January 28, 2003

TERRORISM RISK: FACING THE WORLD IN CHAOS TOOLS AND PERSPECTIVES FOR CREATING DYNAMIC SOLUTIONS
PrimeZone

Terrorism prevention consultant Saul B. Wilen says, “Today’s terrorism is the most serious threat facing America. Our economic collapse may result, and as goes America so goes the world. However, prevention solutions do exist.”

This message was delivered by Dr. Wilen, when he spoke to corporate executives, and security and risk professionals from around the world at a ground breaking meeting devoted to managing terrorism risk, which was held in New York City, January 28 and 29, 2003. Wilen emphasized, “The public and private sectors are equally at risk and equally responsible. Insufficient government resources exist to bailout sustained catastrophic risk. The challenge for all businesses and their leadership is to sustain their survival.”

Wilen explored in depth the perspectives, tools, and dynamic solutions that are vital for the private sector (companies) that owns and operates 90% of America’s Critical Infrastructure (IT, telecommunications, insurance, banking and finance, transportation, energy, food, water, distribution networks). Prevention strategies, assessment processes, and new tools including dynamic risk modeling were the major issues for discussion.

The concepts of terrorism predictability and prevention strategies are applicable at the operational corporate level. This can be accomplished when the basic concepts, models, and processes that exist are implemented through a coherent systems approach. This expands presently used static modeling into a dynamic mode and applies the sharing of information in real-time, trending of information streams, internal planning, on-going systems evaluation, updating, and improvement.

The American economy is challenged by many factors including the risks of terrorism. Historical, political, economic, government, security, and social elements are of priority in forging dynamic prevention strategies and solutions. All must be considered, but the security and economic elements are critical and must be addressed first.

“The insurance industry must actively engage in assessing and reducing terrorism risk for their clients. American companies must be full partners in the prevention and security process, and in fulfilling their responsibilities in reducing terrorism risk and creating effective risk management,” Wilen said. “Successfully managing terrorism risk including insurance risk is not going to be easy. Changing our existing corporate culture in confronting the outcomes of today’s terrorism is required.”

Dr. Wilen is CEO of International Horizons Unlimited (www.intlhorizons.com) a San Antonio, Texas based terrorism prevention think-tank. He serves as a prevention strategies consultant to numerous security, risk management, and planning entities in the U.S., Canada, and England. Dr. Wilen participates as a member of advisory units and taskforces for the U.S. Secret Service, The U.S. Department of Commerce, Canadian security organizations, and the National Governors’ Association. He functions as a consulting fellow to the International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) at the Interdisciplinary Center, Israel, and was recently appointed to the Advisory Board of the (CCEP) Canadian Centre for Emergency Preparedness.