Blindsided? September 11 and the Origins of Strategic Surprise
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6337657 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Charles F Parker (0000-0003-0407-3939, Swedish Institute of International Affairs), Eric K Stern, Eric Stern (0000-0002-7271-4411, Swedish Institute of International Affairs) |
| Year | 2002 |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 601-630 |
| Publication date | 2002-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Political Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0162-895X • E-ISSN: 1467-9221 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/0162-895x.00300 |
| OpenAlex | W1997584715 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 30 |
| References cited | 37 |
The devastating terror attacks of 11 September 2001 have often been characterized as a “bolt from the blue.” Drawing inspiration from the political psychological literature on strategic surprise, this article poses the deceptively simple question of why so many U.S. policymakers were caught so woefully off guard last year. Through a preliminary empirical exploration of three broad explanatory “cuts” derived from the relevant interdisciplinary literature—psychological, bureau–organizational, and agenda–political—the authors seek to shed light on the sources of failure that may have contributed to 9/11 and point to promising avenues of investigation for future research as the available empirical record becomes more complete
Economics · Empirical evidence · Empirical research · Epistemology · Guard (computer science · Political science · Politics · Positive economics · Sociology · Surprise · Law · Nuclear Issues and Defense · Philosophy · Psychology · Risk Perception and Management · Social Psychology · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence
The Politics of Crisis Management
A Look at Intelligence Analysis
The Politics of Crisis Management
Surprise at Work
Intelligence Studies, Academia and Professionalization
Taking uncertainty seriously
Bolt from the Blue or Avoidable Failure? Revisiting September 11 and the Origins of Strategic Surprise
Molding Minds That Form Policy
Foreign Policy Analysis and Globalization
Science, Empiricism, and Tolerance in the Study of Foreign Policymaking
Foreign Policy Analysis in the Twenty-First Century
Foreign Policymaking and Group Dynamics
Crisis Studies and Foreign Policy Analysis
Foreign Policy Analysis and Globalization
Collaborative crisis management
Policy design and state capacity in the Covid-19 emergency in Italy
Just Deserts? An Examination of Sri Lankans's Reactions to 9/11
Protecting the Union
Does Context Matter? Advisory Systems and the Management of the Foreign Policy Decision-Making Process
Harnessing Conflict in Foreign Policy Making
The United States and the Arab Spring
Social Trust, Impartial Administration and Public Confidence in Eu Crisis Management Institutions
The Trump Administration and the Covid ‐19 crisis
Institutional and Political Leadership Dimensions of Cascading Ecological Crises
Handbook of Organizational Routines
Beyond the Binary
The effectiveness of national and EU-level civil protection systems
Contextualizing and Critiquing the Poliheuristic Theory
Strategic surprise, nuclear proliferation and US foreign policy
Empathizing with Rogue Leaders
Terrorism and U.S. foreign policy
On perceptual readiness.
The Psychology of Intergroup Attitudes and Behavior
Social Cognition and Social Perception
Crisis and Learning
Essence of Decision
Presidential decisionmaking in foreign policy
The Limits of Safety
Counterfactual Thought Experiments in World Politics
Identifying basic categories
Crisis Management Europe
Harnessing Conflict in Foreign Policy Making
Case Studies and the Statistical Worldview
The Passion of World Politics
How the Weak Win Wars
Problems of Preparedness
The Architecture of Government in the Face of Terrorism
Surprise attack
Surprise Attack
The Lone Gunmen
International Decision Making
Intelligence and Strategic Surprises
Counterfactuals and Hypothesis Testing in Political Science
What's So Different about a Counterfactual
Understanding and Evaluating Bureaucratic Politics
In Collusion with the Nation
Framing Foreign Policy Alternatives in the Inner Circle
The Role of Belief Systems and Schemas in Foreign Policy Decision-Making
Opening the Window for Reform
Emotions in Politics
The Psychological Foundations of Identity Politics
Anatomy of a Failure
The Korean Decision
| Unique citing works | 30 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,25 |
| Citation span | 2002 - 2025 (24) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 30 |