The Slow Disarming of America
Instead, it is a slow process that will take several decades to fully happen and will dovetail with a rapid and unprecedented expansion of the welfare state. I wrote an op-ed at the Atlantic Community on this very subject. Several of my key points are summarized below. Before reading them, however, take a look at this piece from Thomas Donnelly at the Weekly Standard where he reviews Obama's first Quadrennial Defense Review. I think you'll see that I am far from the only one to observe just how slow, yet intentionally inexorable this plan is.
My goal is not to hyperventilate and say the sky is crashing tonight. It is to point out that long-term trends, if not addressed will lead to outcomes that are manifestly not in the American (or the world's) interest.
"In twenty years, with our current trajectory, the US will not be able to underwrite global stability if its domestic financial situation remains as skewed (or even more so) than it is today. It is in this time period as America deals with the ramifications of its past profligacy where latent threats can materialize both within the globalized system as well as on the periphery.
Given the democratization of technology to empower small groups to wreak the type of harm previously requiring either a state's backing or, at least large military campaigns, it is not an absurdity to be concerned about the severity of the threats churning in those areas not currently connected to the global system...
Obama wants to manage conflict through the institutionalization of cooperation while focusing on domestic concerns. It's an intriguing wager: betting that others will take on responsibility and be willing to cooperate effectively enough that we can greatly reduce our international responsibilities while reforming our society.
We should pause, reflect and consider the consequences if the wager is wrong. What if global order is about not only cooperation, but also the ability to project meaningful diplomatic and military force when needed? We won't get another chance to make another bet."
Categories: Obama US Military Geopolitics
Tags: Obama US Military Geopolitics
Your goal is not to "hyperventilate", but what do you call it when you make an absurd assertion, and offer no data or evidence?
We already spend more on our military than the rest of the world combined. Just what are your worried about? Breathing into a paper bag might help.
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Yes we do spend more money than most of the rest of the world combined. We also are the relative guarantor of global stability which necessitates a much larger expenditure on military matters.
I am looking at the long-term trends of a potential neo-Middle Ages accentuated by proliferating WMDs and I think the world would not be better off dealing with that. Consequently, any actions that undercut our ability to to prevent that I perceive as being deeply problematic.
I simply am trying to raise the issue. Unlike some, I am not ready to go jump off a bridge over this, but I do think we should not be cavalier about allowing a capacity that we have built up over several generations to atrophy.
By the way, did you read the link I included in the article. That provides much of the context to what I said, so I would suggest you at least peruse it before asserting that one needs a paper bag.
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