极端危机 在日本之后重新评估美国的准备[20110318].pdf

Extreme CrisesReassessing U.S.Preparedness after JapanM A R C H 2 0 1 1 P o l i C y B R i e fBy Patrick M.Cronin and Brian M.BurtonA mericas response to Japans crisis has been swift and generous.President Barack obama pledged personally that America would stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Japan.A civilian Disaster Assistance Response Team deployed to survey the damage.Rescue teams rushed to help save victims trapped in the rubble.U.S.Navy and Air force personnel and platforms arrived to offer lift and support.American nuclear scientists and officials are assisting with crisis and consequence management at the stricken fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.And the American people have begun to open up their pocketbooks and make charitable contributions.Nonetheless,in helping a staunch ally whose people are reeling in the aftermath of a still-evolving series of disasters,it seems almost impossible to do enough.Even as the U.S.government rightly remains focused on the immediate and dangerous problems at hand,it is not too soon to raise questions about Americas readiness to cope with extreme crises like the one in Japan.Lessons learned from previous response operations are instructive,bu