The Shock of the Old

          The article “The Shock of the Old”[1] by Edward Tenner appeared in the December 2001 issue of Technology Review.  In this article the author reviews the methods employed by the terrorist during the September 11, 2001 attacks against the United States. He believes the terrorists were successful because they employed relatively low tech methods that have been successful throughout the ages.

            In the age of technological warfare, the United States had focused most of its efforts in thwarting high tech attacks and/or developing better military technology. During the Gulf War the missiles deployed by the US were designed to hit their target with impressive accuracy. During the Millennium Celebration much effort was put forth to secure our vital systems against cyber attacks.  In 1995 military exercises studying how to master information overload were conducted around the NYC area. Erroneously, the belief was that attacks against the US would employ high technology methods.

The terrorist’s used old technology to carry out their attacks. They did not bother to learn complicated satellite communications or navigation, instead the focused on the basic principals of flying. They “stunned the world with there graphic violence”[2], a method used during the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Future attacks can be prevented provided we find ways to protect ourselves against both the Hi and Low tech attacks. We cannot fool ourselves into thinking that advanced technology is the answer to all the questions.