ABSTRACT
Homeland security strategy-the focal point of the chapters in this volume-is in the broadest understanding a response to threats of all kinds, although the focus in the United States since 9/11 primarily has been on the real-and-present dangers of terrorist attacks. The authors in this volume are responding to what they see as strategic deficiencies in thinking about homeland security-the apparent absence of coherent strategy, not to mention one that is comprehensive, dynamic, and an effective guide policy makers can use for dealing with terrorist or other threats to the homeland. The central question contributors to this volume undertake is the strategic quest-an exploration of factors central to the formulation and implementation of a comprehensive and dynamic homeland security strategy responsive to changes in threats posed to the United States. Terrorism as a form of political violence is the principal threat we consider in this volume, although we also take account of natural disasters that inform consideration of all hazards (or all consequences) regardless of whether the causes are human or due to natural phenomena.
