This is a continuation of the first interview done with a risk analyst and intelligence specialist in Asia working in private industry.
It can be found HERE: http://www.netgunsmith.com/2012/04/interview-a-private-security-and-risk-analyst-in-asia/
Here is the new supplement:
What are the top three threats to the United States by Foreign entities and why are they a threat?
1. Russia, because of the groups that they have handling their operations outside of the country. Their tactics are more insidious then most of enemy’s today. Certain elements within the Russian government are still unhappy about the loss of power when their communist empire fell.
2. China can be both an Ally and an Enemy unless there are more changes in the government towards a non communist government open government. They are aggressively acquiring natural resources in Africa, SE/SW Asia, Latin America to exert economic influence and political clout; while building their military including advanced research into space programs and other military tech. There have been rumors that a coup was attempted recently by hard line communists. They need to back off of the Taiwan issue and allow more pressure on North Korea, Iran, Syria, etc. and not necessarily looking at places as a way to test their military platforms against our troops without declaring war. As a side note, in the future Japan could potentially be less cordial with the United States depending on how the politics of the country proceed in the next ten years. There are some that feel in Japan that they are getting the short end of the stick when it comes to dealing with the US and should go back to old form of government or become completely neutral by rebuilding its military to not rely as heavily on the US military bases. There are a lot of military projects there that are marketed under a defense banner but would give them a huge offensive advantage over other countries.
3. EU could end up becoming a threat to the United States’ interests in the future. We have to remember that the United States is really alone a lot of times when it comes to the UN agenda or current course of the EU agenda. Look at the new carbon tax for airlines operating in the EU for a perfect example.
Why is Meth the drug you are seeing so much increase in distribution of? If Heroine is such an easy drug to produce in countries that harbor terrorists, why is Meth the drug of choice? Cost? level of addictiveness? Distribution channels?
The answer to this is very complex.
According to the United Nations, Synthetic drugs such as Amphetamine, Methamphetamine and Ecstasy are the second most used drug class behind Marijuana; the average black market of Amphetamines is $38.09 Billion
According to one study performed at the start of 2012, 56 million people use amphetamines and meth. Meth is cheaper to produce and smuggle than any other drug. If a mule is caught, the turn around on getting that lost product replaced is short since you don’t have to wait on a poppy field (like Heroine) to make Crystal Methamphetamine known as ICE and Shabu-Shabu. With cocoa plants, marijuana, poppy fields you need land that can be hidden or other forms of large space compared to just using a kitchen to run a typical meth lab. Heroin is an end product like several other drugs that take several steps to produce and more man power in its production. With ice you can easily find the majority of components needed in your local convenience store and cook it in a small space. In countries where average police officers daily wage might be 3 dollars if they are lucky they are more likely to turn a blind eye to a local runner for a bribe. When it comes to the addictive level of meth it is because of the chemicals used to create the drug and how it affects the brain including the body while it rots a person from the inside out. The use of Ice is very prevalent among prostitutes in Asia for control of prostitutes by their pimps. Since Ice has a higher addictive rate and cheaper cost compared to other drugs the pimp or smuggler can quickly get the women addicted and under their control. Since it is mainly smoked it will not leave track marks on the women.
In Asia a lot of times the areas that you find prostitutes the will be many taxis outside of the bars the women frequent which hold their pimps. The women will insist on a specific taxi because of that fact when a “John” takes them back to a hotel or place the “John” is staying. Sometimes they will rob the “John” after they get back to the hotel. Those same “John’s” may end up trying Shabu for the first time with the girl or get set up by local police in a raid.
Additionally homosexuals seem to be more prevalent in Asia where there is a clear correlation between hard drug use among the homosexual community which is tolerated when openly homosexual but still faces regulation to employment that is low income unless they become a entertainment star. A good example is the president’s former nanny in Indonesia.
2011 and 2012 there were several incidents where pilots from Lion Air (which is a national carrier) were arrested for the use of Crystal known as Shabu-Shabu in Asia. One pilot that was arrested stated during questioning that it was now the drug of choice for pilots in Asia. It’s cheap and keeps them going during the long hours and lack of down time.
What is the biggest misnomer or misinformation portrayed by the media to Americans?
There are several big ones. The biggest form of misinformation portrayed by the media is problems in foreign countries without giving a background of the culture of those countries. A good example are movies like Hotel Rwanda, Black Hawk Down, Tears of the Sun or Blood Diamond which is what most people think of when talking about Africa. Then you have others like Syriana and so on that are purely entertainment but only create the wrong impression.
Also saying that a solution to one country will work in another country while lumping groups under the same banner or name. In the Middle East most of the countries have a tribal history where certain tribes have held power for a very long time and are similar to pre World War 1 Europe. They married off daughters to other tribes to finalize negotiations. Blood feuds are still going in some areas. The touting of biased information without the facts for green projects, class warfare or support of Obama’s agenda is ridiculous, and contributes to misinformation, everything is spun.
Traveling Abroad in Asia: is it a risk for most normal Americans and WHEN is it an increased risk for Americans?
It depends on what your definition of a normal American is. Any foreign country has risk for tourists. In Asia there is an increased risk for missionaries. Those that choose to partake in the use of narcotics or do not pay attention to advice for visitors given by the country they are visiting, are potentially in danger.
Ignoring State Department warnings is risky.
The US passport is not a form of protection or a get out of jail free card. Any one visiting a foreign country should read about the country first and its general laws. Drug use is considered in some areas more abhorrent then other crimes. Also some Americans believe that committing certain crimes outside of US will keep them from getting in trouble but the fact is that our government has agreements with many countries now to prosecute Americans for those crimes or extradite them back to the US for trial.
What Country is responsible for a larger share of terrorism than they are usually given credit for?
The thing about terrorism is that one country is not responsible more then another. For all terrorism and there are many forms of terrorism. You have state sponsored versus independent terror; religious and ideological terrorism i.e. Islamic, Christian groups, eco-terrorists.
Parts of Pakistan’s intelligence organization have been sponsoring terror groups to attack India. Members of the Saudi royal family and others in Saudi Arabia also have a hand in sponsoring groups around the world. With Saddam, Gaddafi and Osama gone a lot of money has dried up for these groups.
It’s easy for me to say this stuff is fascinating. It may not be privatized or hard to get information to some, but it’s unique, and it substantiates some of the things we hear on more radical channels of media, but it’s from a reliable and well connected source: Fascinating.
You can keep up with the company this person works for by following them on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/RRISCM
As there are pertinent questions to the readership of www.netgunsmith.com, I will post answers to questions from this man, and hopefully provide my readers with excellent and exclusive information for the region he heads up.
