A recent analysis of the 2010 QDR by the Center for American Progress claims, “…the 2010 QDR abandons the Bush administration’s “Long War” construct that oversimplified the nature of the struggle against violent extremists.” This claim implies that the QDR clarified the nature of this conflict. The QDR doesn’t even accurately identify the threat. It does not acknowledge that there is an international campaign led by Islamic extremists to kill Americans. I realize that it’s not politically correct to identify threats without obfuscation, but the failure to identify the source of this threat in the QDR is troubling. The terms “violent extremism” and “extremism” are generalities. Al Qaeda is more specific but it is simply a way to skirt…
Posts Tagged ‘Center for American Progress’
The Dying Art of Nuclear Strategy
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Nuclear strategists are a dying breed–so too is the very art of nuclear strategy. This year the Obama administration will conduct a review of existing U.S. nuclear policy. The review will touch on a host of issues, from missile defense and nonproliferation to stockpile management and force posture.
The intellectual giants of the Cold War who helped us define nuclear strategy have either passed on or are largely retired. Legends such as Herman Kahn, Albert and Roberta Wohlstetter are…
“Panel Discussion” on Sen. McCain’s Foreign Policy
The Center for American Progress, a neo-Clintonian think tank, recently hosted a “panel discussion” (euphemism) on the foreign policy agenda of Sen. McCain. For those that are familiar with this organization, you won’t be surprised to find out that the panelists were light on substance and heavy rhetoric. The panel essentially argued that Sen. McCain’s foreign policy is myopically focused on Iraq (for which he has no real plan, they claim). You can read Sen. McCain’s strategy here. According to the panelists, Sen. McCain wants the United States to remain in Iraq for 100 years–the insinuation being that Sen. McCain is perfectly fine with conducting a bloody counterinsurgency campaign for a century. The U.S. maintains a military presence in Germany, Japan and South Korea–decades after major combat operations ceased. The U.S. will likely negotiate…