Biggest Problems Facing America Today:

¶ … Biggest Problems Facing America Today: The Economy and Security

On September 11, 2001, when the United States was attacked by terrorists, it was the beginning of what would be more than a war. It was the beginning of a new type of war. It was the kind of war that was waged anonymously from afar, its agents integrated into the very fabric of the diversity that was the American cultural melting pot. The mission was to wage a relentless, endless war of terrorism, and the goals, as are the goals of terrorists, to bring American to its knees financially and psychologically (Nathan, KS, and Kamali, Mohammad, 2005, xiv). Eight years later and it would be hard to argue that the terrorists did not accomplish their goals.

America is today in the throes of an economic crisis from which it may take decades to recover from. Internal and external security is a concern that is shared by American citizens, political leaders, and our world partners with whom Americans fought in, and against, World War II. Like America, Great Britain, France, Spain, Russia, Germany, and other countries of the world have all experienced the economic and security problems posed by terrorism. The question that we are all asking, as citizens, political leaders, and world partners in trade and an emerging world community is how do we change what is going on, and regain economic and security stability in our nations (Mooney, Jayne, and Young, Jock, 2005, 113)?

What must be acknowledged is that the security of the free world is directly tied to the economic stability of the free world, and that to regain the economic balance we must address the security issues that are interfering with free trade (Mackenzie, Simon, 2006, 162). Industry and oil shipments are still being interrupted by pirates off the coast of Somalia (Hopper, Anna, 2008, 28). Drug trafficking is still an issue around the world, and have actually proven to have been a more viable investment than many of the blue chip stocks; this has to change. World commerce must be made safe, and in the same vane must not serve as a front for drug trafficking.

The vulnerability of world investments has shown itself as a house of cards that have collapsed around the world (the Daily Mirror, 2008, 6). Governments around the world are scrambling to bail out businesses and banks. It is confusing, because it is not just America, but global. Confidence in government and investment entities are low, and it is hard to tell if it can go much lower.