May 2, 2011
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A New Direction for the US?
The assassination of Osama Bin Laden may be the beginning of a new era of US foreign and military policy.
Our present policies have not stood us well since the collapse of the USSR. Our entire psyche seems to have developed a sort of "Policeman of the World" mentality which has led to both internal and international problems including our citizens' attitudes toward their government and to some extent toward themselves.The Pentagon white paper A National Strategic Narrative by "Mr. Y" may well have the same impact as George Kennan's "Letter from Moscow" which set our cold war "Containment" strategy toward the USSR and its allies. This new analysis discusses American values, the importance of Education, our economic changes, and our place in a competitive world economy. Check it out.
Comments (6)
How do you think the policies must change?
@Zeal4living - Essentially, the US must begin to consider the Globalization [inter-connected dynamics] of the world and move from a policy of containment to one of creditable influence in an open system where we build upon sustaining ourselves through building on our own values and resources while engaging in civilian competition and realizing that international competition is not a zero sum game - that is everyone can be a winner.
The paper is fairly short and may well be very important in determining US foreign and domestic policies for the next decade. It will certainly play a part in America and World dialogs. I suggest that you read it.
From a SA perspective the USA is still seen as a country that does not respect the UN...I hope they will start to engage more with the rest of the world who is not by default an enemy. I will read the document you linked. Thank you.
Looks like a very good article...just browsed through it and it seems to make a lot of sense.
@Zeal4living - Jurgens:
Concerning the US attitude toward the UN, we have a very mixed history. remember, the UN was originally an American-British idea - a way to keep the "Big Four"influential after WW2 [The big four were essentially the US, Great Britain, China and the USSR]. the discussions started at Dumbarton Oaks [A mansion in Washington DC] in 1944-45. The next year there was a conference in San Francisco attended by 50 nations which set up the UN charter and formed the UN.
Back in the mid 1950's I was privileged to be invited to spend a week at the UN in New York as part of the Institute of International Affairs of American University.
The UN was in its infancy but already it was stepping on US toes - or at least the US state Dept. thought so. This was during the Eisenhower administration and already we had been through the Korean War and even though the UN was still more-or-less controlled by Western Powers, the many rising under-developed nations of the world had taken control of the General Assembly and were not acting according to US or European interests. Israel was often the bone of contention.
Our discussions with the US UN delegates seemed to show that they had little interest in the UN agenda. Later this would change, but all too often the US has seen the UN as blocking US interests. This is probably true as it is virtually the only place where the smaller countries can stand up to the world's superpowers.
Considering our past relations, I think the US is now regarding the UN in a more favorable light- For years we refused to pay our dues [several billion dollars] but a few years ago we paid up and are now taking a more active part in the actual business of the UN.
A little later I was able to attend a briefing by the World Bank [the then president of that organization was a friend of my father] and got a look at the problems and management of the world's Economy at that time. Another eye-opener.
I really hope that the death of Osama bin Laden will mark a turning point in the US relations with Muslim Asia. I just watched an interview with Obama where he seemed to indicate such a change.
Dear Dick,
I've always traced the policeman of the world policies back to Teddy Roosevelt and that big stick of his. Didn't he even "invent" a war or two. (Panama?) I read this paper when you posted the link on my blog. I read in the news this a.m. that Osama bin Laden's notebooks show he was still pretty active in al Quida up to the end.
I would really like to see a reduction in the U.S."police force".
What with the Arab Spring, and the death of the prime terrrorist perhaps there will be a new dawing of political unity between previously warring ideologies as well. I even think I read somewhere that Hamas and Hezbollah were making some attempt to offer olive branches to each other!
Michael F.Nyiri, poet,philosopher, fool