- Introduction
The fear of the unknown can paralyze a nation. For instance, during the early parts of the Cold War (1945-1990), despite US’ humanitarian efforts, there was the Red Scare or era of general fear of communists. Joseph McCarthy (1908-1957), an American politician, for example, even unscrupulously accused many U.S. citizens of being communists. He started the ‘witch-hunting’ of supposed communists and communist spies, which later became most familiarly known as McCarthyism (Storrs, 2013). Winston Churchill (1874-1965), a British national leader, aptly described the situation as the Iron Curtain or the impenetrable ideological barrier that demarcated democratic and communist countries, especially between the then only two world superpowers: America and Soviet Union.
The above scenario greatly influenced international relations between US and USSR, as well as, their proxy states and other countries. Because of the rigid secrecy and censorship in information and communication made by the US and USSR as they raced for being more scientifically, technologically, politically, etc. superior, rumours had it that there could be possible nuclear attacks. In spite of all that, by the 1950s and 1960s, the government successfully implemented a national education program to help citizens understand what they should do in the event America was attacked with nuclear weapons. These days, there are new threats associated with a variety of terrorism hazards and the need to implement new public national education program or campaign, as I will expound below:
- Body
In connection to the above, the government successfully implemented a national education program during the 1950s and 1960s for any possible nuclear weapon attacks to the US. The public became properly educated about the things that they should do in case the enemies of the US launched nuclear assaults. Today, the same thing goes, but at a much greater risks and complexities because terrorism has branched out into a variety of terrorism hazards. Not only is it about nuclear weaponry these days, but also bio-chemical terrorism, cyber-terrorism, eco-terrorism, explosive terrorism, narcotic terrorism, state-sponsored terrorism, theological terrorism, and other forms of foreign organized terrorism, wherein any of them could turn out to be a “top threat facing US Defense” (e.g., cyberwarfare) (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2014; Fryer-Biggs, 2014, p. 6).
Given the hazards associated with these various faces of terrorism, the role education plays is as relevant and important as ever. There is always a need for an informed public so that when such events take place, people will be prepared. As a result, the public’s fear will be reduced even before disasters occur. Hence, it is important to design better ways of properly implementing a public or national education program and campaign that will most likely to work in times of possible various terrorism hazards. A public anti-terrorism program or campaign should counter the possibility of plans and acts of biochemical terrorism, cyber terrorism, eco-terrorism, explosive terrorism, narcotic terrorism, nuclear terrorism, state-sponsored terrorism, theological terrorism, other foreign organized terrorism, and other possible accompanying.
The US government should hire anti-terrorism experts in its various agencies that will continue to deal with various forms of anti-terrorism. The anti-terrorism experts should develop plans for the public to stay informed about precautionary and protective anti-terrorism measures before, during, and after an emergency. The agencies, together with the U.S. Department of Education and the communities, should work together in making better disaster preparedness plans, kits, and other resources. School officials should be given other anti-terrorism resources concerning preparedness, drills, seminars, or training. Likewise, there is always a need for updated “War on Terrorism” materials and other resources for the general public, whether over the Web, in government offices, and school kiosks.
Specifically, keys to the public anti-terrorism hazard education programs are the various government agencies that collaborate with the US Department of Education and its various educational institutions of learning in their fight against terrorism in the long term (Fight terrorism long term, 2014). The available and updated anti-terrorism materials and resources should provide information regarding evacuation to safety of oneself and family. Likewise, other than emergency alerts and response prior, during or after a pandemic (e.g., biochemical warfare, nuclear blast), there should be options for protection (e.g., foreign-initiated organized terrorism attack), community and alternative plans, and suchlike (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). Further, information should also cover on how to recover from any disaster caused by any of the terrorism hazards.
In order to attract a wide audience for this national education campaign against terrorism, the inter-collaboration among the various government agencies and educational learning institutions is through awareness and information drive. The government agencies and schools can sponsor or host contests in the development of educational apps about anti-terrorism, but should be careful about issues of racial profiling, for instance (Apuzzon, 2014). Winning students from various parts of the US will win prizes. Then, the public can use the apps freely by simply downloading them from Apple Store, Google Android Store, etc. By doing so, it is easy to target intended audience and even people across the world. The proceeds from the apps that were subsequently owned by and from the government-sponsored app development contests can then be used for other various sustainable anti-terrorism programs and campaigns without issues regarding breach to privacy and security (Gartenstein-Ross, 2014).
- Conclusion
These days, a successfully implemented national education program is necessary to reduce the fear that the public feel about various terrorism hazards. A single entity or organization, whether in the government or private sector, cannot do it alone. Even a well-planned, well-developed, and well-implemented national anti-terrorism education program or campaign is not enough without support from the various government and non-governmental sectors of our society. Hence, the general and specific information about the public education program given above is just a start. Nonetheless, it provides the blueprint in the development and sustainability of a government program that could impact not only the world, but mostly especially, countries and groups whose aim is to spread fear in the hearts of people through terrorism.
References
Apuzzo, M. (2014, January 16). U.S. Move Seen To Add Limits Over Profiling. (Cover story). New York Times. pp. A1-A14.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014). Emergency Response Resources: Terrorism Response. Retrieved from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/emres/terrorresp.html
Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2014). Terrorism. Retrieved from http://m.fema.gov/terrorism
Fight terrorism long term. (2014). Army Times, 74(32), 36.
Fryer-Biggs, Z. (2014). Poll: Cyberwarfare Is Top Threat Facing US. Defense News, 29(1), 6-8.
Gartenstein-Ross, D. (2014). Safer Now? (cover story). America, 210(13), 12-16.
Storrs, L. (2013). The Second Red Scare and the Unmaking of the New Deal Left. New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
