The bad news is that with the end of the Cold War, threats to international peace and security became less predictable and more diverse. The rise of international terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missiles, and the troubling actions of rogue states replaced the US-USSR superpower rivalry as the central organizing theme of the new national security environment. The idea of a "peace dividend," consisting of years of international tranquility and stability, were dashed on September 11, 2001. The threats of the Cold War were supplanted by new national security environment characterized by unpredictable, motivated, capable adversaries posing multiple threats. Peter Brookes, one of the most respected national security experts in the United States, reminds Americans that the world continues to be a very dangerous place, filled with people and groups eager to topple the United States. This devil's triangle-the intersection of terrorism, Chemical/Biological/ Radioactive/Nuclear weapons, and state sponsors-raises the timely question, What should America do about these new security challenges? America is at war and there is no other course but action. The United States can face these threats squarely and emerge victorious if we have the will and resolve to carry it through. Terrorism can be defeated. Proliferation can be curtailed. The behavior of rogue states can be modified. The United States is in an epic struggle in the defense of freedom and our way of life. A failure to identify, understand, and meet these security challenges head on could lead to an incident that would make the unspeakable horrors of 9/11 seem like a minor tragedy. With resolve, determination and a willingness to lead, America will successfully meet these challenges, and freedom will prevail.
About the Author: Peter Brookes is a senior fellow for National Security Affairs and Director of the Asian Studies Center at the Heritage Foundation. He also has a weekly column on foreign policy and defense issues for the New York Post. He has served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Affairs in the Office of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and was a Republican staffer on the House Committee on International Relations. Brookes also served as an Intelligence Officer with the CIA's Directorate of Operations and worked on international economic issues for the State Department at the United Nations. His military background included active duty in Iraq/Kuwait (Desert Storm); Haiti (Restore Democracy); and Bosnia (Joint Endeavor). He flew reconnaissance missions in East Asia and the Persian Gulf while stationed in Japan covering military matters related to the Soviet Union, North Korea, China, Vietnam, Iran, and Iraq. While serving in Panama, he worked Latin American and Caribbean counter-narcotics and issues related to insurgencies/counter-insurgencies in Nicaragua and El Salvador. Brookes is also a Commander in the Naval Reserves and is assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency where he serves as an Associated Professor in the Masters-level Postgraduate Intelligence Program at the Joint Military Intelligence College. He has also performed reserve assignments as a staff officer, defense attaché, intelligence analyst and collector, and interpreter/translator with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, unified and specified commands, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Office of Naval Intelligence, the National Security Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Office of the Vice President and in support of the National Security Council. His military decorations include: the Joint Service Commendation Medal; the Navy Commendation Medal; the Navy Achievement Medal; several naval and joint unit awards; the Defense Language Institute's Kellogg Award; the Joint Chiefs of Staff service b