Studies on radicalization & comments

[Bob's World]

Better we strive hard to change ourselves, than to demand that everyone else change to suit our out of date expectations.

OK, a few "Hows"

1. Declare and end to the war on terrorism. Running around the world declaring that we are a nation at war makes us sound like Chicken Little.

2. Officially announce that the State Department is once again lead (now that the war is over) for foreign policy and direct two things of them:
a. Change your name from State Department to something along the lines of "Foreign Office", that better recognizes that not every organization we must work with is a "State."
b. Conduct a top down review of all foreign policies and relationships shaped over the course of the Cold War and following period; and assess for relevance. Come back in 8 weeks with initial misison analysis for how to conduct foreign polciy in the current globalized world, highlighting any place where a "Cold Warism" was either retained or rejected and explain why.
(1) Specifically address an alternative position on Taiwan and Iran that are more relevant to the modern security concerns of our nation and that are apt to allow the devopment of healthier relationships with two of the most important nations (China and Iran) in the emerging world order.
(2) Also specficially address any nation considered an "Ally" or receiveing U.S foreign aid that is also listed as a major human rights violater and is possessed of a populace that is a major provider of AQ foreign fighters / terrorists. Include a plan that cuts aid to each of those countries by 50% per year until such time as they open negotiations with their own populaces to identify and address concerns; as well as to create mechanisms, logical and acceptable to them, to provide a reasonable and certain procedure for the populace to affect changes of governance short of insurgency.

3. I would immediately put all surge of forces to Afghanistan on hold and publically congratulate Mr. Karzai on his announcements about holding a Loya Jirga to address the legitimacy issues that his govenrment has; and then privately tell him we are packing up and gone by the end of the year unless he has a true, wide open, Loya Jirga with all Afghan stake holders appropriately represented. Then publicly offer our assurances of safetey of those who attend, and commit to working with whatever government emerges from this uniquely Afghan vehichle of government legitmacy.


Oh, and as to this:

"A lot of those 'populaces' you frequently are in fact merely segments of a populace with axes to grind and / or agendas that point in other directions. A few of those axes are reflexively anti-American (British) simply because we're big, arrogant and clumsy. All those failings are due to our governmental system and real change means changing that system. "

That could be a direct lift from the transcripts of British Parliment back in 1775...I suspect that is where you either first heard or used the line!

[Ken White]

-- those aren't 'hows,' they're really 'whats.' My question was HOW you get the US government and specifically, the Congress, to do those what thingys you have often suggested...

Better we strive hard to change ourselves, than to demand that everyone else change to suit our out of date expectations.

Well said and I agree but that's pie in the sky...

1. Declare and end to the war on terrorism.

That's been done. In theory anyway.

...Running around the world declaring that we are a nation at war makes us sound like Chicken Little.

I totally agree, a lot of folks in Congress and the country will or do also agree -- unfortunately, there are probably more that do or will not for various reasons including turf protection -- what do you propose to do about them? I'm sure you recall that hope is not a plan...

I agree with your other numbered items but am unsure how you propose to get there and frankly, quite strongly doubt that it is possible.

Oh, and as to this:

That could be a direct lift from the transcripts of British Parliment back in 1775...I suspect that is where you either first heard or used the line!

Actually I first heard it on the border of Nubia even longer ago. It was true then, true in Gaul in 300 BC, true in 1775 AD and is still true today. Passing it off does not make it one bit less true; ignoring that reality by a strategic thinker is umm, surprising...

And you still have not proffered one single idea for HOW you plan to make that change occur...

Backwards Observer. Simply stop looking at your fourth point of contact, look ahead and you too can and will become cynical. It's absoutely painless -- and it keeps you alive.

You can say I'm old because I "unnerstan" that I am. Generally when I look about today, I'm pretty thankful that I am..

[Backwards Observer]

Backwards Observer. Simply stop looking at your fourth point of contact, look ahead and you too can and will become cynical. It's absoutely painless -- and it keeps you alive.

I try to face up and be a good cynic, but this world is so unusually interesting that I reckon it's nigh on a miracle that there are any good folks at all. Maybe it's some Isaiah 11:6 thing I'm trying to get over.

Isaiah 11:6 (King James Version)

6The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

I guess in this world the little child is probably holding an rpg...whoa, I think I'm starting to see the light!

[Ken White]

start 'em off with throwing rocks and then, when they get good, escalate to grenades...

The RPGs are for the teenagers who get those with which to be surly (in lieu of body piercing).

Actually, one shouldn't be cynical and I hope I'm not unduly so -- but it does flat pay to be suspicious.