The Shield and the Cloak: The Security of the Commons

Gary Hart has long been one of the nation's foremost experts on national security, with first-hand experience of the political realities that shape foreign policy. In this thought-provoking book, in clear, simple prose, Hart outlines the fundamental changes which America must make to counter the present terrorist threat. He argues for a security of the commons, contending that to counter terrorism we need both a shield for the homeland as well as a cloak of non-military security, including security of income, community, environment, and energy.

Gary Hart represented Colorado in the U.S. Senate from 1975 to 1987. He is the author of seventeen books, has taught at Yale, and lectured at the University of California and Oxford University, where he earned a doctor of philosophy degree in politics in 2001. As co-chair of the U.S. Commission on National Security for the 21st Century, he was credited with forecasting a 9/11-type attack. He resides with his family in Kittredge, Colorado.