Overblown : how politicians and the terrorism industry inflate national security threats, and why we believe them / John Mueller.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 223-244) and index.

Pt. I. Terrorism's impact. The limited destructiveness of terrorism ; Overacting to terrorism: the terrorism industry. -- Pt. II. Historical comparisons. Dates of infamy: Pearl Harbor and 9/11 ; Cold War, containment, and conspiracy ; Nuclear fears, Cold War terrorism, and devils du jour ; Disorderliness in the New World order. -- Pt. III. Approaching terror and terrorism. An alternative terrorism policy: absorbing, policing, reducing fear, avoiding overreaction ; Terrorism and terror.

Why have there been no terrorist attacks in the United States since 9/11? It is easy for a single person with a bomb-filled backpack to launch an attack. So why hasn't it happened? The answer is surely not Homeland Security, which cannot stop terrorists, legally or otherwise; surely not the Iraq war, which has stoked the hatred of Muslim extremists around the world. Is it possible that there are no al-Qaeda terrorists here? Is it possible that the war on terror has been a radical overreaction to a rare event? We have gone to war in two countries and killed tens of thousands; we have launched a massive domestic wiretapping program and created vast databases of information once considered private; the terrorism industry and its allies in the White House and Congress have preyed on our fears and caused enormous damage. It is time to rethink the entire enterprise.--From publisher description.