Comparative Homeland Security

Catalog description

This course will introduce students to homeland security analysis and a survey of how different countries address internal security issues. Homeland security is a uniquely structured American concept, so fitting other nations’ policies and practices squarely into the U.S. model would not succeed. Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States embarked on a wholesale reorganization of its internal security and border protection institutions. In parallel, European, and other countries largely preferred to stay with and work within their existing institutional architectures to combat terrorism and respond to other security challenges and disasters, both natural and man-made. Our focus will be on the policies and practices of 10 countries with respect to key areas of homeland security, such as counterterrorism, policing, emergency management, defense support for civil authorities, critical infrastructure protection, cybersecurity, border security, transportation security, and public health.