Product Description

Think of every assassination you've ever heard about. For most people, a few of these major ones come to mind: Caesar, Abraham Lincoln, John Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Anwar Sadat, John Lennon, Israel's Prime Minister Rabin, Pakistan's Benazir Bhutto. From start to finish, all of these attacks combined took place in less than one minute. And the hundreds of attacks studied for this book, all of them combined, took place in less than a half-hour. Those thirty minutes, surely the most influential in world history, offer important insights that can help today's protectors defeat tomorrow's attackers.

This 650-Page Book Contains:

An original work of new insights arising from ten years of research;
The Five Essential Lessons for protectors;
The Compendium - 400 pages of summarized attacks, near attacks, and incidents against at-risk persons all over the world from 1960-2007, more than 1400 entries;
and the Appendices - More than 100 pages of additional material and resources.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #41250 in Books
• Published on: 2008-07-01
• Binding: Paperback
• 655 pages

Review
"A profound work of practical scholarship offers no less than a sure opportunity to interdict horrible violence at its source." --James Ellroy, Bestselling Author L.A. Confidential and The Black Dahlia

"JUST 2 SECONDS is a compelling must-read book for those who understand the world we live in, and choose not to fear it, but to survive it. A masterful work." --Patricia Cornwell, Bestselling Author, Kay Scarpetta series

"JUST 2 SECONDS is the definitive reference for protectors, authoritative and thorough, riveting and powerful. By giving so many new protective strategies, JUST 2 SECONDS also gives us great cause for hope - hope for survival of those whom the assassin would slay." --Col Dave Grossman, Author, On Combat and On Killing

About the Author
Mr. de Becker is the founder of a 200-person firm that provides consultation, protective services, and logistical support to many of the world's most prominent figures in media, politics, and culture. A two-time Presidential Appointee at the U.S. Department of Justice, he is currently a Senior Fellow at UCLA's School of Public Policy. Mr. de Becker designed the MOSAIC systems used to screen threats to Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, CIA officials, Members of Congress, and the Governors of twelve states. He has appeared many times on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Larry King Live, the Today Show, 60 Minutes, and in TIME and Newsweek. His bestselling books on violence are published in 14 languages.

Customer Reviews

The essential guide for protectors of at-risk people
After reading the first paragraph, I was drawn in and found it hard to stop reading. This book presents many new insights on public figure attacks (both successful and unsuccessful) and provides a wealth of information for individuals in public figure protection.

It is definitely a great read, coming from experts in the field and pioneers of executive protection. Also very interesting is the compendium of over 400 pages of summarized attacks, near attacks and global incidents from the last 45 plus years. It's a great reference source!

Check it out.

A benchmark for the next evolution in protection
Gavin DeBecker burst onto the mainstream scene with his groundbreaking work 'The Gift of Fear.' DeBecker and Associates have shaken the firmament again with 'Just 2 Seconds.' Just as one cannot go to a serious training event today and not escape a reference to 'The Gift of Fear,' one will not be able to train next year and escape a reference to this new work.

The value of this work is threefold. First, the essential lessons of their extensive research are distilled and well presented in the first part of the book. Leveraging their previous work, and referencing other luminaries in the field of combat psychology (i.e. Col Grossman), the chapters are well delineated and the topics are well beyond those normally found in Protection 101. For example, discussion on Zen and the Art of Protection (ZAP) is not something found elsewhere, and yet is deadly serious.

Second, insights into DeBecker and Associates' own training academy are given to provide a foil for professionals in the protection field to compare/contrast their own programs to. One's own training may be better, worse, or different, but examination allows for a reevaluation of the 'why' behind the 'what and how.' It also gives insight into how the conclusions of their work are translated into practice.

Finally, the compendium provides the research material that supports the conclusions in the first chapters. This alone is amazing, since it is the first summary of attacks against principles (over a 40 year timespan) that I have ever seen.

This is not a beginner's book. Someone interested in protection will not find this a Protection 101 skillset reference. However, make no mistake. This is Protection 521 - this is the graduate material. I firmly believe that 'Just 2 Seconds' will quickly become the new equivalent to the 'Book of Five Rings' for those in the field. It cannot be too highly recommended, and likely those already in possession will be very reluctant to lend out their copy.

Great guide for Police, Military, Security, and for anyone doing Protective Details
After reading The Gift of Fear and Protecting the Gift which gave me a great inside for the line of work I do this one is the one must have guide for anybody doing this line of work. There isn't really any how to for protecting people but this one not only tells you what to look at but it also gives you the history of attacks that have happend and will guide you in not to commit these same mistakes. Great read and I highly recommened it.