Monday, February 21, 2005
Draft
McCausland
2
Introduction
We have now passed the third anniversary of the attacks of September 11
th
, 2001
it is remarkable how dramatically the international security environment has changed in
twenty-four months. The United States has fought two major wars in Afghanistan and
Iraq and is engaged in the daunting challenges of post-conflict stability operations. The
war on terrorism continues both here in America as well as throughout the globe.
Policymakers are still engaged with the challenges of globalization, international trade,
the spread of AIDS, nuclear proliferation, etc. that predate the 2001 terrorist attacks.
They must, however, view these problems through a new lens and confront emerging
challenges such as Iran and North Korea. Finally, this condition is not transitory -- the
nation must expect that the threat of multiple crises that have an immediate impact on the
American security will continue indefinitely. The old adage that Washington is “a one
crisis town” no longer applies.
These events have changed how we think about “national security”. They have
dramatically expanded not only the number and scope of issues but also the overall
complexity of the process. Americans who felt safe at home and viewed security threats
as distant from our shores should no longer feel this way. Consequently, the requirements
for interagency planning and decision-making have accelerated, demands for greater
policy flexibility have increased, and a process that was largely confined to a few
agencies of the Federal government now involves a multitude of new players and allied
states. Clearly, the sad and apparently unexpected aftermath of the Iraqi War underscores
Convention