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.

The Bigger Problem: Weapons of Individual Destruction

Small arms and light weapons cause devastation on a global scale
Raenette Taljaard
October 15, 2003

Apples and Oranges Are Both Fruit, But…

Think twice before calling Iraq “Another Vietnam”
William S. Turley
October 24, 2003

Politics in Command

Without active political support for the US occupation of Iraq, mere military success won't avoid defeat
Jonathan Schell
September 29, 2003

Where Did Iraq's Weapons Go?

It was a case of generalized misjudgment of the threat and its hyping by the Bush administration
Michael O'Hanlon
October 6, 2003

Rid of Violence, a Reforming Bosnia Emerges as a Model

With international assistance, once conflict-ridden countries can build governance and successfully join the interconnected world
Humphrey Hawksley
June 12, 2008

The Paradox of Muslim Weakness

Islamists, even when not in power, wield fear and faith to pressure their societies in conservative directions
Sadanand Dhume
May 27, 2008

Spiegel Online: Libyan Camps for Refugees Are Not the Answer

Florian Gathmann, Walter Mayr, Veit Medick, Peter Müller and Wolf Wiedmann-Schmidt
August 18, 2017

Bloomberg: Moon Asserts Right to Veto US War

Hooyeon Kim, David Tweed, and Narae Kim
August 16, 2017