Arguments Against Kaplan

Argumentative Essay Against Kaplan’s Statement that Global Environmental and Social Factors are the Top National Security Concern of the 21st Century

CYBERATTACKS – THE TOP SECURITY THREAT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Robert Kaplan makes a compelling argument in his book, “The Coming Anarchy,” that global environmental and social factors such as resource depletion, overpopulation, crime, and tribalism are the most pressing national security issues in the 21st century. He cites numerous examples of crime, war, and destitution in failing states of West Africa as well as protracted conflicts in the Balkans, and Central Asia. However, the environmental and social factors described by Kaplan are not security threats, per se, rather the fertile ground from which security threats arise. Resource depletion, overpopulation, tribalism, or combinations thereof are not sufficient conditions for security threats. Kaplan himself makes perhaps the best argument for this in his description of the Turkish culture and the people of a shanty town called Golden Mountain. Despite having many unfavorable
The effects of attacks can be described by four levels of national security concern with the first level being disruption of communications, economic transactions, public information campaigns, electric power grids, and political negotiations. Second is the threat of exploitation of sensitive, proprietary, or classified information. Third is the threat of manipulation of information for political, economic, or military purposes and last is the threat of destruction of information or critical infrastructure