A double-edged sword?

22 May A double-edged sword?

The container has transformed once-autonomous state borders into colanders rather than canopies. In this porous global environment where such non-state actors as international terrorists—who have little interest in preserving national sovereignty—can more easily achieve their ends thus increasing many times the diverse threats to sovereign security. As a consequence the contemporary world is alive with contradictions with the container in the middle of them. On the one hand, by smashing the barrier between land, sea, and air, the container has increased the liberty actors enjoy to trade globally, thus promoting international market activity and economic interdependence. On the other hand, the freedom that the container provides facilitates the activities of non-state actors. An assault on the container shipping system by such actors could bring about a crisis in the whole global economy.