Foreign Policy-Everything must go

Austin American Statesman ^ | 3.30.2008 | James C. McWilliams

[wolfcreek]

'Terror and Consent': brilliant, contrarian By James E. McWilliams

SPECIAL TO THE AMERICAN-STATESMAN

Sunday, March 30, 2008

During the course of a long, intellectually demanding narrative, "Terror and Consent" pivots on several paradigm-shifting claims. One of them, which appears in the introduction, stands out for its humanitarian implications: "During the era of twentieth century industrial nation states ... 80 percent of the dead and wounded in warfare were civilians."

For Philip Bobbitt, a distinguished lecturer and senior fellow at the University of Texas and a law professor at Columbia University, this is more than a gee-whiz factoid. It's the basis upon which he advances an ambitious argument for fighting the wars that are bound to plague the 21st century.....

[wolfcreek]

Sen. J. S. McCains’s recent foreign policy speech came to mind when I read this article. (Philip Bobbitt-UT senior fellow, advisor to past admins, CFR member since 1985)

[NonValueAdded]

I thought of our current Middle East policy and how it’s like a store clearance sale (”everything must go”) and Condi and the team seem to be in a desperate rush for something - either a legacy or the last chance to fix things before a RAT / RINO enters office.

[PGalt]

...the lesser of evils. If this is so, then "Terror and Consent" offers the most we can expect from our blinkered vantage point: a dauntingly learned and occasionally infuriating manifesto.

Where's Lorena Bobbitt when you need her? /sarcasm

[wolfcreek]

Nation-building and Neoliberalism are chief policies of the Council on Foreign Relations.

[Leisler]

"During the era of twentieth century industrial nation states ... 80 percent of the dead and wounded in warfare were civilians."

Yeah? What's the problem? Where do enemy soldiers come from? Their weapons, their psychological support?

During our Civil War, Sherman looked over a battlefield of dead Union and Southrons. He decided to take the war not to the soldiers, but to the farms and people who supported them. Total War.

One time Sherman had annoying problems with snipers who where shooting from the banks at his transport ships on the rivers. So, he lined the sides with Confederate prisoners. He often went into towns, said you are beat, put down your arms and took members of the elite hostage. Any intown funny business and ...well, it worked. Sheridan learned a lot and well applied it post war.

[Ben Ficklin]

I'll give you a preclusive/preemptive bump.

[wolfcreek]

If you read the entire article, the author quickly gets away from this theme and totally bypasses the Iraq issue.

He's pushing a Neoliberal platform not, unlike our presidential candidate.

[bioqubit]

I have not read the book, but the review leaves a fatal flaw: Religion.

The notion that materialism of a market state will quench the fires of religious passion is just wrong headed, if not ignorant. This appears to side step the head on conflicts between religions. anyway...