Showing posts with label National. Show all posts
Showing posts with label National. Show all posts

Friday, July 15, 2011

Cyber War the Next Threat to National Security and What to Do About It

Book Review: Cyber War - The next threat to national security and what to do about it by Richard A. Clarke

Two of the most talked about issues are probably China and the cyber war. When it comes to both these issues, there seems to be developing some kind of a strong connection between the two with China's fast development and progress in all areas. Richard Clarke, who served as a counterterrorism to Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, turned his attention to a new potential security catastrophe which is terrorism through computers.

In his book on cyber war, he provides an insight on the issue and will probably change the way people think about China. It is anyway very tough to understand all aspects of cyber war without studying the political angle to it. Clarke highlights three most terrifying concepts in his book. They are as follows:

US pioneered cyber war:

Cyber warfare technology is not something new. It was used by the US in their war against the Soviet Union in the 1980s. In collaboration with the Canadian government, they inserted a logic bomb into their software which sabotaged the Russian pipeline operations. It resulted in the biggest non-nuclear explosion ever. During the Gulf War, China paid very close attention to US's warfare marked by high and advanced technology. They changed their own military strategy and started investing more in the battlefield of computers.

Economic warfare:

Billions of dollars is spent on funding the research. But with advanced technology and a few mouse clicks, China can steal these and take the results to the market. Most of America's corporate world remains unsecured and unprotected against these threats.

When technology is disadvantaged:

Economic disadvantages can often be converted into military advantages as in the case of North Korea and other nations that have minimal computer based infrastructure. After the Gulf war, China came up with a book describing how such countries can have an upper hand in the case of cyber war. Hence, in the example of North Korea, it proves how it could have the upper hand because it doesn't have computer infrastructure that could be turned off.

Cyber War has started the debate about the "new threat to national security" this simple to understand book will appeal to all readers but political and tech junkies and also futurologists and war heads will receive a stimulating fix.

If you would like to read a chapter of this stimulating book click here

For your chance to get a free iPad or amazon kindle do check out http://powerfulreviews.com/ thanks.


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Thursday, July 14, 2011

Developing a National Drought Policy in Australia - Book Review

Australia just went through the worst drought in 50 years. Interestingly enough, their drought wasn't any worse as a percentage of average rainfall as it was 50 years ago, but unfortunately they have a lot more people now all vying for the same amount of water. Some folks have blamed global warming, but it appears it was the El Nino cycle is what changed things. Luckily, the drought is over, however their problems with over water use remain.

Each time there is a Drought it will appear to be more severe due to the water usage. If you'd like to learn more about how Australia dealt with this incredible drought situation, then I'd like to recommend a very good book to you, a project I actually participated in, and gave commentary for;

"Consultations on National Drought Policy; Preparing for the Future - Drought Review Panel " The Government of Australia, 2004.

The book describes the Australian government's $1.2 Billion in Drought Assistance Program, and the importance for preparedness in the future due to climate variability, El Nino, and the cyclone season. This book is fully describes the regional and Social Impacts and why a National Drought Policy is paramount. It also describes future procedures for Drought Declarations and Alert Levels.

The Economics of Drought when there is a shortage of water there is also a drought in the business community. It obviously affects farming and agriculture, and that goes without saying, but it also affects nearly every industry. This is why water conservation is a key. It is my contention that the Australian government was very wise to be proactive in solving their problems and mitigating the drought situation. It is also my belief that every government should study this, because it is a blueprint for future success when calamity strikes. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this.

Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes in conservation of water resources.


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