Global Influence and the Challenges Facing Leaders in Homeland Security
Annotated Bibliography
Berger, L. (2014). Foreign policies or culture. Journal of Peace Research, 51(6): 782-796.
This study uses survey method to obtain data of the world’s three largest Muslim-majority nations in the world. The purpose of the study is to challenge conventional thinking in terms of what factors impact the public opinions of Muslims regarding political violence aimed at the U.S. The survey categorizes violence by distinguishing between violence towards civilians and violence towards military targets. Independent variables are identified that enable the researcher to also distinguish surveyors’ views on U.S. foreign policy as opposed to simply U.S. culture. The study analyzes the data using logistic regression models and finds that Egypt, Pakistan and Indonesia all have perceptions of U.S. policies relating to the Middle East (and the region’s oil), Israel, and an overall aim on the part of the U.S. to divide and conquer the Muslim world. The survey also shows that these perceptions are not related to support of violence against civilians—but that they do relate to the support of violence aimed at U.S. military targets. The views that impact approval and support of violence aimed at civilians are found to be shaped by hostile perceptions of American culture, the domestic political status quo, and U.S. antagonism...
The study has significant repercussions for Homeland Security leaders because it identifies reasons that potential enemies of the U.S. may have for supporting attacks on U.S. forces and civilians. Understanding these motivations can help Homeland leaders better prepare for security.
Burruss, G. W., Giblin, M. J., & Schafer, J. A. (2010). Threatened globally, acting locally: Modeling law enforcement homeland security practices. Justice Quarterly, 27(1), 77-101.
This study looks at the effect of institutional pressure on homeland security preparedness. Institutional pressures were described as professional and governmental publications, training, professional associations, and peer agency actions. The data was obtained from the Illinois Homeland Security Survey and provides information on three theories used to explain how homeland security preparedness is achieved. The theories used are contingency theory, resource dependence theory, and institutional theory. The researchers anticipated that institutional pressures would create isomorphism as law enforcement agencies attempted to conform to standards within the industry. Confirmatory factor analysis was utilized to analyze the data obtained and organizational theory was used as a framework for understanding homeland security preparation. The study found that institutional pressures substantially impacted city and…
