For those watching events unfold in Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Yemen, etc with interest, and listening and reading the growing debate as to if the US should back the status quo or remain neutral, or promote change, this thread may be of interest.

As to the base paper, I wrote a follow-up that might be cleaner read for World Politics Review, but one has to be a member to access. I will see if the editor will allow me to run it here on SWJ as well.

A Populace-Centric Foreign Policy. World Politics Review
http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/a...foreign-policy

Intro to that piece from 2 years ago:

"Reports of the demise of the Westphalian system are premature, but the shifting of the relative balance of power between states, threats to states, and the populaces these threats emerge from is undeniable. A "populace-centric" approach to foreign policy would recognize the emergence and enduring nature of popular power, and free U.S. interests from becoming mired in fleeting governments or threats.

The Westphalian system is premised on the concept that all sovereignty over any particular populace is vested in the state. This system places strong importance on the location and control of borders, and empowers a single "sovereign" to speak for the entire populace. A number of recent cases suggest that a focus on developing relations not with the state, but with the underlying populace from which the state is formed, would provide the greatest leverage to achieving the fundamental goal of any strategic policy, which is to change the behavior of nations at the lowest possible cost in national blood, treasure, or credibility."