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1 Harv. Nat'l Sec. J. 1 (2010)

handle is hein.journals/harvardnsj1 and id is 1 raw text is: VOLUME 1-JANUARY 11, 2010 Dialogue, Discourse, and Debate: Introducing the Harvard National SecurityJournal Martha Minow* September 11, 2001, stands as a critical pivot point in our nation's history, one that put the threat of terrorism in the national spotlight and demanded immediate expertise in national security. Yet, as new as the issue may have seemed to many observers, this demand for legal, political, and technical attention to national security reflected a longer-term set of profound changes. The fall of Communism and the end of the Cold War ushered in a new era of geopolitics, ending a past marked largely by alliances between--and rivalries across--nations and beginning an era of global risks from actors not easily defined by, or constrained within, state borders. The collapse of the Soviet Union left nuclear weapons and materials in unstable countries and unprotected facilities, providing attractive targets for rogue states and terrorist groups. This precarious situation has been exacerbated by the growing ambitions of Iran and North Korea. A revolution in digital and information technologies has produced innovations that not only afford new intelligence capabilities for government authorities but also create new forums for terrorist communication, recruitment, and training. Mass migrations of people due to economic hardship, ethnic and religious conflicts, and climate change increase the likelihood of disputes over basic resources, further adding to the risk of violence. Alongside these emerging threats, many traditional security concerns remain salient, including human rights violations in China, tensions between India and Pakistan, and the menace of international piracy. Devising responses to threats from each of these sources produces its own set of complications and complexities for any nation and for the international community. The U.S.-led invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan * Dean of the Faculty and Jeremiah Smith, Jr. Professor of Law, Harvard Law School Copyright © 2009 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College and Martha Minow.