South Africa’s Intelligence Minister Ronnie Kasrils says the polarised world order of the Cold War era has given way to ”more uncertainty and unpredictability,” but this new order was here to stay.
Speaking at a national security conference in Pretoria — on the theme ”Reviewing National Security after 10 Years of Democracy” — on Tuesday, he said: ”The security threats of the new century are very different from those of the old. They post new challenges for which a new approach is required.”
Urging delegates to spur their understanding ”and awareness of matters such as the money spent on intelligence services, the weapons acquisition programme and South Africa’s support for peace missions in Africa,” he said: ”The globalisation of the world economy, communications and technology, places us in an ever shrinking world. At the same time there is relentless pressure on resources such as energy, water, minerals, fertile land and food, leading to increased competition and potential for conflict.”
”This trend may be exacerbated by deepening ethnic, religious and ideological differences, intolerance and a different kind of polarisation.”
”This is not a passing phase, it is here to stay. It affects everyone, especially a new and diverse nation like South Africa, with a range of domestic challenges and wide international responsibilities, including our obligations within our region and our commitment to the African renaissance, to the African Union and New Partnership for Africa’s Development.”
Kasrils, who was appointed intelligence minister in April, said globalisation ”can bring benefits: sharing of technology and improvements in telecommunications, ease of travel, greater scope for concerted international action to deal with poverty, natural disasters, disease, and environmental changes”.
But he warned that it ”also opens the way to terrorism, organised crime, trafficking in people and drugs, proliferation of dangerous technologies, money laundering the new global threats. Criminals and terrorists have access to the same new technology as governments, and are often better and faster at putting it to use. He said they are able to switch their bases of operations, benefiting from soft jurisdictions, where laws are lax or ignored, where corruption is rife, where they can operate in secret. We must not fall behind in surveillance capacity, information technology or operational skills.”
A consequence of the struggle for limited resources such as oil ”has seen a century of instability in the Middle East, and the cycle of intervention and resistance of which the present upheaval in Iraq is just another tragic chapter”.
Already attempts to destabilise West Africa were evident in the scramble by foreign interests for newly discovered oil reserves.
”With global long-term shortages imminent, scientists are investigating the hydrogen fuel cell as an energy source.”
United States President George Bush talked of the future ”hydrogen economy”.
Platinum was being advanced as a possible catalyst to convert hydrogen into this new form of energy. ”If successful, then we in platinum rich South Africa, are sitting on 86% of the new energy source of the world.”
”Whatever the developments it is important that we take the necessary security steps to ensure stability and solidarity in our region and continent, and protect our resources for the benefit of our people.” – I-Net Bridge