Westview Pr., 1986).
- Joseph A. Kechichian, Univ. of Virginia, Charlottesville
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.