Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

PDF

University of South Florida

Journal

2009

Sociocultural dynamics in security

Articles 1 - 3 of 3

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Revisiting Downs' Issue-Attention Cycle: International Terrorism And U.S. Public Opinion, Karen K. Petersen Nov 2009

Revisiting Downs' Issue-Attention Cycle: International Terrorism And U.S. Public Opinion, Karen K. Petersen

Journal of Strategic Security

Lamenting the lack of public awareness of international events and U.S. foreign policy is not a particularly novel exercise; yet, explaining the process by which issues enter and exit the public realm remains a challenging endeavor. Despite contributions from researchers working in international relations and mass communication, explaining public inattentiveness continues to vex scholars. However, in his article, "Up and Down with Ecology: The 'Issue-Attention Cycle,'" Anthony Downs provides a parsimonious and tractable model of public opinion that can be applied to foreign policy issues.1 While Downs concerns himself exclusively with domestic issues, particularly environmental issues, his model has thepotential …


Keeping Our Campuses And Communities Safe, Ronald Goodman Sep 2009

Keeping Our Campuses And Communities Safe, Ronald Goodman

Journal of Strategic Security

Since the events of September 11, 2001, the U.S. population has a heightened awareness that tragedies can and do strike ordinary people without warning. The same can be said for the unfortunate abundance of campus shootings, where the next "9/11" occurred in 2007 on the campus of Virginia Tech. And yet, subsequent investigations into these horrific events often reveal that clues existed that might have pointed to the eventual violent outcome. It is unquestionable that to dramatically improve the safety and security of our cities we must rely upon the millions of eyes of our fellow citizens to unearth these …


The Impact Of Psychological-Cultural Factors On Concepts Of Fighting Terrorism, Sybille Reinke De Buitrago Feb 2009

The Impact Of Psychological-Cultural Factors On Concepts Of Fighting Terrorism, Sybille Reinke De Buitrago

Journal of Strategic Security

The aim of this paper is to show how counterterrorism measures and policy are shaped by the national frame of reference of a country, here in particular the United States. This insight is important not only in the interpretation of political developments but also in the formulation of policy responding to these developments. A better awareness of the influence of the American national reference frame can aid policy makers to formulate effective and constructive policy.