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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (103479)	3/6/2005 6:07:30 PM
From: greenspirit	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793838

In a post 9/11 world, President Bush understands our foreign policy is driven by our military power. For too many years, we had State Department intellectuals running our foreign policy with an almost embarrassed attitude toward our military strength, that attitude created the environment where thugs and assassins talked a good game with state department reps, while keeping regions of the world caught in their grip of terror. The Bush Doctrine of using the military to provide the stimulus for political change is continuing around the world in remote places like the Gulf of Guinea. There, political leaders are being dragged into the security planning models designed by military leaders. A new chapter in our promotion of democratic values and transparent government is opening up, and the American press has hardly breathed a word of it. What would probably surprise most State Department foreign policy experts are military leaders in those countries welcome American leadership, they want more of it, not less. Nigeria has all the elements in place to become another terror haven. Large deposits of oil, corruption in government is rampant and far too many people live below the poverty line unable to effect change. 40 or 50 years ago the U.S. Navy used to land in remote places around the world in order to project American power and influence. I believe it's time we once again did far more of that in an effort to influence change. The looks of astonishment you get when a foreigner sees for the first time the power of the U.S. Navy still count for something. We need to stop being shy about being the worlds only superpower and let more people understand the gap they face. Those kind of eye-opening experiences are what prevents 9/11 from taking place.