Assignment:Final Policy Paper
Proposal paper (below):
This paper should provide, as a minimum, background information on the national security issue the student is discussing to include possible shortcomings to a current or related policy, their recommendation/position on the issue/policy, a discussion/argument for their position on the issue, and their recommendation(s) and conclusion(s) on the policy/issue discussed. Furthermore, it will develop students' analytical and writing skills. In addition, the student will examine government documents on current administration policy. Importance will be the student's ability to synthesize multiple sources, examine alternative courses of actions, and make a recommendation to change and improve an existing policy or recommend a new policy. Writing clearly and concisely, even when addressing major policy recommendations on complex issues, is an important skill for public servants working in the national security arena.
Students will analyze and evaluate a current security issue and critique the corresponding US Policy as well as make corrective policy recommendations where necessary. Students should review government documents, such as the National Security Strategy, National Military Strategy, and Annual Report of the Secretary of Defense, agency papers, as well as applicable national security decision memorandums along with journal articles, newspaper commentaries, and think tank studies.
The paper should be a minimum 12 to 15 pages on a current national security issue - excluding the cover page and reference page.
Students will use Cambria or Times New Roman font, 12 point, double-spaced and will use the endnotes to annotate their citations.
Proposal paper:
This is an interesting proposal, but I would urge you to explore and exploit policy-relevant scholarly literature and steer away from US government pronouncements. That latter are long on prose, but short on substance. The use of case studies would also enhance the paper
What was submitted for proposal
At this level, I am interested in pursuing this thesis statement: The fight against cyber terrorism is one of the most highly politicized issue, but also an economically rewarding one.
I plan to support the argument by first summarizing the background of the topic through a literature review. I will also examine the current policies related to the issue of cyber terrorism and their effectiveness and shortcomings. I will also show how terrorism has shifted to cyberspace from the traditional terrorism. Numerous literature on the topic is available, and I will use it to support my thesis. The research will help in analyzing the efforts of the United States government in fighting cyber terrorism by improving policies and cyber security. This will be followed by an exploration of the policy issues. The policy issues involve exploring methods to improve cyber security technology. It also examines whether the efforts against counterterrorism by the United States government should be linked to the international efforts to prevent cyber terrorism.
The resources I plan to use are as follow: Cyberterrorism: Understanding, Assessment, and Response, Terrorist Capabilities for Cyberattack: Overview and Policy Issues, and Law, Policy, and Technology: Cyberterrorism, Information Warfare, and Internet Immobilization: Cyberterrorism, Information Warfare, and Internet Immobilization.
Terrorism has shifted from traditional terrorism to the use of cyber technology. This is intriguing to learn the motivations behind the shift and how the cyberspace benefits terrorism. I am also interested in the efforts that the government has put in place to counter cyber terrorism. My aim in the research is to find the relationship between the efforts and the reduction in cyber terrorism as well as how cyber terrorism has been politicized and how it is rewarding economically.
Research questions are as follows:
Are the available policies on Cyberterrorism useful?
• How is cyber terrorism politicized?
• How is cyber terrorism economically rewarding?
References:
Chen, T., Jarvis, L., & MacDonald, S. (2014). Cyberterrorism: Understanding, Assessment, and Response (1st ed.). New York, NY: Springer.
Reich, P., & Gelbstein, E. (2012). Law, Policy, and Technology: Cyberterrorism, Information Warfare, and Internet Immobilization: Cyberterrorism, Information Warfare, and Internet Immobilization (1st ed.). Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference.
Rollins, J., & Wilson, C. (2007). Terrorist Capabilities for Cyberattack: Overview and Policy Issues (pp. 1-28). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved from https://fas.org/sgp/crs/terror/RL33123.pdf