Crisis management in the 21st century "unthinkable" events in "inconceivable" contexts

Unbelievable", "unthinkable", "inconceivable" the 21st century opens a new era in the field of risk and crisis management. Recent crises, including the unconventional "9/11" terrorist attacks, swift world-wide contamination by the SARS virus, continental blackouts which can occur within the space of a few seconds, the continent-wide effects of a tsunami in unstable geopolitical zones, all seem to differ fundamentally from the seminal cases which gave birth to crisis management studies in the 80s - the tampering of Tylenol being the founding stone of the discipline. The trend seems to be accelerating, so that crises today are increasingly global, intertwined and "non text-book" events. The contents of the established crisis tool kit: risk analysis models, crisis management tools, text-book techniques, organisational check-lists and communication rules all seemed meritorious. Rightly so, because the lessons of the past still have their place. Failure to take them into consideration can ensnare any attempt at crisis management into the increasing complexities of the emerging crisis world, with potentially disastrous results. However, rear view mirror management is no solution, the discipline must move forwards. As observed by foresighted military strategists, the warning is clear: "do not prepare to fight the last war". This contribution aims to clarify the issue, identify the traps and outline some creative lines of response and initiative