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Contributing RAND Divisions and Centers

• Center for Domestic and International Health Security
• Center for Global Risk and Security
• Center for Middle East Public Policy
• Center for Terrorism Risk Management
• Homeland Security Program
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Featured Publication

Publications may be purchased online, or downloaded for free.

What You Should Do to Prepare for and Respond to Chemical, Radiological, Nuclear, and Biological Terrorist Attacks — Pocket Edition Survival Guide

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Terrorism and Homeland Security

For over 30 years, RAND has been a world leader in terrorism research and analysis. As a public service, RAND disseminates all unclassified research as printed documents or online. Much of this research is managed by the Homeland Security program of RAND Infrastructure, Safety, and Environment. View all Terrorism and Homeland Security Documents Available Online or find general information at Reports and Bookstore.

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Dangerous Thresholds: Managing Escalation in the 21st Century — Aug. 25, 2008

Historical examples and the analysis of two modified Delphi exercises augment an examination of approaches to escalation management within the demands of today’s security environment and its attendant threats involving not only long-standing nuclear powers, but also insurgent groups and terrorists.

Full Document

Terrorism Expert Examines Intelligence on Al Qaida in "Will Terrorists Go Nuclear? — Aug. 20, 2008

According to a British intelligence report leaked to the press in 2007, al Qaida operatives are planning a large-scale attack "on par with Hiroshima and Nagasaki." But just how likely is such an attack?

Full DocumentOrdering Information is available on the Prometheus Books web siteRelated ReportBrian Michael Jenkins Discusses "Will Terrorists Go Nuclear?"

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RAND Tracks Worldwide Terrorism Attacks in New Database Project — May 28, 2008

The Terrorism Incident Database defines and categorizes terrorist attacks in order to help analysts, policymakers, and practitioners understand general trends in the threat. It is based on over 30 years of research by analysts at RAND.

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View All »Related News & Commentary

August 21, 2008: Book by RAND's James Dobbins Gives an Insider's Account of What Happened in Afghanistan 'After the Taliban'

August 6, 2008: Stop the 'War' on Terror: Calling It a 'War' Is a Boon to Terrorist Recruiters, By Seth G. Jones, Martin C. Libicki (Christian Science Monitor)

July 29, 2008: Colonel Cardinal's Iceberg Theory, By Dick Hoffmann (The San Diego Union-Tribune)

July 29, 2008: U.S. Should Rethink "War On Terrorism" Strategy to Deal with Resurgent Al Qaida

June 24, 2008: Challenges of Applying Risk Management to Terrorism Security Policy, By Henry H. Willis

View All »Featured Reports

Aptitude for Destruction, Volume 1: Organizational Learning in Terrorist Groups and Its Implications for Combating Terrorism Better ways are needed to understand how terrorist groups become more effective and dangerous. Learning is the link between what a group wants to do and its ability to actually do it; therefore, a better understanding of group learning might contribute to the design of better measures for combating terrorism. Full Document

Developing Iraq's Security Sector: The Coalition Provisional Authority's Experience From May 2003 to June 28, 2004 (when it handed over authority to the Iraqi Interim Government), the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) worked to field Iraqi security forces and to develop security sector institutions. The authors—all of whom were advisors to the CPA—break out the various elements of Iraq's security sector, including the defense, interior, and justice sectors, and assess the CPA's successes and failures. Full Document