A New Grand Strategy (http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2002/01/schwarzlayne.htm)

something to think about (a different point of view)

I've always believed that the US foreign policy was dictated by political, economic, and military primacy, but more and more every day I begin to see it as a cultural war, especially today. Economics, politics, and military are just a means to achieve an ends. Anyone interested in this theory should read "Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order" by Samuel P. Huntington. His geopolitical theory is very highly regarded in the realm of political science. He's gained a lot more attention and presence in the light of Bush's foreign policy. His argument is that there are seven or eight major civilizations in the world vying for dominance and they are bonded as nations beyond borders by cultural similarities. It's a very well written book. Some of the concepts are far to elaborate to describe on the forums.

What changes would you guys recommend to the US foreign policy? I'm just curious. I often times have mixed views when it comes to foreign policy. Sometimes I even think the Isolationist policies of the 1930's would be a step in the right direction. Keep in mind that things in the world are the way they are. Can't go back and tell the DOD not to give nukes to Isreal or we can't uninvade Iraq.

I'm just stumped.

The U.S. has no chance of preventing more and more nations from getting nuclear and other weapons (satelites can't see things being built underground), and other countries and the U.N. have no courage to tackle the problem either, so it's going to happen.

I'm not sure how many countries in the world now have nukes, but it's probably a dozen or more, and probably going to be a LOT more in the future.

This, in my view, means the U.S. should focus on self defence and specifically, a missile defense system. I do not say this so that the U.S. should isolate itself, I think the U.S. should continue to try to engage the world through diplomacy and humanitarian aid. But there's bad people in the world, many of whom the U.S. has made extremely angry, partly through policies that change so often.

But the U.S. government has a responsibility to protect its citizens first, and this may often mean it's not the most popular country around the world, but this isn't a popularity contest. But extreme unpopularity decreases security, so how we are viewed overseas is relevant.

Not the most coherent post... but I'll blame jetlag (9 hour flight yesterday)

http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/index.html