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Subject: The need for enhanced security in America post terror attacks.
Dear Sir/Madam,
Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper that is widely read across the whole country, I would like to put in my two-penny worth on the issue of why America needs more security despite the fact that people might have to give up some of their freedom. Security is a basic right of every human being, whether it is the physical security of the citizens, information security or digital security. The importance of National security has never been the centre of discussion in America. It was only after the most deadly terrorist attack in New York on the ninth of September 2011 that Americans started to be concerned about the term “national security”(Brown). They were extremely fearful as to how can multiple terrorists could evade a country that possesses nuclear power and is considered to be the most powerful country in the world. Today America has come up with new security strategies and has implemented various laws in order to protect the citizens and its future. Despite the fact of all these measures taken to improve the national security of the country, terrorists and fear-evoking groups of people have attacked and disrupted the peace of the country time-to-time. This is the reason why I am suggesting that the government of the U.S. of America needs to upgrade its defence mechanisms and strategies without breaching the privacy of its citizen so that they can lead a peaceful life(Belasco).
History of America shows that it has been under attack of reckless bombing, bioterror, and cyber terror many times, not only in the past but also in the current times as well. Like the bombing of Naco in 1929, which was the first aerial bombardment in the history of America, the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 destroyed New York’s skyline and resulted in thousands of human casualties. The World Trade Center bombing in 1993 resulted in thousands of injured citizens, the multiple 9/11 attacks in New York, the Orlando nightclub shooting in 2016, to many more dating back in time. This shows that the country is vulnerable. Not just to natural calamities or accidents or criminals but to enemies that had threatened the whole world. At the same time, America has taken significant steps to raise the bar of its citizen’s protection against its outstretched enemies(Adelman). There are schools of thought pleading that increased security should not come at the cost of breaching citizens’ privacy. They believe that security and privacy are inversely proportional to each other. When it is bettered, the other one is immolated. It is, however, the responsibility of the democratic government to maintain a balance between both of them. On the other hand, many scholars believe that security and privacy go hand in hand. If we were secured, then it would automatically lead to our improved privacy (Forrest). We should look at the bigger picture in front of us; if we can sacrifice a little of our privacy while going through various security-checking booths at an airport, this would ultimately help in improving the defence of our country(Faludi).
There is no doubt that America has fought with all these threats, sometimes heroically and sometimes irrationally, but these events have definitely left a mark on its national security policies, its economy, politics, and most importantly, the psychic of its citizens. Today the world has changed completely. America faces problems that are much worse than the Cold War. 2. In historical times, countries needed huge tanks and humongous armies to fight or defend their country but as the world has changed to a digital form, enemies have also changed their strategies by breaching the digital platforms and turning modern technology against it that could damage the nation in ways equivalent to a war. The National Security Strategy of the U.S. of America has stated that the enemies have declared an open war by striving for weapons of mass destruction, and recent events have proved those claims to be right (House). This has opened a very serious and potential threat to the country and requires immediate and adamant security measures to be implicated as soon as possible(Romero).
National security is a critical responsibility of the government of a country, and it is a basic right of the citizens living in it. With smart and strategic decisions made by the government and its policymakers, America had prepared itself with best military defence, sophisticated cyber-warfare, diplomatic policymakers and intelligence services to defend itself. Nevertheless, the dwelling question is whether, despite of all the high-security protocol implications, America is still safe or not. Can Americans still walk by the road every day and feel fearless that no terrorist would emerge suddenly and thousands of deaths would entail? There is no person that would hack the national security system and could crash the economy. From my point of view, there is still a requirement to improve our security measures and defence strategies. The recent incident of the Orlando shooting stresses my plea where a security guard, who was alleged an ISIS agent, outside a nightclub, killed forty-nine people. This incident clearly shows the hole that is yet to be filled in maintaining top-notch security.
America needs more security and a better strategic plan to co-op with the increasing danger that it is facing. As the world is increasing with the number of countries having nuclear powers, especially after the incident of 9/11 attacks, there is a probability that AL Qaeda or any other terrorist group will not hold back from attacking America fearlessly. Moreover, as the world is emerging with the latest technology and digitalization, social websites, social platforms, and digital marketplaces are at the highest risk for security breaches because people can hack the system and can leak important nation-level high-priority information(Neiman and Swagel). At the same time, protecting the platforms, people have to sacrifice a bit of their privacy for internet surfing as the government has to overlook what sort of people are browsing the internet and for what purposes. This is a very small price to pay in order to safeguard the nation’s security. Although the threats America faces these days are not as severe as those in the Cold War. But in spite of the fact being one of the strongest counties in the world, there are limitations and shortcomings in its defence mechanisms and strategies that should be dealt with in order to minimize any future consequences and make it stronger and less prone to any civil liberty.