Since September 11, 2001, Americans have been fixated on the threat posed by international terrorism. The national security establishment was quick to elevate counterterrorism as a top priority, and it remains a key area of concern. https://www.cato.org/events/what-frightens-us-why-threat-perception-during-after-covid-19 #CatoFP #CatoCOVID

Such fears have persisted even though there has not been a major terrorist incident on U.S. soil in nearly 19 years and, statistically speaking, a person’s chance of being killed by a terrorist remains vanishingly low. https://www.cato.org/events/what-frightens-us-why-threat-perception-during-after-covid-19 #CatoFP #CatoCOVID

As COVID-19 slowly spread from China to the rest of the world, some dismissed it as no more dangerous than the seasonal flu. https://www.cato.org/events/what-frightens-us-why-threat-perception-during-after-covid-19 #CatoFP #CatoCOVID

As the number of infected rose and deaths mounted, skeptics noted that other diseases still claimed far more lives in a given month or year—though that is unlikely to be the case in 2020. https://www.cato.org/events/what-frightens-us-why-threat-perception-during-after-covid-19 #CatoFP #CatoCOVID

Meanwhile, concern over traditional security threats persist. The U.S. military is poised to deter China & Russia in East Asia or Europe, actively challenges Iran & North Korea, & ramped up counternarcotics operations in the Caribbean. https://www.cato.org/events/what-frightens-us-why-threat-perception-during-after-covid-19 #CatoFP #CatoCOVID

What explains public fears and the government’s response to them? To what extent does national security strategy shape public attitudes—or is it mostly shaped by them? What frightens us—and why? https://www.cato.org/events/what-frightens-us-why-threat-perception-during-after-covid-19 #CatoFP #CatoCOVID

How will strategic planners prioritize the allocation of resources between traditional and nontraditional threats post–COVID-19? https://www.cato.org/events/what-frightens-us-why-threat-perception-during-after-covid-19 #CatoFP #CatoCOVID

LIVE AT 2:00 ET: Join the discussion about threat perception during and after COVID-19, and tweet your questions for our #CatoCOVID panel of experts with #CatoFP... https://www.cato.org/events/what-frightens-us-why-threat-perception-during-after-covid-19