World Politics in a New Era Contemporary Security Issues

Proliferation The debate over proliferation – The optimists Proliferation is beneficial in the international arena Any negative aspects of proliferation can be contained No better form of deterrence than nuclear weapons – The pessimists The likely hazards of proliferation far outweigh any potential deterrent capability States cannot consistently recognize and act in accordance with what is in their best interests The threat of using nuclear weapons is empty Lack of arsenals necessary to create a condition of MAD

Proliferation Command and control – Accidental use – Unauthorized use – Inadvertent use – Several factors undermine security procedures designed to prevent these types of usage Organization and bureaucratic constraints Lack of availability or prohibitive cost of technology Deliberate deception of proliferating states

Proliferation Current proliferation concerns – North Korea – Iran – Progress has been made in several areas Many states repudiated their nuclear ambitions in the 1990s India and Pakistan have stepped back from the brink of war Iraq has ended its nuclear program Libya renounced its WMD program

Terrorism Difficulty in defining terrorism – Violence to make a point The ultimate effectiveness is questionable Ancient phenomenon Contemporary terrorism around the world – No region is immune – Improvements in transportation, communications, and modern weapons – Groups use similar tactics, but they have varying objectives and political orientations

Terrorism State-sponsored terrorism – Enforcement terror – Sponsoring non-state actors to carry out acts of violence abroad – State sponsored terrorism has been seen throughout history – Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria

Terrorism Nationalist separatists – Political objectives of national liberation or self- determination – Tend to have clear ethnic, cultural, or religious overtones – Elements that support nationalist causes by peaceful means – Threatens the integrity and security of multinational states – Rekindling old animosities

Terrorism Ideological terrorism – Influenced by revolutionary doctrines – Express anti-imperialist sentiments through violence – Waning since the end of the Cold War – Examples: Action Direct in France and Sendero Luminoso in Peru – Possible new wave of ideological terrorism

Terrorism Religious terrorism – Prime ideological generator of international terrorism – Examples: Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Aum Shinrikyo (Japan) – Violence as morally justified and spiritually sanctified – Particularly difficult to halt due to the fervent commitment of its believers

Terrorism Terrorism and weapons of mass destruction – Serious source of concern – Fear is reduced due to several factors WMDs are difficult to acquire and use Limited or banned by international treaties Regarded as inhumane The terrorists could destroy any public sympathy for their cause – The actual use of WMDs by terrorists has been very limited – Stepped-up efforts to combat these forms of terrorism

Terrorism Combating international terrorism – Difficult to coordinate – Two categories Antiterrorism Counterterrorism – Coordination at the bilateral, regional, and international levels – All states have an interest in combating terrorism, whether they know it or not Conflicts can easily spread across national boundaries States must abandon the support of terrorism

Organized Crime What is organized crime? – There is no universally accepted definition of organized crime – But there is a widely accepted set of characteristics – Organized crime is a significant threat to international security – Tens of thousands of organized crime groups worldwide

Organized Crime Transnational organized crime activities – Extortion – Protection – Gambling – Loan sharking – Counterfeiting – Trafficking in persons and organs – Money laundering

Organized Crime The globalization of organized crime – Groups operate across borders and wreak havoc globally Examples: Japanese Yakuza, the Chinese Triads, Vietnamese BTK, and the Sicilian mafia – One of the strongest organized crime groups operating outside its country of origin is the Russian mob Set up operations in more than fifty countries The FBI’s most formidable enemy – Adverse effect on efforts to combat the international drug problem

Organized Crime Combating Organized Crime – Domestic legislation to assist law enforcement agencies Examples: Japan, Canada, and the United States – International cooperation bilaterally and multilaterally – International institutions have made contributions to the battle against organized crime Efforts to combat proliferation, terrorism, and organized crime are complicated – There is a lack of resources – No universal acceptance of the means to combat the problems