Economic sanctions and cyber security in homeland security policy

3 Global Influence One major challenge facing leaders today in my field, which is Homeland Security, is the issue globalization. Globalization is a phenomenon that has happened all over the world as a result of the rise of the Digital Era, which has allowed people to connect to one another via the Internet and share communications easily—with the click of a button. Information flows more rapidly than ever before on the planet, and information, stored on computers, is also susceptible to being hacked and illegally taken and distributed among other parties or adversaries who would like to have a way to make opponents vulnerable. The global influence of technology and the way that the world’s global economy is intertwined today is a major challenge for Homeland Security because of the need for leaders in this field to protect their Homeland and keep information from being distributed without permission. While these leaders have a mandate to protect their country, they also must simultaneously recognize that globalization is a fact, which means that no country can really engage in isolationism any more. All must work together to strive towards common goals for the sake of peace and prosperity for one and all. To that end, two recommendations can be made: First, leaders should consider putting an end to economic sanctions, which amount to an act of war against sovereign nations (such as North Korea, Iran, China, Russia, et al.) (Ha, Hwang, 2015). Second, leaders should consider promoting more cyber security to strengthen their own databases and networks and protect them from hacking (Gompert, Libicki, 2015). This paper will discuss both of these recommendations and explain why they are appropriate. The first recommendation for an end to economic sanctions is based on the recognition that we do in fact live in a new, global society. We are on the verge of a real, mulit-polar world in which power is concentrated in multiple countries instead of in just one dominant nation. For many years, the U.S. has been the world’s leader—but that time may be ending as other nations have developed themselves and built up relationships that are no longer dependent upon U.S. dollars, military, or leadership. So long as the U.S. fails to realize this and insist on being the sole world power (by laying sanctions against other countries), the deeper it digs its own hole and provokes hostilities. Sanctions against countries in the Middle East should come to a close, and the U.S. should work on getting out of the region to allow the countries there to re-build. Too much provocative behavior risks the security of the Homeland; this should be apparent by now. It is better to develop relationships with countries than to engage in subversion. The second recommendation is to strengthen the country’s cyber security. Even though it is good to build relations with all countries, it is also wise to protect oneself just in case. To that end, cyber systems should be enhanced to resist cyber attacks. There are many rogue organizations that exist—like Anonymous—that are interested in subverting the infrastructure of sovereign nations. The U.S.’s Homeland Security forces should be prepared to address these risks so as to ensure organizational success. In conclusion, global influences have altered the way leaders in Homeland Security should think about the U.S.’s place in the world. Leaders should be more inclined to work with other nations in a multi-polar framework rather than asserting themselves through sanctions that lead to more hostilities and risks. At the same time, leaders should recognize that nothing is ever perfect and that a strong country is a safe one—which means it should heighten its cyber security measures so that its networks are safe from harm. References Gompert, D., Libicki, M. (2015). Waging cyber war the American Way. Survival: Global Politics and Strategy, 57(4): 7-28. Ha, E., Hwang, C. (2015). The U.S.-North Korea Geneva Agree Framework. North Korean Review, 11(1): 7-23.