The Communitarian Network

Stop Social Engineering Overseas

comnet — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 21:18:13 +0000

The United States and its allies have been having great difficulty pacifying Afghanistan and suppressing opiate farming—and hence the illegal drug trade—in that faraway country. This recent news contains an important lesson conservatives should be the first to tout, but it somehow escapes them.

A major insight of the neoconservatives was that social engineering in the United States often failed. Liberals argued that if their programs were just allotted more funds—whatever their budgets already were—they would lick poverty, win the war on drugs, make homes for the homeless and otherwise cure what ails us. The neocons demonstrated that social problems were too resistant to change by civil servants and instructions from Washington.

Read the rest at the National Interest.

Can a nuclear Iran be deterred?

comnet — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:49:01 +0000

There is a growing interest among U.S. foreign policy officials and scholars in deterring Iran; that is, in tolerating a nuclear armed Iran but keeping it at bay by threatening it in kind should it use its nuclear weapons. Although the Obama administration has not embraced this position, some observers believe this is the direction it is headed.

One indication comes from Thomas Donilon, the national security adviser. In a speech late last year, he remarked, “We will continue to build a regional defense architecture that prevents Iran from threatening its neighbors. We will continue to deepen Iran’s isolation, regionally and globally.”

Read the rest at CNN.

No Revolution at the Pentagon

comnet — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:28:19 +0000

Later this month, the Obama administration will present the details of its FY2013 defense budget to Congress, the broad outlines of which the president unveiled during a January speech at the Pentagon. The plan calls for cutting $487 billion over the next ten years. Republicans criticized it as a sign that the Democrats are again (or still) weak on defense; Democrats and several independent experts hailed it as prudent and suitable for an age of tight budgets. Both sides may well be wrong, because they assume that the strategy will be implemented. But Congress may alter the trajectory of this major defense policy, as it has with most others. Here are four areas to watch as the debate moves to Capitol Hill…

Read the rest at The National Interest.

In China’s Shoes

comnet — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:24:05 +0000

President Obama recently announced the withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Iraq and plans to pull them out of Afghanistan. But the administration is sending Marines to a new U.S. military base—in Australia. Although the number of the Marines is small, perhaps a symbolic move, many interpret it as part of an American “pivot” from the Middle East to the Far East. And the Far East is a code word for China, increasingly viewed as a major threat to American interests.

All but the most hawkish hawks agree that the Chinese military will not pose a threat to the United States for decades. Still, some argue that Washington must scale up its military for that future—particularly increasing capabilities of the navy and air force—because such preparations take decades.

Read the rest at The National Interest.

“The Construction of Europe.” Amitai Etzioni’s interview with The European.

comnet — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:56:53 +0000

The European: Community identity is often based on a shared history, shared customs, shared symbols. Is there a comparable narrative in Europe?
Etzioni: I agree that a joint narrative is important. But right now, there is too much time pressure. When I talk about a referendum, I don’t see it primarily as a voting mechanism. I see it as a mechanism to force us into discussion and bring about shared values. Don’t relegate important decisions to experts and politicians in Brussels. Let us all take part. The more we are forced to become political decision-makers, the more we have to raise our own awareness of European issues. On that basis, shared new values will arrive. They can build on two European narratives, both of which have lost their power: One is the narrative of the first community of nations. After centuries of war, European nations made lasting, unprecedented peace. What a remarkable narrative! And two, Europe has struck a good balance between capitalism and the social good. The idea of the social market is the second European narrative.

Read the rest at The European Magazine.

Unintended Consequences: War Crimes in Libya.

comnet — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 20:31:41 +0000

However good the reasons for our intervention in Libya, we and our allies failed to stop some terrible deeds committed by the rebels we supported. U.S. officials have talked a lot about making sure the rebels commit themselves to a democratic regime and do not impose sharia law. But for the most part officials were mum when the rebels—under the cover of our military support—committed one atrocity after another. If we ever ally ourselves with another armed rebellion, say in Syria, we should make it clear that our support will be granted only as long as rebels refrain from committing the kinds of crimes against humanity we are trying to protect them from.

Read the rest at Commonweal.

Is China America’s new enemy?

comnet — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:36:58 +0000

President Barack Obama unveiled Thursday a new military strategy. It calls for “pivoting” from the Middle East to the Far East, focusing partly on the military buildup of China.

Without a major public debate of the kind we have about raising taxes, or a congressional vote, the U.S. government is moving slowly but surely toward characterizing China as an aggressive superpower and is preparing for war, should it become necessary.

…Read the rest at CNN.com.

Why health care competition won’t work

comnet — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:39:53 +0000

A proposal by Rep. Paul Ryan and Sen. Ron Wyden to allow those who retire in the future to chose between Medicare and private health care insurance for seniors is the latest addition to the drive to increase competition in health care.

Mitt Romney recently released a health care proposal that would introduce vouchers, which would allow consumers to choose where to take their business, although he did not include Medicare as an option. Newt Gingrich’s plan suggests a variety of ways to increase “price competition in the industry.”

And President Obama’s health care overhaul also includes competition, to take place in new statewide exchanges, in which individuals and businesses will be able to find and compare insurance plans in a centralized marketplace.

Read the rest at CNN.com.

Fostering Political Change in Egypt

comnet — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:54:54 +0000

Here we go again. A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate threatens to withhold $1.3 billion in aid until the secretary of state certifies that Egypt “has held democratic elections and is protecting freedoms of the press, expression, and association.” (I am only surprised that the list of rights is so short. What about women’s rights? Religious freedoms? No taking? No unreasonable search and seizure?) The Washington Post believes that if we and other “rich countries” gave Egypt some “quick cash” and “money for long-term investment,” Egypt would be on its way to becoming a liberal democracy and gain a modern economy on the side.

Read the rest at The National Interest.

Curing What Ails Europe

comnet — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:05:24 +0000

The strongest medicine European leaders have come up with to cure what ails the euro zone is going to make the patient much worse off, if not kill him outright. European leaders are calling for adding a fiscal union to the monetary one. Germany’s foreign minister Guido Westerwelle called for “automatic sanctions when (budget) stability rules are broken.” France and Germany are backing measures that would send violators of European Central Bank policies to the European Court of Justice. And Germany is promoting a policy that would give the European Commission the power to veto budgets of member states.

Read the rest at The National Interest.