The Essential Guide to Going Global

Chapter 5. Stay Secure in an Insecure World

Security has always been a primary concern for those engaged in global business. Companies operating internationally must take into consideration the safety of employees and partners while traveling and living abroad. The issue of safeguarding cargo from damage, theft, and loss, as well as from becoming an instrument of drug trafficking, is also a serious one affecting all forms of international commerce. In recent years, though, the word “security” has taken on a new dimension for the international business community. The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were the catalyst for sweeping changes in the way international trade operates around the world. No longer a matter restricted to individual business interests, security now requires new levels of transparency throughout the entire international supply chain. New security dynamics are not only necessary to protect international borders from terrorists, but have become an integral part of conducting business around the world.

Security in a Post-9/11 World

On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, many of us were just arriving at work when American Airlines Flight 11, hijacked by al Qaeda terrorists, crashed into the North Tower of New York’s World Trade Center at 8:46 A.M. Just a few minutes later, United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower. Soon the news spread that the Pentagon in Northern Virginia had been hit and that another plane was downed in Pennsylvania.

Half a decade later, ...