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Arms races among invertebrates, intelligence gathering by the immune system and alarm calls by marmots are but a few of nature's security strategies that have been tested and modified over billions of years. This provocative book applies lessons from nature to our own toughest security problems - from global terrorism to the rise of infectious disease to natural disasters.
Written by a truly multidisciplinary group including paleobiologists, anthropologists, psychologists, ecologists, and national security experts, it considers how models and ideas from evolutionary biology can improve national security strategies ranging from risk assessment, security analysis, and public policy to long-term strategic goals.
Contributors vii Acknowledgments ix Part One: Introduction 1. The Origins of Natural Security 3 Raphael D. Sagarin 2. Living with Risk 14 Terrence Taylor Part Two: Life History and Security 3. Security, Unpredictability, and Evolution: 25 Policy and the History of Life Geerat J. Vermeij 4. From Bacteria to Belief: Immunity and Security 42 Luis P. Villarreal Part Three: Security Today 5. Corporations and Bureaucracies under a Biological Lens 71 Elizabeth M. Prescott 6. Selection, Security, and Evolutionary International Relations 86 Gregory P. Dietl Part Four: Evolution's Imprint: Psychology and the Roots of Terrorism 7. Militants and Martyrs: Evolutionary Perspectives on 105 Religion and Terrorism Richard Sosis and Candace S. Alcorta 8. Causes of and Solutions of Islamic Fundamentalist 125 Terrorism Bradley A. Thayer 9. The Power of Moral Belief 141 Scott Atran Part Five: Ecology and Security 10. Fourteen Security Lessons from Antipredator Behavior 147 Daniel T. Blumstein 11. Population Models and Counterinsurgency Strategies 159 Dominic D. P. Johnson and Joshua S. Madin 12. The Infectiousness of Terrorist Ideology: 186 Insights from Ecology and Epidemiology Kevin D. Lafferty, Katherine F. Smith, and Elizabeth M. P. Madin Part Six: Synthesis 13. Paradigm Shifts in Security Strategy: 209 Why Does It Take Disasters to Trigger Change? Dominic D. P. Johnson and Elizabeth M. P. Madin 14. Network Analysis Links Parts to the Whole 240 Ferenc Jordan 15. A Holistic View of Natural Security 261 Raphael D. Sagarin Index 279
Raphael D. Sagarin is Associate Director for Ocean and Coastal Policy at The Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions at Duke University. Terence Taylor is the President and Director of the International Council for the Life Sciences. He previously served with the United Nations as a Commissioner and Chief Inspector for Iraq on weapons of mass destruction and was a career officer in the British army.
Engaging ... A stimulating read. It opens the door to an exciting merger between political science and evolutionary theory.--Nature "This book deserves a broad, interdisciplinary readership... It also illustrates how applied knowledge of evolution can promote human well-being."--Qtly Review of Biology
