Includes bibliographical references and index.

Reading the vital signs: the response to 9-11 -- The rise of "Homeland Security" -- Homeland security and public policy -- The system breaks down -- Connecting the dots -- Mysterious powder -- Worries spread -- Homeland security as coordination -- The federal bureaucracy responds -- The organizational challenge -- First steps -- The restructuring struggle -- The battle over boundaries -- State and local struggles -- The dragon fighters respond to the terrorist attack -- Gaps in the system -- Coordination in theory and practice -- Money -- Normal organizations and abnormal events -- The political costs of managing risk -- Balancing risks -- Warning signals -- Trust -- Civil rIghts and civil liberties -- Passing the Patriot Act -- Broadening the war -- The building storm -- Balancing security and rights -- Stress test -- Opening the policy window -- How does the political system react to stress? -- What has Homeland Security done to the policy system?