The focus of the discussion was on NATO rather than the Pax Americana of the title, and as a result I think focused extensively, perhaps unduly, on the European context. For a discussion of NATO, obviously the European context makes a lot of sense. That's where NATO is. 2/20
-
-
...but absent Hannibal stomping around, after Sentinum, there wasn't enough capacity to band together around the usual discontents (Gauls, Samnites) to make balancing feasible. Roman missteps created a situation in 91BC where that was no longer true - like we're doing now 13/20
Näytä tämä ketju -
The value of NATO - of most of the US-aligned security agreements, formal and informal - is thus less what they do for us, as what they are *not* doing, in our interest. By taking so many potential powerful potential disruptors 'off the table'...14/20
Näytä tämä ketju -
...and binding their interests (to continue to prosper without undue conflict or security burdens) to our interests (to continue to manage the broad sweep of global affairs), we inhibit balancing, and ideally close the door to increased peer-competition. 15/20
Näytä tämä ketju -
NATO, which essentially takes a fifth of the global GDP 'off the table' in this way, obviously serves a purpose within that framework, even if it did nothing else (and it can, in fact, do other things for all its members)... 16/20
Näytä tämä ketju -
None of which is to say that the USA, NATO and the USA's other security partners shouldn't be having a hard rethink about what the relationship is for and how it should best be structured for that new reality. Of course we should.... 17/20
Näytä tämä ketju -
But I'd say that NATO provides value worth the cost even when it does *nothing at all.* Now that's a hard sell for the American voter, to be sure. But I don't think it is an impossible sell - should someone want to sell it, and I'd like to see it tried... 18/20
Näytä tämä ketju -
Alternately, we can stick with the current plan, which is 'under/mis-inform the American public, conduct security policy in obscurity wherever possible, and act surprised when we get a fool-isolationist who objects to policies we never bothered to build public support for.' 19/20
Näytä tämä ketju -
...a plan on vivid display with the recent Afghanistan papers. Or, maybe we can try coming up with a overall strategy, explaining it *clearly* to the voters and congress, getting approval for it, so that regular folks understand what something like NATO is for. end/20
Näytä tämä ketju -
I come off harsher than I mean to sound to the Net Assessment podcast folks - their discussion is, I think, well informed and very useful - I am heartbroken that
@ConsWahoo is leaving the podcast. Do give it a listen, link at the top of the thread. end+1/20.Näytä tämä ketju
Keskustelun loppu
Uusi keskustelu -
Lataaminen näyttää kestävän hetken.
Twitter saattaa olla ruuhkautunut tai ongelma on muuten hetkellinen. Yritä uudelleen tai käy Twitterin tilasivulla saadaksesi lisätietoja.