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The Fight to Defend the Free World Discussion

Embracing Strategic Empathy
How do current challenges to national security differ from those faced before the end of the Cold War? How are they the same?

Responses

The current challenges include large government powers that have nuclear weapons trying to spread their influence across the world, which is the same as the cold war, only now we have entire generations of Americans that actually have a very favorable view on China and actually see America as the evil nation. In the Cold War, people feared the possibility of a nuclear war which brought unity to the nation, but more it seems like there is no unity and we still face the real possibility of aggressive action by foreign powers, either by economic means, or other aggressive actions.

There are many new weapons that can wreak havoc economically and socially. Cyber warfare is a new and very powerful weapon that has the potential to completely disrupt a society. Evil hasn't gone away and the addictive influence of power has not gone away. When you have those forces still present and the traditional military strength as well as ability to create many other "fires" and "distractions" for us to worry about and fight, you can weaken our resolve to stand strong in the face of traditional military and territorial threats.

Simply put:
1. Technological advances that allow war to be fought via the the internet. Entire systems have been grossly narrowed and pigeonholed into small tunnels and are dependent upon technology. That tech is hackable and vulnerable. Without paying attention to the details of hardening the systems, our govt will expose its citizens to shut downs of society on a horrific scale. Wars can be won without firing a shot.

2. Its still the same issues of how do we protect our country, our interests and its citizens from attacks. It was kinetic war, now its information war. The most pressing issue now is how do we protect the citizens of this country from our own govt. We have to tackle that before we can even begin to think about outside issues.

The challenges to US national security faced today differ in several key ways:

Terrorism: The rise of terrorism as a global threat is a major difference between the challenges faced today and those before the end of the Cold War. Terrorist groups like Al Qaeda and ISIS pose a significant threat to US national security and require new strategies to combat them.

Cybersecurity: The rise of cyber threats and cyber warfare is another major difference. The United States faces a constant barrage of cyberattacks from foreign adversaries seeking to steal sensitive information or disrupt critical infrastructure.

Globalization: The increased interconnectedness of the world through technology and trade has created new vulnerabilities that can be exploited by both state and non-state actors. This has made it more difficult to protect US national security and respond to threats.

Multipolar world: Before the end of the Cold War, the world was largely bipolar, with the United States and the Soviet Union as the dominant powers. Today, there are multiple global powers with competing interests, making it more difficult to find common ground on issues related to US national security.

Some similarities between the current challenges to national security and those faced before the end of the Cold War:

Nuclear weapons: The threat of nuclear war still exists, as several countries possess nuclear weapons, and tensions between these countries can escalate quickly.

Traditional state-based threats: The United States still faces traditional state-based threats such as territorial disputes, proxy conflicts, and economic competition.

Resource competition: The competition for resources, such as oil and water, has been a factor in global politics for decades and remains a challenge to US national security.

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