“Democracy or Friendship?” – The US Role in Supporting Democracy July 31, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in Laws and Leglslation, Politics.Tags: democracy, Dr. Heather Mark, Egypt, Isreal, mark consulting group, US foreign policy, USAID
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Heather Mark completed her PhD in Public Policy & Public Administration ‘several year’ ago. Her Dissertation was titled: “The Role of the United States Foreign Policy in the Global Adoption of Democratic Governance”. The US has long espoused the position of supporting democracy. Does the US actually practice what it preaches? Here is an excerpt from Heather’s dissertation:
“As the twentieth century wore on, however, the threats to democracy became less specific, but presidents and policymakers continued to use the ideology to frame their policy statements. This begs the question: “Do the actions of the United States actually further the cause of democracy, as policymakers indicate?” If the U.S. public knew the effect of U.S. actions on democracy, would the rhetoric still be as effective?”
Download and read her dissertation here. Make your own decisions regarding the US’s role.
“The UN, Guns, and US Constitution” – Explaning the Arms Trade Treaty July 27, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in Laws and Leglslation, Politics, terrorism, weapons and tactics.Tags: 2nd amendment, arms trade treaty, Constitution, guns, mark consulting group, NRA, ownership, senate, UN
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Recent events in the US have once again ignited the debate over control of guns within the US. This post is not a political debate rather an introduction to US gun issues and, more specifically, actions of the United Nations. First, for some quick statistics. According to the US Firearms Institute between 40% – 50% of US homes own firearms. There are between 250 million and 280 million firearms in the US owned by between 120 million and 150 million US citizens. Hunting, shooting, and firearms are deeply embedded in the US culture and history. In fact, the right to own firearms is guaranteed in the US Constitution’s 2nd Amendment which states: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” As every 6th grader knows, the 2nd Amendment is part of the Bill of Rights which was passed in 1791. While many people don’t agree with the 2nd Amendment the US Supreme Court has upheld the amendment and clarified the intent in several cases: (more…)
Egypts New President Vows to get World Trade Center Bomber Relased July 8, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in Politics, terrorism.Tags: Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya, blind shiek, bombing terrorism, Egypt, mark consulting group, Military Aid, mosri, Omar Abdel-Rahman, world trade center
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On June 29th, 2012, in his first pubic speach in front of tens of thousands of supporters, Egypts’ new president has vowed to gain the release of the World Trade Center bomber who is curently imprisoned in the United States. While often forgotten after the 9/11 attacks, the World Trade Center was bombed in 1993 by radical Islamic terrorists lead by the infamous “Blind Sheik” Omar Abdel-Rahman. (pictured at left) Rahmna has been imprisoned in North Carolina for his role in the 1993 bombing. According to Wikipedia: “Abdel-Rahman was accused of being the leader of Al-Gama’a al-Islamiyya (also known as “The Islamic Group”), a militant Islamist movement in Egypt that is considered a terrorist organization by the United States and Egyptian governments. The group is responsible for many acts of violence, including the November 1997 Luxor massacre, in which 58 foreign tourists and four Egyptians were killed.” While considered a terroris in the US, Rahmna is considered a hero by many in Egypt. It should be noted that the US provides $1.3 billion in military aid to Egypt annually and has provided financial aid for over 30 years.
Collective Security & the Payment System June 11, 2012
Posted by Heather Mark in Laws and Leglslation, PCI DSS, Politics.Tags: collective security, compliance, Dr. Heather Mark, InfoSec, InfoSec & Privacy, mark consulting group, PCI, PCI DSS, treaty of westfalia
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I recently attended an event focused on payment security and fraud prevention. It was an outstanding event and the presentations and panels were incredibly valuable – not something that I frequently say about payment security events these days. However, one term came up a couple of times that got me thinking. That term was “collective security.” As many of you know, I have a background in public policy and my dissertation was, in fact, on US foreign policy and our strategic interests abroad, so the mention of collective security set off my poli sci radar. But I wondered if collective security was really an appropriate phrase for what we’re doing in the payments industry. To address that question, it is necessary to first define collective security in its traditional sense.
Collective security was first formally introduced by the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, a series of treaties that put an end to a number of wars that had been plaguing Europe. Very simply put, collective security is an arrangement in which all stakeholders agree that their security depends upon the security of each of the other stakeholders. (more…)
Combining Blog Content (GlobalRiskInfo / DrHeatherMark) May 31, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in News, Politics.Tags: Chris Mark, cybercrime, Dr. Heather Mark, InfoSec, InfoSec & Privacy, risk, risk management, security
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In the near term I will begin integrating blog content from Dr. Heather Mark’s privacy and payments blog. This will give new information and insight into privacy, regulatory, and information security issues. We will be combing both blogs into GlobalRiskInfo. Please stay tuned and, in the meantime,take a spin through Heather’ blog!
Global Security, Privacy, & Risk Management 