The Economic Crisis and National Security

It is being widely reported that a recent report by U. S. intelligence agencies warns that the world wide economic crisis is the greatest threat to national security.

Yahoo is carrying a story from Reuters, for example:

The global economic crisis has become the biggest near-term U.S. security concern, sowing instability in a quarter of the world's countries and threatening destructive trade wars, U.S. intelligence agencies reported on Thursday.

The director of national intelligence's annual threat assessment also said al Qaeda's leadership had been weakened over the last year. But security in Afghanistan had deteriorated and Pakistan had to gain control over its border areas before the situation could improve.

"The financial crisis and global recession are likely to produce a wave of economic crises in emerging market nations over the next year," said the report. A wave of "destructive protectionism" was possible as countries find they cannot export their way out of the slump.

In Congress, the economic recovery legislation passed with zero Republican votes in the House of Representatives and three Republican votes in the Senate.

see also:

"HEARING OF THE SENATE SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE ANNUAL WORLDWIDE THREAT ASSESSMENT"

Walter Pincus and Toby Warrick, "Economic Crisis Called Top Security Threat to U.S.," Washington Post, 13 February 2009.