Carleton University graduate students had the opportunity to listen to and discuss North America’s security with Acting Assistant Secretary for Policy at the Department of Homeland Security Alan Bersin their first week back in class.
Sharing his vision on the North American security perimeter, Bersin discussed how the 2011 Beyond the Border (BTB) agreement between the U.S. and Canada began to address many issues after a changed security paradigm after 9/11.
Bersin highlighted the four areas of Beyond the Border that the U.S. and Canada work together on including addressing threats early, facilitating trade and travel, law enforcement cooperation, and cybersecurity. Extending past our borders, Bersin also addressed how Beyond the Border is a bridge to North America, with shared issues and solutions leading us to a continental approach from the Arctic to Colombia in the future.
The Assistant Secretary then took questions from the students in International Affairs and the Infrastructure Protection and International Security Master’s programs at Carleton University, and commended them on their willingness to study and take on these policy issues in their careers.
The seminar was organized in cooperation with the Norman Patterson School of International Affairs, the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Carleton University, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
