The Role of Digital Economy in Supporting National Security

There is no doubt that, given the changes that are occurring in the world, particularly with the increasing reliance on digital technologies, it is no longer feasible to deal with changes in the social and economic arenas using the same systems and approaches that have evolved and prevailed over the past decades. 

Global economic developments are trending as hot issues for the international debate. What added more to this topic is that the economy has become strongly associated with stability and international and national security achieving in addition to being a pillar for achieving the goals of the development process. Perhaps the general definition of Economics has no longer adequate to encompass its current concept in light of the world's political, economic, and social variables. 

Though the concept of economy is associated with the "development systems that examine the human behavior and its relationship to resources to achieve self-sufficiency, growth, more funds, and the management of production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services," its focus now is on the concept of security. This latter concept has asserted forcefully as a pillar in the realm of the development cycle" i.e. solving the "economic dilemma", being the pillar of the economy, has become fully reliant on to what degree or how much the requirements of the human security, social security, cultural security, political security, and other types of security are met. To put it simply, the economy has become an integral part of national security policies and strategies. 

The introduction of digital technology in the realm of Economics, i.e. digital economy as a driving power for bolstering economies, has changed the conventional economic concepts, trade conventions, and competitiveness. Moreover, the digital economy has created significant and deep implications for the future of the international economy and the stability of communities. Actually, the emergence of digital societies, which rely on using technology in all aspects of life and work, has changed the human and social traditional behavior and systems. The penetration of technology in our currently Internet-connected societies and networks with no privacy or minimum restrictions has exposed the inability of conventional systems, notably the national security organizations to manage our communities. 

The emerging issues and security challenges posed by the digital economy on domestic or global economic security require the international community to have more awareness about the pillars of national security to build capacities, protect interests and infrastructure, and ensure the sustainability of the development cycle at all levels.

Three primary topics constitute the national efforts and plans for the security and stability of societies based on the governments'' international practices. These topics are economy, society, and security. However, the emerging technologies in the digital economy have added more complexities in finding solutions and achieving goals.

This pillar focuses on developing the productive capacity to achieve surpluses in the trade balance, creating jobs for all citizens, maximizing natural resource utilization, and addressing the needs of future generations. This topic is the first defense line in any society where including all citizens and residents in the labor market is the main driver of the human concerns towards development, thereby eliminating any case of behavioral diversion and improving human behavior and self-development to achieve a quality life for individuals and their dependents. This means that this type of society becomes immune to any attempts at discrimination, hostility, or dissatisfaction. According to international statistics, digital technology will displace 75 million employees by 2022. By 2030, between 40 million and 160 million people worldwide will need to requalify themselves on higher professional jobs and make a career shift. This indicates that unemployment rates are growing at an alarming rate, particularly in Arab countries, and has far-reaching consequences ranging from individual behavioral problems to crimes.

This topic focuses on including human activities, such as cultural activities, humanitarian welfare, and human development. In addition to the economy, this topic is another pillar but it should come in the second priority after economy although it is critical because the ability to develop all community services will require the availabilities of economic assets. As a result, many less fortunate communities have complicated social problems, which turn such marginalized communities into resentful, or easily instigated or incited groups against the hard socio-economic conditions. Social networks have played a significant role in adding a new dimension that would not have reached man's imagination before the advent of the Internet when they transform the world into a small cosmic village in which national, cultural, and religious groups and affiliations are melted down and replaced by global affiliations. This has brought globalization's threats, which are no longer limited to cultural identity or digital products and services, but also pose a threat to the foundations of national unity, security, and stability in countries.

This topic is the final defense line for maintaining security and stability, and it helps to provide the necessary deterrence to prevent crime in parallel with law and justice. This topic is connected with the global security system and aims to secure the national internal front. The goal is to offer the required security to the interior in the face of any external attacks or threats that may arise and cause damage to the country's pillars: citizens, land, economic capability, and the status of the society. 

Today's conflicts are not like those of the past, in which armies confront each other at borders or on the high seas to fight for their societies. This type of security danger is nearly extinct, but the 4th generation of war - on which digital economy internet-based technologies and digital networks have developed focuses on penetrating rapidly the depth of the adversary by creating chaos resulting in local conflicts that fully consume economic, humanitarian, and social capabilities. The conventional war cannot cause all such damage because at least the internal front remains consolidated against the visible external enemy.

Today, digital and smart networks are so pervasive in life, such as energy transport,  government regulations, tax collection, customs, airport security, port and border controls, and so on and any security breach in these systems will be catastrophic. Moreover, ensuring business continuity will cost billions or even trillions. According to several reports, the worldwide cost of cybersecurity and digital security might exceed $6 trillion in 2021, divided over the costs of protection and prevention, treatment, and loss caused by a sequence of events. 

This type of threat is especially dangerous because of its ease of execution, low cost, and the magnitude of the consequences if successful, especially given their use of strategic digital economy technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, as well as the rapid intensification and complexity of such attacks. 

The Internet and digital networks are vulnerable not just to cyber-attacks, but also to attacks on the mindset and the propaganda associated with it. Many societies have been impacted in the last decade by the availability and accessibility of destructive ideas to various communities, particularly Arab communities, which have been targeted through social media such as Facebook or Twitter for exchanging ideas easily and almost uncensored.

The Need for Governing Digital Technology 

There is a dire need for integrated procedures and methods to optimize the return on the digital economy while minimizing its possible hazards. Among the areas in which the decision-maker and planner must focus on are the following: 

1. Community awareness: An educated society that is competent in dealing with the trends and tools of the age as well as having a critical thinking mindset is a society that is immune to the threats posed on it in various ways. Such a society can easily realize and identify the motives behind such threats. It can also able to harness the potential of the digital economy and smart technology for its own advantage, stability, and economic growth.

2. Expanding the use of the emerging technologies for security purposes: Artificial intelligence, for example, is a strategically cost-effective tool to be used in these systems in terms of speed and size of data analysis, linking and integrating information from various sources to generate useful reports, detect harmful patterns, and support the security decision-maker. Smart digital technology systems can also defend themselves against cyberattacks, use knowledge, and self-experience of similar systems to mitigate the adverse impact of any new threats without the need for traditional human intervention. 

3. No bad effect on employment: according to World Economic Forum statistics, while new jobs created by technological developments in the digital economy will be double those destined for extinction, 133 million new jobs will be created by 2022. Dealing with this variable is extremely complex in terms of execution. For example, a taxi driver has lost his job due to the implementation of smart transportation technology; it will not be easy to convert this driver into a data scientist or computer programmer. This means that the strategic plan should provide studies and solutions that ensure a convenient conversion process and should provide various alternatives, particularly in terms of expanding the investments required. History confirms that the security and stability of societies rely on individuals' role in the growth and their ability to find jobs and earn a secure living.

All that is mentioned in this article is just part of the issues that the digital economy has brought to the table of the decision-makers and planners to meet the challenges and take advantage of existing and future opportunities. It requires special and detailed studies in this specific area to understand the overall picture. It is undeniable that the many processes of the digital economy will continue to strengthen their roles in our digital society, without which economic progress would be impossible. The inevitable truth about the digital economy is that we must create mechanisms to cope with the digital age's difficulties and prospects using the same new innovative tools that drive security and preventative measures.