Reply #28: So we shouldn't have a military? [View All]

[in_cog_ni_to]

I think #8 followed up #7 quite well.

8. America's military will be a complement, not substitute, for diplomacy, law, and leadership in the conduct of our international affairs.

We must reorganize our government so that we can bring to bear the economic, diplomatic and political tools in our arsenal. When we use the power of international law and diplomacy, we can achieve decisive results, even without decisive force.

A Clark Administration would place our work with Europe and a reinvigorated NATO as a centerpiece of U.S. policy -- and then seek not to rely on preemptive force, but instead to use diplomatic, political, economic power and international law in support of preventive engagement. We would reserve the use of force for an absolutely last resort and then act together if possible and alone only if we must.

The United States needs a cabinet-level or subcabinet-level agency that is charged with developing plans, programs, and personnel structures to assist in the areas of political and economic development abroad. Call it the Department of International Development. Focusing our humanitarian and developmental efforts through a single, responsible department will help us bring the same kind of sustained attention to alleviating deprivation, misery, ethnic conflict, and poverty that we have brought to the problem of warfare. These efforts will reduce the anger and alienation that gives rise to terrorism, and win us more friends and partners around the world. It will be far easier to gain international support for our concerns when other countries see us helping them on theirs.


I don't think that if he implements #8 he will be spending billions of $$ on the military. DIPLOMACY first. If we have peace throughout the world, countries don't HATE us anymore and we have an open dialogue with them, why would he spend tons of $$$ on the military? I don't see it happening. Give the man a chance. He truly wants to try and fix what Bush has destroyed.