"How much freedom are Americans willing to give up for safety from terrorists"" This question, posed by a January 2003 feature in USA Today newspaper, resides at the center of current debates about homeland security, debates that are proving long-lived. Indeed, more than a year after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America, the federal government's stepped-up homeland security efforts are still a major focus of public discourse.

New homeland security measures encompass a wide variety of efforts to prevent terrorist attacks. They include both specific policies, such as random baggage searches at airports, and broader policy changes in intelligence-gathering and law enforcement, such as the reforms that the FBI and CIA have instituted since September 11. Whatever their scope, homeland security measures are evaluated by both policymakers and outside observers using two major criteria: their effectiveness in preventing terrorist attacks and the impact they have on the American public.

Security versus freedom