Preparing for the Next Terrorist Threat: The Failures of September 11th and Bioterrorism

September 11th, 2001, has been described as a day that ‘will live in infamy.’ Similar to Pearl Harbor a generation ago, September 11th awakened a nation to a deadly threat and precipitated a new war. The images of a plane striking the World Trade Centers and smoke bellowing from the flames will forever be etched in our collective memory. Within a single day, the nation seemed to have realized that it had entered another era. As the Bush administration
reacted to the attacks, we heard the new phrase: “War on Terrorism.” As WWII had been the war induced by Pearl Harbor, the War on Terrorism would be our generation’s call to arms. Still, Pearl Harbor and September 11th were attacks perpetrated by two very different types of international actors. While Pearl Harbor was executed by a state actor, albeit dictatorial, September 11th was the design of a non-state actor. The prevalence and impact of non-state actors, such as terrorist groups, has been hailed as a sign of our times.

A month after September 11th, the nation awakened to another threat—bioterrorism. The October anthrax attacks created a sense of panic, awe, and confusion. The federal government was learning about how to respond to bioterrorism as events unfolded. Every day seemed to present another case of anthrax. Every day the authorities seemed uncoordinated and unsure on how to proceed. Still, whether the October attacks will ‘live in infamy’ remains to be seen. The attacks caused few deaths and little, if any, destruction. Nevertheless, the anthrax attacks were similar to those of September 11th in that both were surprise terrorist attacks. However, little work has been done to delineate the relationship between terrorism and surprise attack.

Once potential failures of September 11th have been elucidated, one can derive implications for bioterrorism. However, even before the October anthrax attacks, many of the vulnerabilities suggested by the failures of September 11th have already been presented. Though, little has been written on potential bioterrorism scenarios derived from failures of September 11th. Prior to September 11th, “noise” intended to divert the attention and resources of intelligence agencies. How might “noise” be used to divert or drain resources in a bioterrorism scenario? During the actual attacks on the World Trade Centers, a suicide tactic was used by an unlikely cast of hijackers. How might suicide be useful for the bioterrorist?
Finally, the terrorists of September 11th used multiple planes as multiple waves of attack. How might a similar strategy be used in a two-wave bioterrorism attack scenario? Overall, I ask the question: Can the theoretical frames used to explain failures of September 11th be used to explain possible scenarios in bioterrorism?