Democratic Progress in Iraq
Heather Coyne in the Christian Science Monitor.
I’m preparing for a trip to the Middle East. The drill of the moment includes visas, videocam, tickets, and today– flak vest. I will have two or three posts up before I leave early Friday morning.
Safe travels, Colonel.
Comment by John R. — 6/7/2005 @ 10:40 am
Colonel Bay, If you have some time on the plane, I wonder if you could give some thought to the longer-term. Uncertainty about this is what reluctant parents cite most often as the reason why they are reluctant to encourage their sons and daughters to serve in uniform and it is also a reason for the ambivalence of larger public opinion toward Iraq and toward our larger national security strategy. We may get a better fix on the longer-term by posing some specific questions. I wonder if you would comment on the ones below (if you have not already done so) and if there are any you would add: 1. Can the push for democracy in the Middle East succeed if our emphasis on internal change in particular countries is not matched by the inclusion of these countries in a new and permanent external security system? Should NATO establish intermediate forms of membership that its larger Mediterranean and Eurasian periphery might achieve, so that the alliance isn’t continually pulled into these areas on an ad hoc basis? 2. How global should a missile defense be? Should a missile defense be open to present adversaries if they undergo democratic reforms and foreign policy changes (eg. China, Iran)? Would our saying so help reformers in these countries? 3. Can we draw closer to India while keeping Pakistan (and the larger Islamic world) friendly? Could we make relations with us contingent on Pakistan and India reducing tensions with each other, ie. through a three-way shared theater missile defense? 4. Should foreign aid to Africa be contingent on the development of a stronger African Union? 5. If we offered closer ties in stages over a thirty year period, could Mexico achieve changes of the kind that candidates for the European Union have been induced to make by the offer of closer ties? Not all of these questions may point to practical goals. But I wonder if a clearer long-term vision of the world we seek might strengthen the case for the efforts necessary to achieve it. I hope you have some time to ponder questions like these and I look forward to hearing the results of your trip.
Comment by David Billington — 6/8/2005 @ 2:11 am
Progressing in Iraq Operation Thunder has temporarily put a dent in the car bombings in Baghdad. Mohammed from Iraq the Model provides a situation report based on the local Iraqi media, and states “The last 24 hours or…
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