Category: Intl Security

Cyber-Attack: Defense Dept Computers

Cyber-Attack On Defense Department Computers Raises Concerns, (Los Angeles Times)…Julian E. Barnes, Nov 28, 2008.

Senior military leaders took the exceptional step of briefing President Bush this week on a severe and widespread electronic attack on Defense Department computers that may have originated in Russia — an incursion that posed unusual concern among commanders and raised potential implications for national security.

The invasive software, known as agent.btz, has circulated among nongovernmental U.S. computers for months. But only recently has it affected the Pentagon’s networks. It is not clear whether the version responsible for the cyber-intrusion of classified networks is the same as the one affecting other computer systems.

The malware is able to spread to any flash drive plugged into an infected computer. The risk of spreading the malware to other networks prompted the military to ban the drives.

Iraq: Security Accord Approved

Iraq Approves Deal Charting End Of U.S. Role, (New York Times)…Alissa Rubin and Campbell Robertson, Nov 28, 2008.  With a substantial majority, the Iraqi Parliament on Thursday ratified a sweeping security agreement that sets the course for an end to the United States’ role in the war and marks the beginning of a new relationship between the countries.

Security Accord Approved In Iraq, (Washington Post)…Sudarsan Raghavan…The agreement is a significant victory for Maliki, who can take credit for ushering in the end of the U.S. intervention in Iraq. That feat could bolster his influence and popularity ahead of provincial and national elections scheduled for next year.

Iran In About-Turn Towards Security Agreement, (Financial Times)…Najmeh Bozorgmehr. …People close to the government in Tehran said that after initially opposing it – and asking its Shia allies in the Baghdad government to resist it – Tehran has been relatively satisfied with the last-minute changes demanded, and won, by Iraq.

New Security Deal Passes Iraq’s Parliament, (NBC)…Jim Miklaszewski

…David, this new security deal could signal the beginning of the end for U.S. military presence in Iraq, but it comes with strings attached that could have serious consequences.

The Iraqi government will now have some say, if not control, over all U.S. military operations. The U.S. military will now need search warrants to enter homes or buildings when looking for enemy forces except during combat. U.S. service members and private contractors could also be subject to arrest and prosecution under Iraqi laws for serious crimes. And U.S. forces cannot launch cross-border attacks from Iraq against other countries, even in self-defense.

Now, one senior Pentagon official tells NBC News that these new ground rules are sure to create some tensions, maybe even a standoff or two, between Iraqi and American forces. But this person added that these kinds of steps are absolutely necessary if American troops are ever going to get out of Iraq.

Dalai Lama – Transformational Leader

POST: Transformation Leadership. Aditya Birla Group, India’s First Global Corporation

One of the best descriptions of transformational leadership has been penned by Prof. Bernard Bass, a renowned exponent of the idea. He says succinctly,
“Leaders are truly transformational when they increase awareness of what is right, good, important and beautiful, when they help to elevate followers’ needs for achievement and self-actualisation, when they foster in followers high moral maturity, and when they move followers to go beyond their self-interests for the good of their group, organisation or society.”

The Dalai Lama is a leader of an altogether different mould. He has no overt base of power; he holds no political position; neither does he command an army; and he has no control over mighty economic resources. Yet, he strikes a powerful chord. In a world driven by material progress, and the incessant thunder of conflict and strife, he offers the message of peace and humanity.

What makes the Dalai Lama so interesting and influential? Why do people around the world care about a simple Buddhist monk who 50 years ago was forced to leave his country, and who for years has headed an unrecognised government-in-exile, a ‘virtual’ nation of 6 million Tibetans?

I believe it is entirely appropriate to speak of him as a transformational leader. Why? Because, while his basic message is spiritual, his work has ramifications that are entirely down-to-earth. What exactly is the difference he has made, and what are the dimensions of what he has achieved?

Choosing the next Dalai Lama

Dalai Lama: Tibetans To Vote On New Leadership – November 28, 2007 – The New York Sun

The Tibetan desire for autonomy vs. the Chinese position that Tibet will always be considered part of China would get my vote as one of the best best battles to study in terms of Quality Leadership and strategy. 

AMRITSAR, India The Dalai Lama said yesterday the Tibetan people will vote on a new system of leadership before he dies, as Tibetan Buddhists grapple with ways to prevent their spiritual leaders from falling under Chinese control.

China has ruled the Himalayan nation of Tibet with a heavy hand since its communist-led forces invaded in 1951 and for decades, the Dalai Lama has personified Tibetans’ struggle for self-determination. But fears that China will appoint a new Dalai Lama after his death have led Tibetan leaders to contemplate ideas that break with the centuries-old system to choose their spiritual leader including doing away with Dalai Lamas or naming a successor before the current leader dies. China, which accuses the Dalai Lama of seeking independence for Tibet, angrily condemned the Nobel Peace Prize winner’s proposal as a subversion of Buddhist tradition.

EU-China Summit Canceled: Meeting with Dalai blamed

China blames France, EU for summit cancellation, By Christopher Bodeen, Associated Press Writer , Nov 27, 2008.

BEIJING – China said Thursday French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s plans to meet with the Dalai Lama — hated by Beijing — left it no option but to pull out of an upcoming China-European Union summit.

“We resolutely oppose the Dalai traveling to other countries in any capacity to carry out activities aimed at splitting China. We resolutely oppose foreign leaders having any form of contact with the Dalai,” Qin said.

The cancellation, first announced Wednesday by would-be summit host France, was a dramatic example of the lengths to which Beijing will go to try to internationally isolate Tibet’s exiled Buddhist leader.

China: Individual Self-Improvement, Dale Carnegie

BOOK: “Dynamic Young Engines Driving China’s Epic Boom: Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China, by Leslie T. Chang,” by Howard W. French, New York Times, 22 October 2008.

Ms. Chang, a former China correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, describes this endless flow of labor from the hinterland to the booming cities of the east as the “largest migration in human history.” But she gives us something more personal as well, including an extended aside in which she explores her ancestors’ roots in China. The results are deeply affecting.

For nearly all, the greater goal is self-improvement, which they pursue by frequently jumping jobs, abandoning both friends and back pay as they bluff their way into better and better work.

China is locked in a Dale Carnegie era, with bookstore shelves dominated by titles purporting to explain how to gain a leg up.

Battlefield Robots, Ethical Decision Making, Science Fiction

A Soldier, Taking Orders From Its Ethical Judgment Center, (New York Times)…Cornelia Dean

In the heat of battle, their minds clouded by fear, anger or vengefulness, even the best-trained soldiers can act in ways that violate the Geneva Conventions or battlefield rules of engagement. Now some researchers suggest that robots could do better.

He said South Korea and Israel were among countries already deploying armed robot border guards. In an interview, he said there was “a headlong rush” to develop battlefield robots that make their own decisions about when to attack.

“It is not my belief that an unmanned system will be able to be perfectly ethical in the battlefield,” Dr. Arkin wrote in his report (PDF), “but I am convinced that they can perform more ethically than human soldiers are capable of.”

The Three Laws of Robotics

In science fiction, the Three Laws of Robotics are a set of three rules written by Isaac Asimov, which almost all positronic robots appearing in his fiction must obey. Introduced in his 1942 short story “Runaround“, although foreshadowed in a few earlier stories, the Laws state the following:

  1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
  2. A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
  3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

System Improvement: Guard and Reserve

Gates: Review Military’s Role In Homeland Defense, (Washingtonpost.com)…Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press
Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Monday ordered his top department leaders to conduct a broad review to determine whether the military, National Guard and Reserve can adequately deal with domestic disasters and whether they have the training and equipment to defend the homeland.

Gates: Active Force, Reserves Must Integrate, (ArmyTimes.com)…William H. McMichael
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates took a giant step Monday toward more tightly blending the active-duty military and reserve components into an “integrated total force,” calling for wide-ranging personnel policy changes, codifying the reserves’ homeland defense role and adequately funding 

 The Commission on the National Guard and Reserves – Report