Cities Under Attack

Joel Kotkin and Fred Siegel provide an interesting addition to the explanation for the attacks on the World Trade Center in focusing on the link between security and cities (“Attacks Threaten Future of Cities,” Opinion, Oct. 14). They note that the threat of terrorism in large cities constitutes a fundamental threat to the American way of life and economy. Mohamed Atta, the suspected mastermind behind the attacks, studied urban planning for seven years in Germany. Could he have realized, either consciously or unconsciously, the Kotkin-Siegel thesis?

Dan Caldwell

Professor of Political Science

Pepperdine University, Malibu