Since the events of September 11, 2001, Americans have done a great deal of soul-searching about what the future role the United States will play in international affairs. In many ways, any response to such an inquiry will contain many different layers and ideas. In April 2007, PBS began their investigations into this complex area by showing the first episode of "America at a Crossroads". Through...

Released on June 5 by the National Commission on Terrorism and posted online in its entirety by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), this new report contains a number of recommendations that have raised objections among civil libertarians, parts of the Arab-American community, and others. The commission, composed of private experts and former federal officials, was created in the wake of...

In April 2002, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) released this overview of its current work. The report summarizes many of the organization's main programs, which are grouped into three broad areas. The first area details the efforts being made to minimize threats and ensure national security. Development of new technologies and advanced systems is highlighted in the second...

Founded in 1945 by members of the Manhattan Project, the main commitment of the Federation of American Scientists is to end "the worldwide arms race." This section of its Web site has extensive information about US and international intelligence resources and the threat of terrorism, many of which are technology related. For example, chemical and biological weapons are discussed in several...

Many of the nation's lawmakers are concerned this week with how to square national security measures with civil liberties. Attorney General John Ashcroft has asked Congress to quickly pass legislation granting broad powers to the administration, including the ability to indefinitely detain those considered a threat to security, greater discretion in surveillance, and more power to seize people's...

Prepared by the National Research Council (NRC), this report on the contributions of science and technology to defend against terrorism is in the pre-publication form. Because the entire document is nearly 400 pages long, it is divided by chapter for easier downloading. The report begins with discussions of different kinds of threats that face the US, such as biological pathogens and nuclear and...

In the hopes of preventing another terrorist attack like the ones of September 11, researchers at the University of California at Berkeley are developing an intelligent autopilot system for commercial aircraft. The system, dubbed Soft Walls, would activate whenever an aircraft approaches a designated no-fly zone. Using global positioning system technology, the autopilot would guide the plane...

On September 21, the National Security Archive (NSA) posted the first volume in their new series The September 11th Source Books. The series aims to fulfill NSA's mission "to put on the record the primary source documentation that can enrich the policy debate, improve journalism, educate policymakers, and ensure that we don't reinvent the wheel or repeat the mistakes of the past." As such, this...