DARPA risk taking worthwhile.

DARPA’s risk taking does work (David Ignatius, “An agency willing to take risks” 3-11-15) but “the CIA and the State Department” are not “paid to think outside the box”.  Their paychecks will end if they suggest anything outside of the ‘international law’ box where their agency violations can’t be enforced.  It’s a nasty box where nation states’ rights still remain governing and secure over the protection of human rights.

DARPA’s search for “new technologies to detect and prevent ‘insider threats’ such as that posed by…Edward Snowden” is case in point.   Mr. Snowden exercising his first Amendment to inform ‘we the people’ of our government’s violation of our inalienable right to privacy.  A clear violation of our own Constitution and our 'inalienable rights' that it is supposed to protect.  And, our government does far worse on the international level where there is virtually no protection of human rights...just the rights of governments, a context enshrined in the UN Charter.  DARPA's "new technologies" will mostly ensure that human rights violations will get worse on all levels as more lone wolf terrorists murder innocent people and governments retain the right to do what they please.

This is the “patch and pray’ nature of the UN international law system that cannot provide a 'simple solution'. A democratic world federation with enforceable laws could.  Our UN confederated system that sanctions unenforceable international laws simply can’t.

In this context it is our “addiction to” national sovereignty that creates our government’s “risk-averse culture” that keeps the system broken.   It is this culture that most “limits” our “government’s ability to respond” effectively “to challenges’.   New technology isn’t needed.  But, “we could use more…brainpower” like that wielded by our nation’s Founding Fathers centuries ago.  Was that brain power or wisdom that moved them federate the thirteen states back then?  That is ‘outside-the-box’ thinking and action we now need today if we want to preserve both our freedoms and our security. 

The idolization of national sovereignty and it's military power can no longer keep us safe or free.