Ethics in International Security Essay -- Governmetn Politics Persuasi

Ethics in International Security Introduction: Since the attacks on the United States on September 11th 2001, governments, corporations, and individuals have been focused on the increasing problem of security. Countries all across the world are increasing security and intelligence gathering in order to protect against terrorism. Though the United States was the focus of the terrorist attack on September 11th, the entire world recognized the impending threat of international terrorism. Because terrorist organizations are decentralized, it is impossible to locate and quarantine an organization in order to disperse the threat. Typically when a country is seen as a threat, the country is occupied until the threat is removed. However, in this case it is not possible to take the same action. Therefore, it is important to combat this threat through a means that is effective against a decentralized enemy. This means is information. The world is currently in an era of technology where any information is almost immediately available. This includes information in areas such as stock exchanges, weapons, banking information, corporate transactions, and governmental secrets. Every industry is becoming so tightly coupled with the internet that the concept of being disconnected is almost unthinkable. However, increased connectivity means increased risk. All of this information is not only available for people to learn from and use positively, it has considerable potential to be used to harm. Terrorists have the ability to use these resources to their advantage in gaining strategic information about their targets and use it in an attack. However, these potential threats do not only come from outside forces. In the atte... ...nal Research Council. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 1991. Cooper, Charles. Is Microsoft spying for the US government?. 4 October 2002. ZDNet Australia, accessed 10 June 2003. Critical Information Infrastructure Protection: The Threat Is Real. U.S. Government Printing Office: 1999, accessed 10 June 2003. HR 3162 RDS. 107th CONGRESS 1st Session. October 23, 2001, accessed 10 June 2003. Kalimtzis, Kostas. Aristotle on Political Enmity and Disease. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2000. Schneier, Bruce. Secrets and Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2000.