Smedley Butler rides again

[Cain]

From clippings in my 2008 folder

http://www.esquire.com/print-this/features/fox-fallon

Unlike his Arabic-speaking predecessor, Army General John Abizaid, Fox Fallon wasn't selected to lead U. S. Central Command for his regional knowledge or cultural sensitivity, but because he is, says Secretary of Defense Gates, "one of the best strategic thinkers in uniform today."

If anything has been sorely missing to date in America's choices in the Middle East and Central Asia, it has been a strategic mind-set that consistently keeps its eyes on the real prize: connecting these isolated regions in a far more broadband fashion to the global economy. Instead of effectively countering the efforts of others (e.g., the radical Salafis, Saudi Arabia's Wahhabists, Russia's security services, China's energy sector) who would fashion such connectivity to their selfish ends...

Waiting on perfect security or perfect politics to forge economic relationships is a fool's errand. By the time those fantastic conditions are met in this dangerous, unstable part of the world, somebody less idealistic will be running the place--the Russians, Chinese, Pakistanis, Indians, Turks, Iranians, Saudis...

The Persian Gulf right now is booming economically, and Fallon wants to harness that power to connect the failed states that pockmark the landscape to the outside world. In this choice, he sees no alternative.

"What I learned in the Pacific is that after a while the tableau of failed, failing, or dysfunctional states becomes a real burden on the functional countries and a problem for their neighborhood, because they breed unrest and insecurities and attract troublemakers very well. They're like sewers, and they begin to fester. It's bad for business. And when it's bad for business, people tend to start restricting their investments, and they restrict their thinking, and it allows more barriers, so we're back to building walls again instead of breaking them down. If you have to build walls, it means you're moving backward."

Sound like anyone we know?

Also, isn't in a good thing Americans are far more idealistic than the Russians or Chinese?  I mean, how terrible would it be if those evil, nasty brutes who place no value on human life were running the globe nowadays?

[Freeky]

Also, isn't in a good thing Americans are far more idealistic than the Russians or Chinese?  I mean, how terrible would it be if those evil, nasty brutes who place no value on human life were running the globe nowadays?

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Saving this for sober perusal tomorrow. I'm on my second bourbon and I haven't had any since Thursday so it's going right to my head.

[Phox]

It's  2 am, and my thinking may not be optimal... but... wat. I will have to read this again tomorrow and try to see if I can form a coherent thought on it, 'cause right now, it's just giving me a sticky feeling in my brain place.

[Cain]

Essentially, Fallon is repeating the argument of Thomas P. M. Barnett, which is somewhat ironic since Barnett's Esquire profile on him is what got him fired as CentCom.

[Phox]

Essentially, Fallon is repeating the argument of Thomas P. M. Barnett, which is somewhat ironic since Barnett's Esquire profile on him is what got him fired as CentCom.

Ah, that's interesting. I am still having difficulty processing all of the arguments being made in that article, and will definitely revisit it tomorrow after I sleep.