In November 2008 many voted for "Change". As far as foreign policy goes, nothing has changed. It is still the same old "national security" and "national interest" leading to greater insecurity and results contrary to our real national interests.
If you haven't already read Andrew Bacevich's "Washington Rules", please do so as soon as possible.
The U.S. is still propping up anti-democratic autocrats like Hosni Mubarak despite very strong dissatisfaction from a large number of people. And U.S. diplomats are still supportive of him, buying his line that he is standing between stability and chaos. Remember the Shah of Iran and his Savak.
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Showing posts with label Andrew Bacevich. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Andrew Bacevich. Show all posts
Saturday, February 05, 2011
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
TSA is wrong target, but the only one we can reach
A major boycott may be forming against the full-body scanners of the Transportation Security Agency. See "Viral 'pornoscan' protest challenges TSA" and http://wewontfly.com/.
However, the TSA is only a product of decades of foreign policy failures. The United States has been meddling in other countries affairs at a level and a time span that we would not tolerate if other countries did the same to us. Our chickens have come home to roost.
Andrew Bacevich has been warning about our military/intelligence failures for some time, but despite the volume and popularity of his writing, he doesn't seem to be making much progress bringing about reform. See his "The Limits of Power, The End of American Exceptionalism" and "Washington Rules, America's Path to Permanent War", and many of his magazine articles.
Maybe a boycott of air travel could bring about a major change in foreign policy. It may seem like a win for the terrorists, but they keep winning in small ways all the time. The burden on passengers of airport security is a big win for terrorists; they have disrupted our economy and our sense of well-being. How long will we have to put up with terrorists before governments figure out how to permanently neutralize them without violence that creates more terrorists.
However, the TSA is only a product of decades of foreign policy failures. The United States has been meddling in other countries affairs at a level and a time span that we would not tolerate if other countries did the same to us. Our chickens have come home to roost.
Andrew Bacevich has been warning about our military/intelligence failures for some time, but despite the volume and popularity of his writing, he doesn't seem to be making much progress bringing about reform. See his "The Limits of Power, The End of American Exceptionalism" and "Washington Rules, America's Path to Permanent War", and many of his magazine articles.
Maybe a boycott of air travel could bring about a major change in foreign policy. It may seem like a win for the terrorists, but they keep winning in small ways all the time. The burden on passengers of airport security is a big win for terrorists; they have disrupted our economy and our sense of well-being. How long will we have to put up with terrorists before governments figure out how to permanently neutralize them without violence that creates more terrorists.
Thursday, September 02, 2010
National Security? The emperor and his clothes
This morning at coffee, various wars came up in the conversation.
I mentioned Andrew Bacevich and his books, especially "Washington Rules, America's Path to Permanent War". I said that the Department of Defense has become a vast bureaucracy where few question many of the assumptions. It's another case of nobody noticing the emperor has no clothes.
A World War II veteran, shot down over France, hidden by the Resistance, and smuggled out through Spain, said, "Department of Defense! It should be called the Department of Offense!"
Later, another person who comes up with many good puns, which unfortunately we soon forget, asked, "Does an immortal emperor have no closure?"
If the national security bureaucracy thinks it is immortal in its path to permanent war, we certainly will have no closure.
I mentioned Andrew Bacevich and his books, especially "Washington Rules, America's Path to Permanent War". I said that the Department of Defense has become a vast bureaucracy where few question many of the assumptions. It's another case of nobody noticing the emperor has no clothes.
A World War II veteran, shot down over France, hidden by the Resistance, and smuggled out through Spain, said, "Department of Defense! It should be called the Department of Offense!"
Later, another person who comes up with many good puns, which unfortunately we soon forget, asked, "Does an immortal emperor have no closure?"
If the national security bureaucracy thinks it is immortal in its path to permanent war, we certainly will have no closure.
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