The links between security and globalization were highlighted by the 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, DC, and the subsequent long wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Lingering poverty, inequality, religious extremism and war can sow discontent and resentment as unprecedented global mobility lends access to education and travel in other countries. Despite use of drones, cyber-warfare and other advanced weapons technology to mount counterterrorist attacks, the marginalized can strike out at vulnerable urban or economic centers. Annual global defense spending exceeds $1.6 trillion. Containing the trade in weapons, whether nuclear bombs or assault rifles, and preventing them from falling into the wrong hands remain a challenge.

Pakistan's Awkward Balancing Act on Islamic Militant Groups

Pakistan is polarized when it comes to defining or fighting terrorists
Pamela Constable
August 30, 2006

Muslim Myopia

Foreign policy might motivate some radicals, but the West is hardly alone in committing violence against Muslims
Irshad Manji
August 25, 2006

Saving the World, One Video Game at a Time

Designers develop new games to teach the strategies of peace
Clive Thompson
July 23, 2006

A Week of Reckoning; A New Enemy Gains on the U.S.

Hezbollah has morphed into a hybrid army
Thom Shanker
July 30, 2006

Terror Plot Exposes Flaws in How UK Tackles Extremism

Local authorities, the first line of defense in combating extremism, make little progress in the UK
Andrew Higgins
August 21, 2006