What threats do we face?

1. AGENDA
Please turn off and put away your cell phones. Use of your
phone will lower your participation grade. Thank you.
 Turn in your newspaper articles with your name on
them. We will be doing an activity with them next class.
 Turn in your counter arguments on your Policy Paper. If
you would rather present your counter argument orally,
see me.
Today’s Activities: Global threats handout
Finish presentations
Next Class: Assignment for 12/10: Bring your NIF booklet
America’s Role in the World and be prepared to
deliberate. Turn in Deliberation Questionnaire, Common
hour reflections due.

2. How likely are US
citizens to
experience the
following threats?
On the handout, rank
these from 1-10.
With 1 being the
most threatening.
 War
 Terrorism
 Cyber attacks
 Organized crime
 Mass destruction
 Global competition for
limited resources
 Global warming
 Infectious diseases
 War in space
 Spying
(Counterintelligence)

3. Here are the 10 greatest threats according to
the US Intelligence Agency for 2015. Compare
their view to yours. Source http://www.therichest.com/rich-list/the-biggest/the-10-biggest-threats-to-
america-in-2015/?view=all
On your handout note down next to each item
reviewed:
 Which ones do you think is most likely to
affect you personally? Why?
 Do you agree or disagree with the Intelligence
Agency’s ranking? Why or why not?

4. N. Korea, China,
Iran & Russia
regularly attack US
financial
institutions and
companies which
increases the costs
of doing business.
Most of these
attacks are small
scale aimed at
particular
companies.

5. Leaks of security
information to
other countries
through spy
networks makes it
harder to keep US
businesses and
military secrets
protected.

6. Terrorism events are
widely reported in the
news and are predicted
to be on the rise.
However, they are still
very small scale. For
example, in the last 13
years 3,380 people
died in terrorist attacks
in the US versus
406,498 from gun
violence.
Source CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/02/us/oregon-
shooting-terrorism-gun-violence/

7. • N. Korea routinely threatens the US
with nuclear attack.
• But more worrisome is the danger
of an accidental nuclear war. Both
the US and Russia maintain launch
ready nuclear warheads set to go
off at the sign of an attack.
• Numerous other countries also
have nuclear weapons including
China, India, Pakistan, Israel,
Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine,
South Africa, the UK & France
• Chemical and biological weapons
have been banned, but are still
stored in many countries and many
are easily made by terrorist
groups.

8. Satellite systems
can be manipulated
or destroyed
disrupting world
wide
communications
networks. United
States, Russia, and
China have satellite
destroying
capabilities.

9. Drug & human
trafficking, wildlife
poaching, & the theft
of weapons,
antiquities, and art
are all on the rise and
endanger millions of
lives, and destroy rare
animals, cultural
heritages and
undermine
governmental
authority.

10. The US is doing
better economically,
but the rest of the
world is not.
Competition for
natural resources
especially fresh
water, coal, copper,
and oil will continue
to rise and may lead
to armed conflicts
such as between the
US and Russia in the
Arctic.

11. 2015
WARS (1000+ battle-related deaths in
year):
Syria
Iraq
Afghanistan
Pakistan
Nigeria
Ukraine
South Sudan
Israel/Gaza
Somalia
Yemen
SERIOUS ARMED CONFLICTS (200-999
battle-deaths in year
India
Uganda
Libya
Sudan
Egypt
OTHER ARMED CONFLICTS (fewer than
200 battle-deaths in year)
Algeria
Azerbaijan
Colombia
D.R. Congo
Ethiopia
Lebanon
Mali
Mozambique
Burma (Myanmar)
Pakistan
Philippines
Russia
Thailand
Turkey
United States (global war on terror)
Source: http://www.internationalrelations.com/
These conflicts lead to the increasing
problem of dealing with disease,
famine & refugees

12. Severe droughts &
flooding events are
affecting the world’s
food and fresh water
supply. Africa, the
Middle East & Asia will
soon be unable to
produce enough food
for their people. World
food costs are
predicted to soar.
The US & Europe will
have trouble providing
fresh water for their
people.

13. • More and more
viruses and bacteria
are becoming drug-
resistant.
• International travel
makes it easy for
diseases to spread
rapidly around the
world.
• Rising drug costs
mean that many
diseases in
undeveloped parts
of the world go
untreated.

14. On the back of the handout, answer these
questions:
 After learning more about these 10 Threats
how has your view of their importance
changed?
 What should our government do about the
one you think is most threatening?
 Review your answers on your handout and
turn it in at the end of class.

15.  Next Class: Assignment for 12/10: Bring your
NIF booklet America’s Role in the World and be
prepared to deliberate. Turn in your
Deliberation Questionnaire, Common hour
reflections due.
 Coming up: Final Exam 12/15 You will be
writing an essay based on what you have
learned in this course. Topic: What
issue/problem do you think is the most vital
today and what steps would you take to get a
workable public policy to fix that issue to be
adopted by the government?