greatly deteriorated. The result has been easier access for those who wish to steal these weapons from the Russians. Consequently, continuing to give assistance to nations (through loans and technical assistance), such as Russia, may be the best approach in maintaining the security of these weapons. A final reform that can be undertaken to help update the present system of terrorist response may be legislative reform. Congress and state legislatures have not created new laws or adequately updated old laws to properly deal with the problems brought about by new terrorist threats. The old laws do not answer the questions posed by civil libertarians in a crisis situation nor direct the federal government to properly prepare for an attack. Today, many of the terrorism laws on the books go back one or two centuries. Politicians are often too afraid to update these laws for fear of appearing weak on terrorism. However, there has been some recent reform. The 1996 Anti-Terrorism Act updated some old anticommunist laws to apply them to terrorism. In addition, Congress enacted a Comprehensive Anti-Terrorism Act of 2000 to help deal with issues presented by modern terrorist threats. Furthermore, legislative modifications were made to the Stafford Act which provides guidance for federal government assistance to states in times of emergency and to the Posse Comitatus Act which sets limits on military participation in domestic affairs. Although these reforms are steps in the right direction, reform can not come piecemeal, there needs to be a comprehensive federal/state plan to deal with terrorist threats.Recommendation On Domestic PreparednessAfter reviewing present US policy on counter terrorism, several reforms seem to be reasonable and adequate for implementation. Most important among these reforms is the creation of a cabinet-level agency whose responsibility is the detection, prevention, cleanup, and policy-making in regard to count...
