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About CIAG
Critical incidents have the potential for
creating social trauma and undermining social trust in government -
ultimately impacting community life and even the practice of democracy.
The Critical Incident Analysis Group works to understand the
impacts of critical incidents on government and the societies they
serve and to counteract these effects through the study of past
incidents.
Located within the University of Virginia’s School of Medicine, the
Critical Incident Analysis Group (CIAG) is an interdisciplinary and
inter-professional group of scholars and practitioners who work to
understand the impact of "critical incidents" on people, communities
and social structures. CIAG brings together physicians, social
scientists, medical researchers, law enforcement specialists, policy
makers, diplomats, philosophers, military leaders, historians,
journalists, writers — and a host of others who are concerned about the
profound impact of critical incidents. CIAG is thus an
inter-disciplinary applied research and advisory body that combines the
abilities of science and the humanities to understand and to serve.
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I congratulate the Critical Incident Analysis Group (CIAG) for
their continuing efforts to improve America's readiness. The collective
challenge facing our nation is to learn from our past crisis events in
order to better prepare for future challenges. CIAG is dedicated to
this principle and it is important. Senator Mark R. Warner |
CIAG has focused on time-limited, newsworthy, and provocative events, such as the siege in Waco, the Oklahoma City bombing, the attacks on U.S. embassies in Africa, the Aum Shinrikyo sarin attacks, Community and Public Health response to the West Nile Virus, the World Trade Center attacks, the attack on the Pentagon, the potential for suicide bombing within the U.S. and hostage taking in Iraq.
These critical incidents can bring us together or drive us apart. They can alter institutions and institutional relationships. They affect public trust. Ultimately, they confirm or confound our culture.
The historical precedent of critical incidents, such as terrorism, reveals a pattern of migration. For instance, by analyzing terrorist incidents in other areas, we hope to transform their experience to knowledge, with that knowledge ultimately leading to wisdom. As the world continues to face the threat of critical incidents, we are committed to understanding the phenomenon through critical incident analysis. By analyzing cases that could threaten our security, we may effectively anticipate, prevent, and manage these crises.
To learn more about the Critical Incident Analysis Group, please visit these areas of our website.
