STUDY: The Terrorism Index, Foreign Policy magazine and the Center for American Progress, August 18, 2008

Back in May, Tom posted about his participation in a survey on terrorism by Foreign Policy magazine and the Center for American Progress. The results are in (above). Below I'm re-posting the letter he got and his response. The letter:

On behalf of Foreign Policy magazine and the Center for American Progress, we would like to invite you to participate in the Terrorism Index, a survey of terrorism and national security experts from across the ideological spectrum. The index, which last appeared in the September/October 2007 issue of Foreign Policy, is widely considered a benchmark assessment of U.S. national security and the fight against international terrorism. It has helped shape the policy debate and received substantial media coverage, both in America and abroad. Its findings have been reported in such media outlets as CNN, ABC News, Fox News, the New York Times, U.S. News & World Report, and NPR. This attention is a testament to how hungry the world is for information that helps distill the complex foreign policy issues we face today. At the core of the survey's success are experts such as yourself.

Tom's thoughts on the survey:

My take: "Somewhat interesting, but a bit narrow in focus. Terrorism in a vacuum is how it felt. Weren't any questions that related to economics per se, although in many lists, you could choose "more aid," For biggest U.S. threat, I put "our own trade protectionism." For biggest U.S. policy goal, I put "expand global economy." I had to write both of those in, but they had nothing like that.