Article in The Times of Israel by Andy Blumenthal: Whether it is our inability to imagine what can happen, our disbelief in it actually occurring, or our ineffectiveness or corruption to really prepare, we may be in serious peril from future threats that invariably await us. When that earthquake that we know is overdue hits the west coast hard, or a nuclear ICBM from North Korea or Iran hits somewhere in our mainland, or the next bio-weapon from China strikes our masses, or Russia cripples our satellites and Internet with one of their hidden Trojans or a zero-day cyber-attack, we can all shake our heads in utter disbelief again at how unprepared we are for the “next one.”

1. 7/30/23, 8:03 AM We're Not Prepared | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/were-not-prepared/ 1/6
THE BLOGS
Andy Blumenthal
Leadership With Heart
We’re Not Prepared
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2. 7/30/23, 8:03 AM We're Not Prepared | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/were-not-prepared/ 2/6
Credit Photo: Hitesh Choudhary via https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-pouring-water-from-dipper-on-blue-
and-grey-house-1739855/
Similar to the Yom Kippur War when Israel found itself unprepared and under a
surprise attack by the newly Soviet-armed Syrians and Egyptians, I am
convinced that Western society is ill-prepared and open for a real shock by what
awaits us from future major disasters—be it natural like a devastating
earthquake or Tsunami or man-made like a nuclear weapon, bio attack, an
Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP), or a devastating cyber-attack.
The Three-Year COVID Blunder
Of course, COVID-19 was a wake-up call to all when our medical pundits and
government bungled the identification of what was happening and the response
to it. From whether it was a biological mutation to a Chinese lab-made
bioweapon, there was anything from genuine debate to intentional obfuscation
so as not to get into World War III with China. In terms of putting on masks or
taking them off, going out or sheltering in place for months or years at a time,
and vax or not, the pundits and officials were all over the map, and it depended
whether you caught them unawares on a hot mic or not.

3. 7/30/23, 8:03 AM We're Not Prepared | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/were-not-prepared/ 3/6
Russian Invasion of Ukraine: Twice We’re The Fools
With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and usurping 20% of the 2nd largest country
in Europe, we were unprepared for their masked and tag-less armed invasion in
2014 and for the scope and intention behind their deceitful “training exercise”
on the surrounding borders of Ukraine in February 2022. Once we realized what
was happening, first we thought Kyiv would be overrun and Ukraine would fall
in three days, then we became convinced that we could sanction Russian
aggression into retreat, and finally, we foolishly believed that we could arm
Ukraine into a Russian battlefield defeat. Now, a year and a half into a war that
defies our ability to envision a peaceful and just conclusion, we are left
pondering a Western defeat as our political willpower and open checkbooks
wane.
Pearl Harbor and 9/11 Changed Us Forever, or Did They?
Was it any different on 9/11, when an attack on our financial and political
capitals in the USA ended in the collapse of the twin World Trade Centers,
smoke billowing from the collapsed walls of the Pentagon, and bedlam
throughout our country? Following false claims that Saddam Hussein had
weapons of mass destruction, we spent trillions of dollars and thousands of
soldiers’ lives chasing the “king of spades” and other playing card-portrayed
“terrorists” into oblivion with no discernible improvement to our nation’s long-
term safety or security. Similarly, with the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in
December 1941 forcing our entry into World War 2, we are forever at the mercy
of the next jack coming out of the box and left feigning surprise, and
questioning belatedly, what do we do now?
Leadership and Policy Woes: From the Homeless to Hurricane
Katrina
Incredibly, living around Washington, D.C., the capital of the free world, it is a
wonder that our social policies and infrastructure are a disaster here. Whether it
is homeless people camping in the streets, a poorly planned and crumbling

4. 7/30/23, 8:03 AM We're Not Prepared | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/were-not-prepared/ 4/6
single-lane in each direction metro system, or an electrical system that
routinely goes out with a mere thunderstorm, it is a wonder that we are able to
maintain power, let alone project it worldwide with any serious credibility. In
fact, some rain on Friday night left over fifty thousand people in the area again
without power: no air conditioning in the hottest July on record, food spoiling in
the fridge, no lights, and barely any running water. Further, this was certainly
not the Hurricane Katrina category 5 that hit New Orleans in 2005 and left tens
of thousands hunkered down, helpless, and homeless in the Superdome. Is this
the richest and strongest country in the world, or another third-world country
draped in $30 trillion of national debt?
On a personal level, I kick myself for leaving my emergency Anker battery
unplugged and groping in the dark to try to find one of the myriad flashlights
that I know I strategically placed around the house.
The Test of Our Future
Whether it is our inability to imagine what can happen, our disbelief in it
actually occurring, or our ineffectiveness or corruption to really prepare, we may
be in serious peril from future threats that invariably await us. When that
earthquake that we know is overdue hits the west coast hard, or a nuclear ICBM
from North Korea or Iran hits somewhere in our mainland, or the next bio-
weapon from China strikes our masses, or Russia cripples our satellites and
Internet with one of their hidden Trojans or a zero-day cyber-attack, we can all
shake our heads in utter disbelief again at how unprepared we are for the “next
one.”
Certainly, no one is invulnerable to tragedy, no preparation will ever be perfect,
and we can never get everything right in responding to and recovering when
disaster strikes, but if we don’t stop the endless denial and infighting, allocate
our limited resources with foresight and good cause, and make a determined
and continued effort to get ready for what we know with virtual certainty looms

5. 7/30/23, 8:03 AM We're Not Prepared | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/were-not-prepared/ 5/6
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andy Blumenthal is a dynamic, award-winning leader who writes frequently about Jewish life,
culture, and security. All opinions are his own.
large and threatens us, then we are unfortunately complicit in the tragic
downfall that awaits.
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C casablancawatch
4 hours ago
the biggest 'we weren't prepared' for Israel has been not seeing that a right wing
fascist 'leader' can use the mechanics of democracy to undo democracy, as
netanyahu has done with castrating the Israeli Supreme Court. while i'm Jewish,
i'm horrified as a citizen of the world, just as i am as a native citizen of the U.S.

6. 7/30/23, 8:03 AM We're Not Prepared | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/were-not-prepared/ 6/6
watching the last 7 years when my country let the antiquated electoral system put
a losing candidate into the Presidency for the second time since 2000. wake the f...
up!
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