Foreign Policy Watch has a Gaza poll up that suggests Hamas has lost it's grip on the popular support of Palestinians.
Half Sigma, who I generally like for his unabashed pursuit of logical conclusion even if said conclusions aren't politically correct, takes a step into illogic as he discusses outlawing homosexual sex in light of a new bacterial infection spreading among gay men.
Publius Pundit has been following the story of Oleg Koslovsky, a member of the political opposition to Vladimir Putin. What's remarkable about Oleg isn't his opposition but the fashion in which Russian authorities put a stop to it. They drafted him. Conscription as a political weapon.
Sec. Def. Gates "gaffe" in criticising NATO members for their lack of training in COIN seemed to have capped off his general frustration at the overall reluctance of most NATO allies to live up to their commitments via the treaty. The entire episode lends one to question the efficacy of an allied SysAdmin to balance out an American Leviathan. Do America's allies have the stomach for the long term military commitments that entail nation building?
Good Stuff
11 years ago
7 comments:
I think it's pretty clear by this point that the Europeans don't have the will nor desire to nation build, nor will they. India and China in a few years...
Steve,
Agreed. And I think Barnett's grand strategy, should it or something like it ever come to be, will be much more reliant on the "New Core" than the old. As you say, India and China. Funny, while the SysAdmin seeks to restore and rebuild countries in the image of modern democracies, it's very likely that the only real presence within it entails regimes that still hold the shadow of the Gap.
I agree too. It seems not only do Old Core shy away from fighting each other, they also free-ride on contributions to security made by others. I thought maybe with Sarkozy the French at least would get more involved. Too bad.
I think I might explore this a bit further in a post.
A wierd idea I've been playing around with in my head; what if we deliberately stopped being the only Leviathan?
Give our excess Leviathan equipment to other NATO members, keeping only enough of the Leviathan to keep China and Russia honest. Use the monetary savings to expand our Sysadmin forces.
Leviathan ability for rogue state takedowns isn't necessarily reduced-- NATO was formed specifically for State vs State warfare. Europe gets boosted towards that rapid reaction force they keep talking about and a role that requires lower manpower commitments. We get to reduce (though not eliminate) our reliance on other countries for sysadmin support.
An interesting line of thought. Do you blog Michael?
I'm afraid not. Partly out of laziness, partly out of fear (rational or not I'm still trying to decide) that I'll set it up only to have no readers:P
I'm also realising (via the occasional sustained debate with Dan on tdaxp) that my skills at articulating and defending my ideas need work.
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