06.09.11
National security as new haven for those obsessed with trivial shit
A few times this week I was contacted by news reporters who wanted to discuss cybersecurity and terrorism.
I spent time on the telephone with each and won’t mention names. The stuff that’s critical of the general received wisdoms just never gets into the news narrative. And you can count the number of national security experts in the news who aren’t shills for the status quo on less than the fingers of one hand. In fact, no one like this even seems to exist anymore.
Anyway, all these journalists were tracking stories which have no real currency.
The primary threat to American security is the economy. Full stop.
If it fails disastrously again, or the nation is run aground by nuts people who have steered it irresponsibly, that’s a threat to everyone.
When half the political leadership structure in the US believes global warming is a hoax, that’s a long term threat to the world.
If it were the leadership of Lichtenstein or Andorra, this would be on no consequence. But it’s us and it has great consequence.
So when someone asked me if al Qaeda can launch a devastating cyberattack against the US, I had to take a mental step back and think about how to gently deliver an answer like: “What on earth made you think that was realistic?”
Al Qaeda can easily be dismissed as a cyber-threat. No one will go broke taking the short position that they’re never going to amount to anything in this area.
I pointed out that if there’s any evidence that they might wish to use cyberspace to attack the US it’s the same order of wishful thinking that made the terror men think it would be easy for it to make weapons of mass destruction.
Al Qaeda, or any jihadists, believe these things because they have read for years in the western press that it is easy to get or make them. Experts have said so in newspapers and on television. And there are people, including many terrorists, who actually believe that shit.
Which says something about their actual capability and powers of discernment and critical thinking.
The other question that has been coming up is one having to do with what would a devastating cyberwar look like?
Dunno. And I don’t make predictions. However, I do know many normal people find laughable, as do I, the idea that we need to be really concerned right now about cyberterrorists attacking Wall Street and the American financial system.
You mean to argue that’s more a threat than what our insiders have already done? On the other hand, how ’bout a cheer for a cyberattack on Wall Street.
And then there’s one last point. If it’s not an attack on Wall Street, or something by al Qaeda, what about a cyberwar that has consequences in the physical world?
Been watching Live Free or Die Hard too many times in rerun, buddy? (It was showing just this week on cable. It’s the worst of the Die Hard movies and, as a bit of trivia, was based on some piece written about “electronic Pearl Harbor” about fifteen years ago.)
In a related matter it has to be said that America’s national security think tanks are havens for people who are simply threat-mongering salesmen or high button warehouses for those currently out of power.
After over ten years of reading their reports and pronouncement I can assert with absolute confidence that they generally produce no “analytic” product we couldn’t live without.
I’m going to give you some current copy, something that’s a workmanlike sample from an alleged academician at the RAND Corporation.
What are economists, good ones, writing about in their many blogs now?
Not a trick question. You know the answer. The wretched economy, stupid.
But that’s not what an “economist” from the RAND Corporation tepidly wrote about in a piece entitled “How Might Bin Laden’s Demise Affect Business?”
The title telegraphs the message: Don’t read me.
Here’s the lede graph:
Given how markets are responding thus far, Osama Bin Laden’s death is likely to have a modestly positive and buoyant effect on equity markets. Business abhors uncertainty. With Bin Laden gone, one major source of uncertainty is removed …
Business abhors uncertainty. Gnomic, like something my dad would have said.
Here’s the RAND Corporation from Google Maps.
Everyone who works for RAND lives in the high rent zipcodes on the west side of LA. Maybe a couple are little different and have places in the mansion districts of Pasadena and San Marino.
They sure know what’s going in national security threats to the country.
Everyone would laugh at America’s think-tankers if the reality wasn’t that they’re really well compensated to actively ignore reality so that more better crap can be made up to support the various endless war efforts.
Nice to know we’re sharing it with those trustworthy pantywaists in the Pakistan military. You just know that’s going to end well, too.
John Bobbit said,
June 9, 2011 at 8:44 pm
This may sound like conspiracy theory tripe but the recent RSA hack and the fact that they are now going to reissue millions of keyfobs, along with other security breaches has some in the security establishment predicting a rather massive attack on the American financial structure in the making. A great flushing of accounts and credit coordinated by Chinese elements who are behind each of these attacks. Something to consider as the daily news of new penetrations come in.