How do we prepare for the 'next terrorist attack'?

Western societies are deeply concerned with preparing for the "next terrorist attack" and other unexpected and unpredictable catastrophes.

In this new publication, Claudia Aradau and Rens van Munster identify some of the broader political problems related to these anticipatory practices. Focusing on counter-terrorism preparedness exercises, they point out that thinking about the future often boils down to the spatial management of access, exit, surveillance and movement in public, private and so-called "crowded" places. They conclude that imagining the future in spatial terms downplays the temporal aspects of catastrophic events, their emergence, causes and conditions, and hamper a more profound understanding of the socio-political conditions of catastrophic events.

Claudia Aradau & Rens van Munster: “The Time/Space of Preparedness: Anticipating the "Next Terrorist Attack", Space and culture, Sage Journals, 2012