The Information Age has dawned at the same time the global political system is in transition. High technology performance and economic productivity are converging across the major developed regions of North America, East Asia, and Europe. If U.S. economic, military, and political leadership is to continue, it must depend more on flexible adaptation to the new technical and organizational realities and less on technological dominance. The heart of this adaptation lies in the evolution of a national technology policy that emphasizes market forces and the exploitation of network linkages within and among commercial and military organizations.
This report summarizes a workshopâ€"Strengthening Science-Based Decision-Making: Implementing the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants held June 7-10, 2004, in Beijing, China. The presentations and discussions summarized here describe the types of scientific information necessary to make informed decisions to eliminate the production and use of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) banned under the Stockholm Convention, sources of information; scientifically informed strategies for eliminating POPs, elements of good scientific advice, such as transparency, peer review, and disclosure of conflicts of interest; and information dealing with POPs that decision makers need from the scientific community, including next steps to make such science available and ensure its use on a continuing basis.
As one of the first books to distill the economics of information and networks into practical business strategies, this is a guide to the winning moves that can help business leaders--from writers, lawyers and finance professional to executives in the entertainment, publishing and hardware and software industries-- navigate successfully through the information economy.
For every opportunity presented by the information age, there is an opening to invade the privacy and threaten the security of the nation, U.S. businesses, and citizens in their private lives. The more information that is transmitted in computer-readable form, the more vulnerable we become to automated spying. It's been estimated that some 10 billion words of computer-readable data can be searched for as little as $1. Rival companies can glean proprietary secrets . . . anti-U.S. terrorists can research targets . . . network hackers can do anything from charging purchases on someone else's credit card to accessing military installations. With patience and persistence, numerous pieces of data can be assembled into a revealing mosaic. Cryptography's Role in Securing the Information Society addresses the urgent need for a strong national policy on cryptography that promotes and encourages the widespread use of this powerful tool for protecting of the information interests of individuals, businesses, and the nation as a whole, while respecting legitimate national needs of law enforcement and intelligence for national security and foreign policy purposes. This book presents a comprehensive examination of cryptographyâ€"the representation of messages in codeâ€"and its transformation from a national security tool to a key component of the global information superhighway. The committee enlarges the scope of policy options and offers specific conclusions and recommendations for decision makers. Cryptography's Role in Securing the Information Society explores how all of us are affected by information security issues: private companies and businesses; law enforcement and other agencies; people in their private lives. This volume takes a realistic look at what cryptography can and cannot do and how its development has been shaped by the forces of supply and demand. How can a business ensure that employees use encryption to protect proprietary data but not to conceal illegal actions? Is encryption of voice traffic a serious threat to legitimate law enforcement wiretaps? What is the systemic threat to the nation's information infrastructure? These and other thought-provoking questions are explored. Cryptography's Role in Securing the Information Society provides a detailed review of the Escrowed Encryption Standard (known informally as the Clipper chip proposal), a federal cryptography standard for telephony promulgated in 1994 that raised nationwide controversy over its "Big Brother" implications. The committee examines the strategy of export control over cryptography: although this tool has been used for years in support of national security, it is increasingly criticized by the vendors who are subject to federal export regulation. The book also examines other less well known but nevertheless critical issues in national cryptography policy such as digital telephony and the interplay between international and national issues. The themes of Cryptography's Role in Securing the Information Society are illustrated throughout with many examplesâ€"some alarming and all instructiveâ€"from the worlds of government and business as well as the international network of hackers. This book will be of critical importance to everyone concerned about electronic security: policymakers, regulators, attorneys, security officials, law enforcement agents, business leaders, information managers, program developers, privacy advocates, and Internet users.
At the end of the deadliest century known to mankind, the world still finds itself mired in bloodshed. In addition to formal inter-state conflict, we see an increase in other forms of organized violence, including ethnic warfare, terrorism, civil conflict, and internationally necessitated police actions. Cornered by these powerful global forces, nation-states continue their quest for security. Theirs is a search plagued by futility since the very meaning of the word security is being eroded by the pace and tenor of change in an evolving international environment more complex and confusing than ever. The explanatory power of traditional notions of international security, which has provided a cornerstone for international relations theory as a whole, seems increasingly inadequate in helping to understand the makings of global security. A novel approach is needed--one that integrates discerning insights from the study of language, history, geography, religion, economics, and technology, with more traditional understandings of the workings of power on an international level and on an intranational scale. Of Fears and Foes presents just this kind of innovative thinking by some of the most creative scholars working on these issues today. Ciprut invites us to consider a fundamental reassessment of what constitutes security and insecurity in an emerging global environment.
National security is being redefined in the 21st century. Rapid advances in technology are reminiscent of the initiation of the nuclear age. As the cyber realm and outer space develop as new domains of international competition, there are new strategies and tools for states to utilize and also defend against. Important elements of national security and some strategies are not new but would benefit from exploration with a fresh perspective. This book seeks to explore some of the changing relationships, the nature of alliances, and the UN to better understand national security in the digital and information age. The framework of international law as applied to new domains and gray-zone activity will also be explored to understand the tactics being used in the current strategic environment. Examining these significant elements of national security with a modern eye provides important insights for policymakers and the public in this new age of national security.
