Putting Security in Perspective: It’s Not Just Terrorism
By Heather Murphy, 11.18.04
White pinpoints on a black satellite image show where lights burn brightly in the world. Places such as Western Europe and Japan, are easy to recognize by their heavy concentration of white. Other places like Africa, Eastern Europe, Pakistan and North Korea are practically invisible with only a few faint lights peeking through the dark.
“Every security problem is not where lights are on, but where the lights are out,” said Dr. Peter Liotta, director of the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy. “We need to look into the darkness.”
Security is threatened today by long-term vulnerabilities beyond terrorism, Liotta said. These threats can be underestimated in areas that haven’t yet felt their impact, like the United States.
“We have a responsibility,” Liotta said. “Our actions will affect the future of the world.”
Stomping out Countries: the Spread of HIV
Nine out of ten 15-year-olds in Botswana will not live to see their 30th birthday because of the rapid spread of HIV, Liotta said. For these children, security is simply survival.
In infected areas, healthy population growth has ceased because of AIDS, a disease unknown to humans only 30 years ago, Liotta said. Since its discovery, 25 million people worldwide have died from AIDS. Without intervention, 50 million more are expected to die by 2023, virtually exterminating cultures where the disease runs rampant, Liotta said.
Once a superpower, Russia may soon be crippled by the disease.
“Russia is dying because of AIDS,” said Liotta. “It’s existing, but just barely.”
Thirsty Nations: the Evaporating Water Supply
The Aral Sea is the life line of the people of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The growing agriculture industry is drying up the sea. People living near the sea have slowly been robbed of their food source, water source and jobs, Liotta said.
As the lake dries up, concern surrounds an island in the center of the sea. Soviet-era biological weapons testing has so contaminated the soil there that one teaspoon contains enough anthrax to kill an entire village, Liotta said.
The “dying sea” is forming a land bridge creating easy access to this anthrax laced soil, Liotta said.
“It’s the worst ecological disaster today,” said Liotta.
The Aral Sea isn’t the only shrinking water source. With agriculture rapidly increasing, water use is exploding at a rate that will become unsustainable to the Earth, said Liotta.
No Place to Hide: Urban Explosion
In Egypt, India and Nigeria, ‘cities’ populations are exploding. The greatest growth is in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka. Claiming 400,000 residents in 1950, Dhaka is expected to be home to 10 million by 2015, Liotta said.
The booming areas of the world are located in a crescent-shaped area that stretched from Africa to India. These areas are lacking well-developed economies, governments, public services and security, according to Liotta.
On a global level, larger populations there increase instability, Liotta said.
Helping Through Understanding
Liotta challenges individuals to consider “the darker side of globalization.” Through better understanding of global threats, the world can adapt to change and better plan for the future, said Liotta.
“If you let the world change you, you can change the world,” Liotta said.
To address the threats that challenge all of the world’s citizens, everyone must put aside their own priorities to arrive at common solutions, he said.
Monika Parker, graduate student in Virginia, took Liotta’s message to heart.
“I never cared about government or politics,” Parker said after hearing Liotta’s speak at Regent University. “But now I see the importance of knowing what people from different worldviews understand.”
