Thomas P.M. Barnett :: Weblog

I hope support the Democrats in continuing to build bridges.

Economic Globalization has done more good for more people than any other foreign policy. It is inevitable that free markets breed the rule of law and cultural freedom.

I respect the anxiety of economic populists but rather than through increased protectionism that can be addressed with refining our safety net through improved health care, education and competition.

Sean,

While driving back from Tucson this afternoon, we listened to America Abroad, a new NPR program about foreign affairs. This show dealt with counter-insurgencies . Where America has come since Vietnam, what lessons have been learned, what lessons have not been learned.

From the web page:

The program also looks back at the history of US counterinsurgency efforts, from the Philippines to Vietnam, and explores America's efforts to support El Salvador during its war against Marxist guerillas in the 1980's.

Included was a roundtable:

Marvin Kalb is joined by Kojo Nnamdi of WAMU 88.5 to moderate a special town hall event in Washington, D.C. on U.S. counterinsurgency efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Guests include professor Kalev Sepp of the Naval Postgraduate School, Max Boot, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and Gary Anderson, retired U.S. Marine Corps Colonel.

One interesting point was that we have elements (special forces for example) that do do counter-insurgency. And they were on the way to success in Afghanistan when they were pulled out and the job turned over to regular forces unprepared for the work.

The question was, whether the armed forces can do both types of jobs. While the answer was yes they can, it was noted there is no reward, for example, for a Marine Lt-Col advising an Iraqi brigade, and that as soon as he can get transferred to an infantry assignment, he will go.

All this reminded me of the PNM, the War Department, and the need for the Department of Everything Else.

A last point. The El Salvador situation, while a terribly bloody affair, showed what slow, sustained counter-insurgency work is all about. While training the El Salvador military to conduct successful hearts and mind work, and encouraging open elections, and finally sending the American Vice President George H. W. Bush to inform the military to reign in the death squads or face withdrawal of American support, nevertheless it was a long process. Finally ending in 1992 with a peace treaty between the government and the FMLN.

Total cost to America was $6 Billion.

All in all, I expected Tom's name to come up, but it did not.

Tom has captured the essence of the debate that is sure to rage in the next couple of years. Will the Dems choose engagement or entreachment?

I say if they repackage the Bush iniative in a language similar to Tom's vision they can capture the voting public for many elections. Hopefully, their party leadership will see globalization is going to continue whether the US is an integral part of its development or not. Too many new captilist have been added to the process for it to slam to a halt.

The message from Democrats should not be one of fear and loathing for those parts of the world we don't understand. Bush and his minions have already pushed the rest of the world in that direction. We need to start a new dialogue with old allies and hopefully new ones (read India and China).

As a Democrat I can definitively state they do not have a foreign policy. The reason is simple. Facts have been denied the previous minority in Congress most of the last 14 years. Let's get at the facts and see what they look like. It is becoming more and more clear each day that despite the fact that classification to prevent disclosure of waste, fraud and abuse is a misuse of the system, that is precisely what seems to be occurring. Personally, I think the world would be impressed if we just funded new production runs of existing weapons, funded and raised 100 mech infantry divisions, built 100 new RO-RO ships, added a draft for men and women, and made that our military policy. Expect deployment of up to 5-10 divisions in the Western Hemisphere in the next 50 years. Put a regiment of marines in Haiti and cut off that drug traffic. Tell Mexico get with it on drugs and border policing of their citizens or we will take steps to ensure our country is safe from their corrupt leadership and police and military. Personally, I think complete economic integration and policing would be the best policy. The rest for South Asia and the far east. Tell Taiwan we won't defend them and adjust to reality. Tell China, after Taiwan thats it. Any effort to coherce militarily their neighbors will be met with appropriate measures. But also seek democratic change in China and to have them help pull the load. Tell Russia to get with Democracy or else. And as for our international policy agree to fund 5 divisions of grunts for the UN and funded a new British and Japanese division to be employed with ours with their consent of course. Perhaps we need to promise lands to those who serve in our military for 20 years, or whatever, just as did the Romans after running out of citizen soldiers. The current system is broken and not likely to be resurrected in this century. Currently, except for strategic strike forces, that we are unlikely to employ, we have a largely irrelevant active duty force, deployed thoughtlessly and unlikely to advance our foreign policy or national security or homeland security interests.It is clear that the top tier of flag rank officers should be retired and as did FDR dip down into more junior ranks and let them lead and the tired old men and their old ideas retire. Time is running out and the next 20 years are going to be very very tough on Americans who have been blindsided by inadequate political leadership by both parties. The lobbying money failed to buy competence just corruption. Send the Jack Abramhoffs into the general prision population. Expect more than Iraq to be an open military issue by fall 2008. Believe me when I state we are no longer in control of our own fate. The strategic initiave has passed to others. Ours is a totally defensive and inadequate mindset both for our foreign policye and military policy. Democratic oversight with even the meager skills of the newly elected majority in Congress will soon reveal the tragedy of the last two decades. Washington basically fiddled while the country's future burned. Hey at least we will have air superiority, even if what we need is 250,000 MP's (many of which can speak Farsi, Urdu, Arabic, Kurdish, Pastu, etc.)