Us vs Them?

Regardless of the amount of deaths due to terrorism, the ripple effect from a single attack touches numerous lives. This effect is international; borderless. The problem itself, terrorism, is a concern of all nation states. Certain terrorist groups may target specific states or governments, but the terrorism as a whole must be combated by all nations. The "War on Terror" should not be the USA vs every hostile organization and non-governement group. Instead, all governments which are concerned about human rights, safety, and the growth of humanity need to work together to eliminate terrorism at its roots as well as existing terrorist cells. The attacks of 9/11 were massive human rights violations, dramatic gestures, and the culmination of years of planning. 9/11 was not just one of these things, but all of them. True, it was sensational here in the US because we are not exposed to this kind of violence regularly. While these attacks are more common in other areas of the world, that doesn't mean that we should accept this norm. An attack on innocent people in area of the world should be a rare occurence, a shocking act. This is why global cooperation needs to be the paramount goal of all nations. Massive evolution and change is needed throughout the world to make this cooperation possible. The goal of eliminating human rights violations and violent struggle should be important enough to facilitate these changes.

Partly cloudy, with a chance of rain

Is the world safer today than it was on September 10, 2001? No, not at all. Everyday the world seems to get a little more dangerous, the skies a little darker. On September 10, the majority of US citizens were only vaguelly aware of the Al-Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden, and the plans in action to attack the western nations. Ignorance, however, does not make the threat disappear. In the wake of 9/11, their was a general increase in security in the Western nations, as well as a more publicly active stance to combat terrorists. What has come of this? The US and UN have spread their forces across the Middle East, bring violence to the terrorists, but also the innocent. Al-Qaeda has gained support because it has proven it can get results. To this day, Osama Bin Laden remains at large. Both Afgahnistan and Iraq have been plunged into chaos, with various sects vieing for power. The need for arms in Africa, the Middle East, and other struggling nations has increased, and that need is always met by various governments and gun runners. Norh Korea has had a successful test of a nuclear weapon, and Iran is working on its own nuclear program. In attempt to surpress terrorists groups and achieve victory in the Middle East, the US government has eliminated the rights of its own citizens. Now I am not only threatened by potential nuclear and biological attacks on the US by enemy nations and non-government groups, but now I cannot even hold my government accountable for its activities. Using fear as a tool, the US government has begun to remove all acountability of the government for its actions. Sadly, ever day seems to be a step backwards, away from hope and security.

Security

During the Cold War period, national security policies were primarily focused on one thing, the USSR. The globe was polarized in , split by the "Free World" and Communist nations and their allies. The fate of humanity relied on the balance of nuclear, economic and military power between the US and the USSR. MAD or Mutually Assured Destruction was the stalemate, the certain death of both societies if nuclear war became reality. Now, in the age of globalization, de-centralized terrorist networks, and unlimited information, the US faces infinite threats. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the United States lost the key, the focus of all of its security policies. However, the new threats the US faces have the potential to do more damage than the Soviet Union ever did. When terrorists kill thousands of innocent people, the US has no government or state to hold solely responsible. Now, more than ever, every military action and new foreign policy is scrutinized and source for contempt. When the US attacks one terrorist group, it only inspires another to act. The US recieves so much global contempt because there is no other power to point to. To eliminate its enemies, the US needs start at the root of the problem. Working with impoverished nations and their governments in a positive and cooperative manner, the breeding grounds for terrorist are dissolved. The US needs to work with it's allies as well so the burden does not fall solely on the US government and its people.

Prepared for Disaster

While natural disasters have the potential to cause massive damage, their full potential shouldn't ever be realized. Any government should be prepared to protect against the initial damages of any disaster, as well have an effective clean up/damage control strategy to use after first impact. It's true that can be difficult to predict hurricanes, floods, earthquakes etc. This is exactly why the government needs to use all of it's scienitific knowledge and man power to prepare for the most likely and worst case scenereos. Some argue that natural disasters are security threats because they create a time of chaos that other hostile forces could exploit. This is only the case if the government does not have a sound infrastructure and comprhensive response strategies. Natural disasters are only serious threats to national security when a nation is completely unprepaired, by their own lack of planning.

Profits or People?

Before evaluating international organizations, ethical and politcal beliefs must be defined. International organizations which strive only to increase the wealth of member nations may be acceptable, if one believes the state comes before all else. However, many international organizations benefit wealthy, powerful nations, but developing nations as well. In these cases, these organizations or based around humanitarian and economical principals. If this is the case, evaluating the ethical grounds is unnecessary. If organizations are founded on humanitarian principles, then keeping them efficent and effective is the most important issue. When incredibly powerful global organizations faulter or become corrupt, even when founded on humanitarian beliefs, they do more damage than good. Long term cooperation between nations can only exist if these nations use global organizations to help one another, while growing stronger themselves.