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1 Harv. Nat'l Sec. J. 1 (2010)

handle is hein.journals/harvardnsj1 and id is 1 raw text is: VOLUME 1-JANUARY 11, 2010

Dialogue, Discourse, and Debate:
Introducing the Harvard National SecurityJournal
Martha Minow*
September 11, 2001, stands as a critical pivot point in our nation's
history, one that put the threat of terrorism in the national spotlight and
demanded immediate expertise in national security. Yet, as new as the issue
may have seemed to many observers, this demand for legal, political, and
technical attention to national security reflected a longer-term set of
profound changes. The fall of Communism and the end of the Cold War
ushered in a new era of geopolitics, ending a past marked largely by
alliances between--and rivalries across--nations and beginning an era of
global risks from actors not easily defined by, or constrained within, state
borders. The collapse of the Soviet Union left nuclear weapons and
materials in unstable countries and unprotected facilities, providing
attractive targets for rogue states and terrorist groups. This precarious
situation has been exacerbated by the growing ambitions of Iran and North
Korea. A revolution in digital and information technologies has produced
innovations that not only afford new intelligence capabilities for government
authorities but also create new forums for terrorist communication,
recruitment, and training. Mass migrations of people due to economic
hardship, ethnic and religious conflicts, and climate change increase the
likelihood of disputes over basic resources, further adding to the risk of
violence.  Alongside these emerging threats, many traditional security
concerns remain salient, including human rights violations in China,
tensions between India and Pakistan, and the menace of international
piracy.
Devising responses to threats from each of these sources produces its
own set of complications and complexities for any nation and for the
international community. The U.S.-led invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan
* Dean of the Faculty and Jeremiah Smith, Jr. Professor of Law, Harvard Law School

Copyright © 2009 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College and Martha Minow.

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