September 11: Public administration and the study of crises and crisis management

This article applies new insights in the study of crises and crisis management to the case of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Such new insights include the notion of crisis as process, the transnational dimensions of contemporary crises, the politization of crises, the increasing importance of the media, and the revision of some conventional wisdoms of crisis management. The article pays specific attention to the role of public officials and public agencies. It explores the contributions they made in the immediate response to the crisis as well as in the subsequent periods. It is stressed that the sheer inconceivability of September 11 may indicate the risk of totally new threats. With the possible exception of the intelligence community, September 11 has fostered the reputation of public administration. This will put extra pressure on public officials and their agencies to avert and effectively cope with new threats.