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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group
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To: Dayuhan who wrote (35132)7/29/2002 2:05:31 AM
From: tekboy  Read Replies (1) of 281500
 
So Perle feels that the military is not equipped to assess threat, but that he is. If we leave the decision up to politicians and political appointees, though, how do we assure that political factors unrelated to national security don't creep into the debate?

This is precisely the issue that Eliot Cohen's new book Supreme Command grapples with. I'm no fan of Perle's, but I agree with him in this particular case. The military's job is to explain to their civilian superiors what they think they need to do what task, and what they think the consequences of various policy alternatives might be. Then it's the politicians' job (in both the executive and legislative branches) to decide what to do, and the military's further job to execute their orders as best they can or resign. You're correct that less-than-noble-and-universal interests might be guiding the politicians, but hey--it's still a democracy, and they're the only ones with the authority to make the big calls.

tb@godhelpusall.com
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