The history of presidential dealings with disasters shows that whatever their ideology, presidents need to be prepared to deal with unexpected crises. In recent years, the expectations have grown as the disasters seem to appear to be coming more frequently. Since 2001, numerous unpredictable crises, including terror attacks, massive storms, and an economic collapse, have shaken Americans to their core. It seems as if technology, for all of its beneficences, also provides mankind with increasingly powerful ways to wreak destruction, including nuclear explosions, bioterror attacks, and cyber-attacks. In addition, instantaneous and incessant communications technologies send us word of disasters taking place anywhere in the nation far more rapidly, giving disasters an immediacy that some may have lacked in the past. In 21st century America, the eyes of the American people look to the president to lead the response to whatever disasters happen to strike. President Obama and his team learned this and were taken aback by the sheer number of crises that a president needed to deal with, including swine flu, BP’s Macondo oil spill, and the Somali pirates who attacked an American ship. Many of these did not quite reach disaster status, but Obama’s reaction to the constant stream of crises was both revealing and unnerving: “Who thought we were going to have to deal with pirates?” In Shall We Wake the President?, Tevi Troy, a presidential historian and former senior White House aide and deputy secretary of the Department of Health & Human Services, looks at the evolving role of the president in dealing with disasters, and looks at how our presidents have handled disasters throughout our history. He also looks at the likelihood of similar disasters befalling modern America, and details how smart policies today can help us avoid future crises, or can best react to them should they occur. In addition, he provides information on what individuals can do to prepare for disasters. This book includes sections on how American presidents have dealt with a variety of disasters, including health crises, terror attacks, economic upheaval, bioterror and cyber-attacks, natural disasters, and civil breakdown. In doing so, Shall We Wake the President? will provide lessons from presidents of the past that will inform policy strategies for presidents of the future.

Why has the most powerful nation in the world continuously failed to effectively deal with national catastrophes? The last decade has brought numerous unpredictable crises to American life, including terror attacks, massive storms, and an economic collapse. It is not clear why these problems appear to be worse recently, but there are a number of possibilities at work. First, the world is more complex. We are more dependent on technologies for our daily living than ever before, and system failures would have disastrous consequences. Technology, for all of its benefits, also provides mankind with increasingly powerful ways to wreak destruction, including nuclear explosions, bioterrorism, and cyber warfare. In addition, instantaneous and constant communications technologies send us word of disasters taking place anywhere in the word far more rapidly, giving disasters an immediacy that some may have lacked in the past. Third, Americans are beset these days by a general pessimism, a feeling that America is on the downswing and is no longer capable of overcoming any obstacle as in the past. Whatever the reason, the frequency of these incidents suggests that the only safe bet is that there are more crises to come. In Shall We Wake the President?, Troy, a former senior White House aide and deputy secretary of health in charge of disaster preparedness, outlines how smart policies can help us avoid the coming crises, and how you can prepare yourself and your family if disaster does strike. Shall We Wake the President? includes chapters on each possible disaster--health crises, food shortages, economic and political collapse, national bankruptcy, bioterrorism and cyber warfare, natural disasters, and civil breakdown--and provides strategies for how to deal with them--for both policy makers and individual citizens.

Explores how U.S. presidents' cultural pursuits shaped their leadership while examining how the reading habits of early presidents have been sidelined by such technological advances as the radio, the television, and the Internet.

Written by award-winning CQ Researcher journalists, this collection of non-partisan reports offers an in-depth examination of today’s most pressing global issues.