How the Financial Crisis Is a Security Issue

According to The National Security Strategy of the United States of America, “We seek instead to create a balance of power that favors human freedom: conditions in which all nations and all societies can choose for themselves the rewards and challenges of political and economic liberty.  In a world that is safe, people will be able to make their own lives better.”  By stating “economic liberty” is a component of security infers that economics is a component security.  When a state is secure economically it will have a stable economy.

When a state experiences a financial crisis it limits the economic abilities of the state’s citizens.  When citizens of a state undergo a financial crisis and they have poor personal finances it limits their abilities to make their own life better.  They do not have as much economic liberty as they would during a time of prosperity.  The reason their freedoms would decrease it when people have less money they still need to purchase basic needs (such as food, shelter, etc), this means they do not have the ability to buy luxuries and items they would buy by choice to make their lives better.  

The National Security Strategy of the United States of America specifically addresses the threat of terrorism throughout the document.  Seeing the financial crisis as a weakness of a state, a terrorist could use it to his advantage against the state by targeting financial institutions or finding ways to make the economy worse.  Lastly, as we discussed in class throughout history many states turn to war as a way to get out of a financial crisis.  This means being in a financial crisis could threaten our sense of peace and security in the future.

Although my interpretation of The National Security Strategy of the United States of America addresses national security I think our currently financial crisis is effecting people’s personal security more drastically at this time.  With the possibility of losing their homes and money invested in stocks people fear for their own personal welfare.  However, for the reasons I listed above including its limitations of liberty our current financial crisis has the potential to effects the security of the nation as a whole rather than the individuals within it.