Project Summary: The United States has a unique system of federalism in which power, authority, and responsibility are divided or shared between the federal government and the state, tribal, and local governments. This decentralized, or fragmented, system helps the government remain responsive at the grass-roots level and avoid totalitarianism, but it also leads to inherent conflicts and inefficiencies. State and local governments often demand massive assistance from the federal government in major events, but they don’t want to relinquish control or to appear unable to fulfill their own responsibilities. Arguments often arise about the timing, type, and amount of federal assistance. Bureaucratic turf battles and the political "blame game" seem almost inevitable during response operations and continue into the recovery phase under the glare of media critiques. Homeland security in the United States is ostensibly a national or federalist system, which means that it involves shared authority and partners