Anticipating Terrorist Acts There are many ways to anticipate terrorist attacks, and quite a few people focus on how they can make themselves safer and more prepared if an attack does take place. What they do not see, though, is that they have to be able to tell if an attack is imminent. To do that, they generally rely on the media and the government to provide them with information they can use in deciding how safe they are, or if there is something else they should be doing in order to protect themselves better. Often, people of particular races, nationalities, and religions are stereotyped as being terrorists, even though they have not done anything that would make people think that about them. Terrorists are very specific types of people, and even though they may use something like religion to develop their cause, they really do not speak for the majority of people who belong to that religion. It is important not to stereotype people from a particular group as terrorists simply because of religion, skin color, or other factors.

Too many people do that, and they end up being distrusting of an entire group -- or even an entire nation -- of people because of the actions of a very few. This generally happens because of what the government and the media tells these people about others who are not like them. They see frightening stories on television or the internet, and they become more pessimistic and distrusting. Honest and accurate information is vital, even if it is worrisome, but that does not mean there should be sensationalism as a...

Right now, though, this sensationalism is a big part of the majority of news programs, and that is moving people from a guarded optimism to a worried, anxious pessimism that is not needed. Making people aware is good, but making them afraid for no real reason has little value and is something that should be avoided. Until the media decides to change its tactics, though, people will spend too much time anticipating terrorist attacks that are unlikely to actually occur.
Often, warning signs of impending terrorist attacks are available, but they are overlooked because they are not put together and analyzed the right way. Even when people see the signs and think that a terrorist attack could be on the horizon, they often lack the framework they need to carefully analyze those signs and determine what (if anything) should be done to ensure that the potential terrorist act does not occur. It is not possible to stop every act of terrorism, but it is generally possible to stop most of the major ones that come from well-known groups. These groups can be monitored, allowing for an analysis of what they are doing and how their activities are changing over time. In some cases, it becomes very obvious that they are planning something, and in other cases it can be more difficult to determine what is taking place and whether it poses a threat. Without a good analysis, though, and without a framework to use for that analysis, important issues can easily be overlooked. That stops citizens from being properly protected, and does not give them…