Robert Kupperman
Encyclopedia
Robert Harris Kupperman was an American government official and academic, and a leading expert on terrorism
.
Kupperman received his doctorate in applied mathematics
from New York University
in 1962 and went on to teach at the University of Maryland
as well as NYU.
During his years working for the US government he served as director of the transition team for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as executive director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness, and finally at the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, where he helped President Nixon in creating the Cabinet Committee to Combat Terrorism. This first interagency study of foreign and domestic terrorism was created in response to the Black September
terrorist attack in which 11 Israeli athletes were murdered at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.
After he left the public sector, Kupperman joined the Center for Strategic and International Studies
as an advisor and authored several books, most notably Strategic Requirements for the Army to the Year 2000 (Lexington Books, 1984) and Final Warning: Averting Disaster in the New Age of Terrorism, which he co-wrote with journalist Jeff Kamen (Doubleday, 1989)
Kupperman died in his home in Washington, D.C.
, aged 71. According to his daughter he had been suffering from Parkinson's disease
since 1990.
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
.
Kupperman received his doctorate in applied mathematics
Applied mathematics
Applied mathematics is a branch of mathematics that concerns itself with mathematical methods that are typically used in science, engineering, business, and industry. Thus, "applied mathematics" is a mathematical science with specialized knowledge...
from New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
in 1962 and went on to teach at the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
as well as NYU.
During his years working for the US government he served as director of the transition team for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as executive director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness, and finally at the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, where he helped President Nixon in creating the Cabinet Committee to Combat Terrorism. This first interagency study of foreign and domestic terrorism was created in response to the Black September
Black September (group)
The Black September Organization was a Palestinian paramilitary group, founded in 1970. It was responsible for the kidnapping and murder of eleven Israeli athletes and officials, and fatal shooting of a West German policeman, during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, their most publicized event...
terrorist attack in which 11 Israeli athletes were murdered at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.
After he left the public sector, Kupperman joined the Center for Strategic and International Studies
Center for Strategic and International Studies
The Center for Strategic and International Studies is a bipartisan Washington, D.C., foreign policy think tank. The center was founded in 1962 by Admiral Arleigh Burke and Ambassador David Manker Abshire, originally as part of Georgetown University...
as an advisor and authored several books, most notably Strategic Requirements for the Army to the Year 2000 (Lexington Books, 1984) and Final Warning: Averting Disaster in the New Age of Terrorism, which he co-wrote with journalist Jeff Kamen (Doubleday, 1989)
Kupperman died in his home in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, aged 71. According to his daughter he had been suffering from Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
since 1990.
Quote
"Terrorists are undergoing a dangerous metamorphosis from technological clods relying on fanaticism to skilled tacticians," Kupperman warned in a 1988 op-ed article in The New York Times, written with journalist Jeff Kamen.External links
- John A. AdamJohn A. AdamJohn A. Adam is a writer and editor, based in Washington, D.C.Assignments have taken him from zones in Southwest Asia to the backwaters of the Amazon. He has profiled numerous leaders in science and technology, including Internet pioneers Bob Kahn and Vint Cerf, pacemaker inventor Wilson...
, Review of Final Warning, The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, December 24, 1989. - Tim WeinerTim WeinerTim Weiner is a New York Times reporter, author of two books and co-author of a third, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award...
, Obituary, The New York Times, November 26, 2006