Leaving developing economies outside emerging international security regimes would both widen the gap between the developed and developing worlds and create new opportunities and sanctuaries forterrorists to exploit. The United States should help countries jointhe fight against terrorism by promoting free trade agreements,ensuring that foreign assistance programs do not perpetuate badpolicies, and better organizing U.S. efforts to offer technicalsecurity assistance.
The U.S. has to take actions far away from its shores and bordersin order to ensure that the systems that connect it with the restof the globe cannot be used by terrorists. The Department ofHomeland Security is working to attain this vision and is makingprogress across the board on these and other internationalinitiatives.
Despite Congress's mandate in 2007 that the Department of Homeland Security track all foreign visitors biometrically by June 2009, DHS missed the deadline, and biometric exit, as opposed to the current biographic approach, has proved costly without adding much additional security. Following is a plan on how Congress can break the stalemate and provide useful data and security for Americans as well as the many visitors who come to the U.S. every year.