The Politics of Disaster: Katrina, Big Government, And a New Strategy for Future Crises

by Marvin Olasky

Why was the government not capable of responding to human need in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina? How will the "Katrina failure" impact the next presidential election? And just what should we expect--and not expect--from the government in times of crisis? "Big government didn't work," says veteran journalist and political analyst Marvin Olasky. "And it is clear that a new paradigm for responding to national crisis has emerged. Private and faith-based organizations have stepped in and politics will never be the same."

231 pages, Hardcover

First published July 31, 2006

About the author

Marvin Olasky is a senior fellow of the Discovery Institute and an affiliate scholar at the Acton Institute. He also chairs the Zenger House Foundation, serves as a Zenger Prize judge, and is the author of 29 books. From 1992 through 2021, he edited World.

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

This text was not at all what I expected. I thought it would be a more objective analysis of the politics surrounding the Hurricane Katrina incident and other disasters (much like Olshansky & Johnson's Clear as Mud). Instead, the author wore his biases on his sleeve. I also try to remember when this book published. Corruption and ineptitude in Katrina are old news in 2019. Perhaps it was shocking enough in 2006 to warrant the author's tone. In fairness, Olasky did not portend to write a scholarly piece; that was an expectation I placed on the book.

That said, rarely do I find books from which I don't learn something. I appreciated Olasky's take on the paperocracy. I have dealt with that issue alongside many clients. I understand the need to balance due diligence with quick action, and I was glad to see the author highlighted the issue. Most salient of the points in this text was the notion that we don't often know where to look for recovery assistance, and assistance often comes from unexpected sources. Finally, Olasky addressed the nuance of planning for flexibility at the same time one strives for specificity.

I appreciate the author's fondness of faith-based responders and feel we should find more ways to integrate them (i.e., responders from all faiths) into our efforts. Unfortunately, however, this point was emphasized to almost comical levels.

I caution those that wish to read this book. It is interesting, but it is loaded.

[Wayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author was evidently trying to convince his readers of his argument involving Christian efficiency and liberal duplicity, but just kept beating about the bushes so I stopped reading halfway through. Unhelpful, unsound, unenlightening book. Never got the sense that the author was on any sort of discovery about the nation's largest natural disaster, but was simply trying to score polemical points.

[Christopher · Rating 1 out of 5]

Having a degree and background in emergency management I was quite interested in reading this book to get the author's take of the very political nature of disasters. The first part of the books was ok but not very in depth but the by the second half it had devolved into a pitch for how Christian groups were doing aid work in Africa better than anyone else.