March 31, 2003

FPRI Announces New Homeland Security Effort

Philadelphia (March 31, 2003) - The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to announce a million-dollar award from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that will dramatically expand FPRI’s Center on Terrorism, Counter-Terrorism, and Homeland Security, under the direction of Drs. Stephen Gale and Michael Radu.

The Center’s agenda focuses on identifying and analyzing sources of potential terrorist threats and managing the risks to the U.S. and our allies. The Center works with public and private organizations at the national, state, and local levels. The award from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will allow the Center to expand its research and development programs, and promote technology transfer, for the benefit of private sector organizations and government agencies throughout the Commonwealth and the nation.

State House Majority Leader John Perzel (R-Philadelphia) and State Senate Majority Leader David Brightbill (R-Lebanon) are highly enthusiastic about the Center’s potential. “FPRI’s Center on Terrorism, Counter-Terrorism and Homeland Security establishes Pennsylvania as a national leader in the effort to protect our nation against the on-going terrorist threat,” said Perzel. “The efforts of the Center place Pennsylvania at the forefront of the most vital issue of our day: securing the homeland against terrorism.” Added Brightbill, “This is an important day for the people of the Commonwealth and for the people of America. The leadership and staff of the Center, combined with the talent and resources of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, are a real powerhouse.”

The heart of that leadership is the Center’s co-chairs, Gale and Radu. Dr. Stephen Gale is an internationally renowned expert on terrorism and counter-terrorism, whom U.S. Representative Robert Brady (D-Pennsylvania) calls, “one of the most imaginative thinkers on homeland security anywhere in the world,” and one of the reasons why the Center will be, in his words, “Philadelphia’s premiere contribution to the fight against terrorism.” Dr. Gale will be responsible for developing and directing the Center’s programs with government and private industry. Dr. Michael Radu, an internationally respected specialist on terrorist groups worldwide, will be responsible for creating and maintaining the Center’s database on international terrorist groups and their capabilities.

“In the war on terrorism,” said Dr. Harvey Sicherman, President of the Foreign Policy Research Institute and a former aide to three U.S. secretaries of state, “the front is everywhere. American foreign policy cannot succeed unless it is backstopped by homeland security. That’s what our Center hopes to help, and we are delighted to accept bipartisan support for our effort.”

Gale says he hopes “to help local governments and private sector organizations to develop procedures for effectively and efficiently investing in homeland security.” He added that “the federal government possesses a wealth of experience in security, and we will play a vital role in making that experience accessible to state and local governments and the private sector.” According to Dr. Radu “the analysis of foreign terrorist groups and the experience of other countries in dealing with them will aid the U.S. effort to counter terrorist activities in the future.”

Founded in 1955, the Foreign Policy Research Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to bringing the insights of scholarship to bear on issues affecting America’s national security. It is headed by Dr. Harvey Sicherman, a former aide to three U.S. secretaries of state. Its quarterly journal, Orbis, is edited by David Eisenhower, a Public Policy Fellow at the Annenberg School of Communications of the University of Pennsylvania. FPRI also circulates E-Notes, a weekly email bulletin to some 20,000 key people in 85 countries. The Institute sponsors the Marvin Wachman Fund for International Education, which fosters civic and international literacy in the community and the classroom.