Asha Castleberry-Hernandez, Author
The difference between a dreamer and a visionary is that a dreamer has his eyes closed, and a visionary has his eyes open. “ - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The turn of the century shocked the world when 9/11 happened. Many lives were impacted. An attack on American soil, losing hundreds of people, was devastating. At that moment, America felt unprotected. 9/11 encouraged many Americans, including Asha Castleberry-Hernandez, to join the Armed Forces after watching this tragedy impact her family and the rest of her community in New York.
9/11 provoked Asha’s interest in world affairs. She became more curious about the world outside the United States. As an HBCU student, Asha studied in Shanghai, China. Learning about rising China in a post-Maoism environment, Asha observed China’s ambition to be a global competitive force in the global economy, technology, and infrastructure development. Asha knew that China would be a force to be reckoned with. A rising China will be a formidable superpower that will change the world.
Beyond China, Asha’s voyage around the world did not stop. Asha's unexpected experience then shifted to Central America. Central America further taught her about the state of democracy in the Western Hemisphere. Asha’s time in Central America exposed her to the fragile conditions that helped explain the current border security and immigration issues in America. Also, the 2009 historic presidential elections in El were breathtaking. She witnessed the power of hope and change and how American democracy influenced and shaped another part of the world, inspired to make history from President Obama’s presidential election.
Asha continued her service for her country in diplomacy. She learned about global policy at the United Nations Security Council, one of the most powerful international organizations. From diplomacy to defense work, Asha deployed to the Middle East in a post-2012 Arab Spring environment. Asha helped build relations with allies and partners in the Gulf Region. Then, after the incursion of ISIS from Syria, Asha helped support the Iraqis in counterterrorism efforts.
Returning home from a long deployment, Asha witnessed more national security developments but in a different America experiencing the rise of global populism. Global populism transformed the political landscape. From Brexit to lashing out at immigrants, international institutions, and trade, global populism shook up the West. Then, witnessing the power of cybersecurity threats in presidential elections taught Asha that we are in a new period of strategic competition with autocracies like Russia and China.
In 2020, America went to war at home, dealing with multiple crises, from political polarization racial tensions, and gun violence in America. Then, just like 9/11, America was attacked but with a global pandemic known as COVID-19. Asha faced the global pandemic while running for office. Who would have known COVID-19 would be a threat to our democracy? Millions of lives were lost from COVID-19, even in her own family.
These issues encourage Asha to promote her invaluable perspective to the American people and abroad, whether in a classroom, in the media, in international forums, and now in her memoir, Why National Security Matters?
To order your copy now, please click the link below from Barnes and Noble. The book will be available for purchase online on Oct 12, 2024.