National Security Redefined. Documenting local costs of global injustices.

An action coalition for redefining national security? 

"No one can find a safe way out for himself if society is sweeping towards destruction. Therefore everyone, in his own interests, must thrust himself vigorously into the intellectual battle. None can stand aside with unconcern; the interests of everyone hang on the result." --Ludwig von Mises

National Security is NOT what it used to be. 

Even before Trump’s election a survey of national security experts claimed that the second greatest threat our national security was our own “government dysfunction”. 

Each day another politician, military general, CEO, or prestigious commission cites yet another non-military issue related to “National Security” then followed by the phrase “one of the greatest”.    From cyber hacks on our democracy, unsustainable US debt, inevitable pandemics, increasing intensity and frequency of extreme weather conditions, Artificial Intelligence, nation state failures, evolution of weapons, terrorism and WMD proliferation… to name a few.

There’s a fundamental reason for this.  Every system and structure in the world is interconnected and interdependent on a variety of resources and actions.  But our global system of governance is not.  It operates on an alternative principle invented in the human mind and found nowhere in nature – independence.  In political jargon this means national sovereignty – a political concept invented over 400 years ago at the treaty if Westphalia.  Since then, things have changed tremendously.  The exponential advances in technology now demand that we change accordingly, or face catastrophic consequences in virtually every aspect of civilization as we know it.

Accelerating advances in dual-use technology and the irreversible globalization of our economy, health, and environment has locked everyone’s freedom and security together due to the increasing availability of anyone’s affordable access to multiple dual-use technologies, each with unprecedented capacity for mass murder, destruction, disruption, or disinformation.  

Traditional military means of defending nations and their citizens may still work against invading armies but they are virtually useless against a host of other national security threats. 

Few people understand that biological (natural or human engineered) threats could kill as many Americans as a limited nuclear exchange; cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure could kill millions;  social media destroying our democratic essentials (truth, trust in government, and elections) erodes our unity from within; the global proliferation of various dual-use technologies capable of yielding unprecedentedly powerful, anonymous and autonomous WMD weapons will increase risks to privacy and freedom of movement;  and the budget busting evolution of new military weaponry for which there is no immediate effective defense represents an entirely new generation of warfare that could derail our vital economy on which our traditional national security elements depend.

Increasing military expenditures for more or even new weapons systems will be wasted money at best.  At worse, these expenditures and new weapon systems will be used to continue an endless war against terrorism, a tactic that can never be defeated by military means.  Let me repeat …NEVER be defeated by military means. Yet US budget deficits continue to fatten our already unsustainable debt burden. This then provides more reason to further slash the vital funds needed for preventing war and reducing other non-military related threats.   General Mattis’ gets it.  In his budget request he asked Congress to “buy me more bullets” ‘if you continue cut funding for the State Department and USAID’.

Why will Congress not listen?  The Military Industrial Complex has their army of lobbyists.  But the bigger reason is that peace activists don’t, and most Americans and their Members of Congress continue to assume that our nation’s security is a function of military spending.  Some in office may be afraid to declare their opposition to such a myth but this could not be sustained if American’s really understood the local costs of US military interventions abroad and lack of investments in improving the lives others beyond our shores.  In other words, global justice for all.

This must change!  As more US citizens and policy makers are now willing to speak out against virtually unrestricted access to firearms domestically … we cannot wait until there is a mass casualty terrorist attack in the US before offering clear warning that it is our US military interventions ‘over there’ that is the primary recruiting tool for terrorists attacks ‘over here’.

This and other lethal domestic consequences of violent US military involvement abroad (returning soldiers with PTSD…) and our lack of humanitarian investments in nation building or diplomacy abroad  can no longer be ignored.  The local cost of infectious diseases like Polio, Measles, TB, HIV/AIDs, Ebola and other new and re-emerging infectious diseases that cannot be stopped by a border wall when most infectious diseases are delivered here by US tourists, troops, and business travelers returning to their families and friends  via airports, water ports, and legal border crossings.

Draughts, floods, hurricanes, wild fires and tornadoes are increasing in frequency and intensity. These local extreme weather conditions will accelerate and continue to rack up tens of billions of dollar in damage and thousands of US deaths as global temperatures and oceans continue to rise.  

No wall or military weapons can stop Cyber-criminal hackers and low cost- lethal Opioid doses breaching our borders.  Investments in local prevention would protect more dollars and lives than any new class of nuclear weapon or hypersonic torpedoes.

There are multiple other sources of domestic benefit from addressing global issues at their source.  From job losses to the loss of our Antibiotic arsenal the quality of our lives is irreversibly linked to the quality of lives of everyone we share this world with.  

Americans must document the local costs of global injustices.  Add up they are shocking.  We must reverse the obscene amount of US tax dollars being poured into weapons and wars that in the long run only exacerbate global injustices when they are used… and do as much damage even if they are not used because of the lost financing for investing in preventive measures.

If you would like to assist in gathering information on local costs of global injustices consider working with us to document specific costs in your own Congressional District.  We will assist you each step of the way to create a local event in your community at no cost to you, other than your valuable time. And, we will never ask you for anything but that time.

We cannot think of a better use of anyone’s time, than gathering information that can persuade policy makers to stop the madness of violence, poverty and other global injustices that are linked to our local communities.

The Action Network:    https://actionnetwork.org/contact   Conf Call March 29, 2018  7 pm EST.

At least two action options exist using the local costs once they are documented.  

1.        Freeze and Seize Offshore accounts:    There is at least $32 trillion stashed in private offshore accounts by kleptocrats, drug cartels, and capitalists avoiding taxes.    https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-kleptocracy/2017/01/04/42b30d72-c78f-11e6-8bee-54e800ef2a63_story.html  

2.      The Robin Hood Tax:  www.RobinHoodTax.org     The Robin Hood Tax is a tiny tax of less than half of 1% on Wall Street transactions that could generate $300 Billion annually. 
The Robin Hood Tax on Wall Street will kick start the economy and get America back on its feet by funding College For All, creating jobs and strengthening public services like healthcare, education and infrastructure at home while tackling AIDS, global health, poverty and climate challenges around the world.

The SDGs are the only comprehensive plan available that can effectively address the root causes of war, pandemics, genocide, environmental destruction, hunger, starvation, refugees…

It would take a movement of movements (peace, environment, and social/economic justice movements coming together) within the US to create sufficient political will to make it happen.

SUMMARY:  An immediate plan is needed to redefine national security.   More military funding, nuclear weapons, or walls will not protect us against climate change, pandemics, terrorism, job losses, cyber-attacks, WMD proliferation, the evolution of new weapons for which there is no defense, or an endless arms race we cannot afford.  Before the November elections we must document the local health, economic, and environmental costs within each of the 435 US Congressional Districts that result from the endless wars we are engaged in and the poverty related consequences of other injustices that our foreign policy avoids or inadvertently causes.  Either weekend around the 4^th of July Independence Day celebrations would an ideal time to clearly document our global interdependence -- and our need for a comprehensive global approach to prevent most of the threats our military cannot protect us from.

If not this, what?  If not now, when?  If not a movement of movements…what?