Reports & Papers

Urgent actions are needed to prevent a nuclear or radiological 9/11.  Terrorists are actively seeking nuclear weapons and Radiological Dispersal Devices (RDDs) and the materials to make them.  There are scores of sites where the essential ingredients of nuclear weapons exist, in dozens of countries worldwide.  There are thousands of sites worldwide where radiological materials exist.  Many of these sites are not sufficiently secured to defeat the kinds of threats that terrorists and criminals have demonstrated they can pose.  A dangerous gap remains between the urgency of the threat of nuclear and radiological terrorism and the scope and pace of the U.S. and world response.  While the gap has narrowed significantly in recent years, much more needs to be done.  This paper describes the nuclear and radiological terrorism threats, analyzes the actions taken so far to address these threats, and recommends further actions going forward.

Nearly five years after the terrorist attacks of September 11, has the government adequately protected its citizens against terrorism and catastrophic disaster?

To the extent it ever existed, the network of individuals and organizations concerned with community development in New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina was ineffective and inadequately supported.  The complexity of economic and social challenges facing the city overwhelmed its capacity to respond. These challenges included a declining population, stagnant economy, highly concentrated poverty, and one of the country’s highest rates of violent crime. The difficulty in establishing an effective system of community development organizations was exacerbated by the city’s changing economic structure towards a dependence on low-wage service sector employment.