Shifting the Burden- Cyber Security

Shifting the Burden/Addiction- Cyberspace Security

Definition: Instead of “doing the right thing” and implementing a fundamental solution, the policy focuses on a short-term superficial solution that lead distracts resources from what really ought to be done.

Over the last several years, the United States has faced new threats and challenges by use of the internet and other technology more and more in daily routines. Conflict is no longer limited to the battlefield- opponents are using technology and the vulnerability of networks to get a step up on competitors. Cyberspace is composed of all the interconnected networks that store information and provide services across the globe.

Foreign groups have been known to access networks at the White House, Congress, NASA, DHS, DOD and many leading American companies (Google just this month). These foreign actors access the networks with the intent of stealing valuable information which can impact the economy, national security, etc. Today, the United States relied very heavily on cyberspace to conduct day-to-day personal activities, health care, and military and government operations. Threats come not only from foreign governments and state actors, but from cyber criminals as well.

This CLD demonstrates the vulnerabilities and misperceptions associated with the use of networks and cyberspace.

Loop R1- “Everything’s Fine”: This loop shows that there is a belief that networks are secure and when they are perceived to be secure, the government and businesses are making efforts to incorporate the new technologies and cyberspace into their daily routines. For example, hospitals are making efforts to put all of their files in a “secure” date base. Then a few months down the road there is an issue- could be small or it could totally paralyze the industry depending on the threat. There is a delay in the system here because oftentimes, a threat is not discovered immediately. New security measures will likely be put in place after an incident completing the loop where the belief is that the network is secure from criminals.

Loop B1- “Check-ups”: This loop shows that when the security measures in the networks are being updated and keeping up with threats rather than only acting in crisis, the level of security risk will stay to a minimum. This could also be described as doing routine “check-ups” instead of only acting when an issue arises.

Loop B2: This loop is characterized by people trying to incorporate cyberspace and technology into their everyday life or business and not seeing the potential security risks that happen months or years down the road; hence a delay in the system. Unfortunately, as we have all experienced, when an issue arises the system is usually out of service for a few hours if not days. Sometimes, rather than “fix” the old system, a newer system is available which make people more apt to incorporating the “untouchable” technology. Supposedly the “untouchable” technology won’t fall for the old tricks… and that is true in some cases but the criminals just develop new threats for the new technology.

So how do we combat this issue?

Right now, there is no streamlined approach to tackling cyber criminals or protected the infrastructure. It will be important for law enforcement and technology specialists in businesses to work together to develop a more effective security system. Also by streamlining the security with a high cost but low risk system and one that is constantly being modified and adapted, it would likely be harder for criminals to break the system. Certainly, this would require sincere effort for everyone involved in the technology, but as they say- you are only as strong as your weakest link.

Columbia and U.S. Military Aid

Problem Narrative:

• Since 1950, the United States government has provided foreign states with foreign military financing and related assistance amounting to over $91 billion. Military aid to Columbia since 1988 totals to nearly $5 billion. The objective behind providing the aid is to back up weaker states against insurgent groups, drug cartels and other armed, non-state actors. It has come to the attention of researchers though that the money believed to be financing the state is actually funding the groups that the aid is sent to suppress.

Description of Behavior Over Time:

• The results of the studies suggest that foreign aid may strengthen armed, non-state actors in an environment where there are ties between the government military and these other groups. In Columbia, there is a three-sided conflict among communist guerillas, the government and right-wing paramilitary groups. Paramilitaries tend to work informally with the government in countering the guerilla. The current insurgency includes the Armed Revolutionary Forces of Columbia and the National Liberation Army. Both of the groups mentioned have a stated goal to overthrow the government, but also claim to represent the poor by supporting policies such as land redistribution.

• Due to Columbia being one of the world’s largest producers of cocaine, the country is a major recipient of aid in an effort to combat the War on Drugs. One characteristic of military aid is that it is disbursed to particular military brigades however; links have been established between the Columbian military and paramilitaries. Paramilitaries depend heavily on the production and distribution of drugs which is precisely why aid is going to the country to begin with.

Goals and Objectives:

• The goal of this study is to develop a model that helps policy makers and U.S. military officials to better understand the effects of various dynamic feedback processes and delays involved with foreign military aid and specifically in countries like Columbia. This study focuses on organization factors between the government and paramilitary organizations and those organizations impacts on the stability and violence in the country. We will use a time window from 1988 through 2010 as a basis for exploring the impact of these factors.

Questions:

• What role do the organizational dynamics (links between government and paramilitary organizations) play within the country of Columbia?

• Why do these groups work together and is this a trend that can somehow be stopped? How?

• What implications does this have for the existing policies? Taking away aid entirely? Reallocating aid?

Causal Loop Diagram- Antibiotic Use

The first bacteria in which penicillin resistance was found happened just four years after the drug started being mass produced.

That was back in 1947. Since then, public health officials have seen a number of other drug resistant pathogens increasing worldwide.
The original mental model behind antibiotic use was that epidemics or diseases in general would be less of an issue to public health. When disease is not overwhelming the population, public health is good and the need for antibiotics goes down. In the beginning, antibiotics worked very well against pathogens and doctors would routinely prescribe them, people would take them anytime they were sick and if doctors did not prescribe them, patients would demand a prescription. Over the years and an unintended consequence of prescribing antibiotics so frequently is that some bacteria mutated making it resistant to antibiotics. This is shown by the reinforcing loop in the low left hand side of the diagram. This should also be noted as the delay in initial unintended consequences of the mental model.

Today, we are seeing not only drug resistant bacteria but “superbugs”. Superbugs are the result of drug-resistant pathogens becoming resistant to almost all antibiotics making it harder for health care providers to find treatment options for their patients. Pathogens have become “superbugs” after the once drug resistant drugs became resistant to the alternative antibiotics prescribed to treat the disease. “Superbugs” are especially common in hospitals and nursing homes. The latest problem is MRSA, a staph bacterium that triggers infections so virulent they can turn deadly within days. The effects of “superbugs” feed back into the original mental model that health care providers were trying to avoid- outbreaks of disease/epidemics. When the rate of disease is up, the public health is down and researchers will continue to develop new antibiotics. Unfortunately it will only be a matter of time before those antibiotics become obsolete against pathogens.

Violence in Iraq Connection Circle

As the United States Military prepares to withdraw from Iraq, concerns for violence still in the country raises some questions about the country’s ability to maintain itself. Questions also resonate as to why there is still violence after President Bush declared a victory in Iraq in May, 2003. This issue of violence in the region stems from hundreds of years ago (tension between religious groups) to recent al-Qaeda influence. The issue of violence is important to understand because of the upcoming withdraw of US troops and so that policy makers can understand why violence has continued in the area. In turn, that may help curb the violence. The connection circle outlines some vague causes for the violence against both the US troops and civilians.

There are several “hard” elements in this issue:
• US Casualties
• Monetary cost of the war and presence in Iraq
There are also several “soft” elements in this issue:
• Presence of Al-Qaeda in the region
• Tension between religious groups- Shia and Sunni
• Lack of an efficient Iraqi security force

One of the noticeable feedback circles is the connection between Sunni and Shia tension to the presence of al-Qaeda in Iraq which has led to the lack of security and US involvement. This feeds back to overall tension between the religious groups and al-Qaeda in the region. As depicted in the connection circle each of these leads to other issues which ultimately brought us to overwhelming public discontent which in turn influenced the government to begin the withdraw of US troops from the country.

If I Were Queen...

If I were Queen, I would make community service mandatory for all citizens living in my kingdom. Now I know what all of you are thinking, community service?! I barely have time to do my own laundry, house cleaning and homework! The community service could be anything from cleaning up the neighborhood they live in to volunteering at the local hospital. How much time do we sit around thinking about what we need to do… or “stalking” people on Facebook… playing video games or watching TV?

Imagine if we all gave one or two hours a week to serving others in our community.

No one person can carry the world on their shoulders or take the blame or credit for all that happens in the world. By bringing people together, we would be making the world around us a better place to live and work. Through interactions fostered by working with others, people would learn from each other and broaden their perspectives. I firmly believe that everyone can be teaching someone something new. It all starts with a spark of curiosity that fuels the lifelong journey to wanting to understand the fellow man and yearning to make a difference in someone else’s life and together we would set in motion a community of compassion and teamwork. Martin Luther King Jr. once said that we should never look down upon a man except when bending down to pull him or her up. When we seek to understand another person’s wants, needs and desires, we create not only an environment of trust, but a community of people helping people. It would be my hope that we could begin living with intention and seeking to make a difference in other peoples’ lives.