The Projection of U.S. Military

Power and U.S.

Democracy

The Governing CrisisBy Rut Setio Nastiti

Two Major Issues The U.S. has American credo- the

United States alone is called to: lead, save, liberate and ultimately transform the world (Bacevich, p.12)

The U.S. national debt until 12 Dec 2011 at 02:04:05 AM is

$ 15,063,664,195,802,35

Hence with the estimation of 311, 835, 984 U.S. Citizens, each citizen share the burden of $ 48,3067(http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/)

How did United States get here?

The answer is largely the Bush-era:

tax cuts, war spending in Iraq and Afghanistan, and recessions.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/infographics/us-national-debt

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/24/opinion/sunday/24sun4.html

Where the crisis lays?

The government has to pay this bill that is mostly contributed

To make sure the minimum essentials of international peace and order require the United States to maintain a global military presence

to configure its forces for global power projection and to counter existing or anticipated threats by relying on a

policy of global interventionism. Ibid, 14

The evidence of this is the U.S. government spent $908 billion or equal with 23% of the federal budget for military defense

The Relation between U.S. Military Power Projection and U.S. Democracy

Federal budget and any other policies are decided by White House or the Washington

In contrast, Survey conducted by CNN/ORR Poll on Nov. 18-20, 2011 resulted that 68% American is opposed to the war

38% of Americans said that the war in Iraq was a mistake, and 29% American said it was a mismanaged) and

only 29% is in favor

What can be seen from this data?

What has been decided does not reflected the majority of the U.S.

In the other hand, the word "democracy" means a form of government in which the government derives its power from the people and is accountable to them to use that power.

Another democracy problems

Former President Bush said, “Military power was used to end a regime by breaking a nation. Today, we have the greater power to free a nation by” breaking a dangerous and aggressive regime” ex: Cuba

Position: Fulbright POV “maybe it would profit us to

concentrate on our own democracy instead of trying to inflict our particular version of it”

“It is unnatural and unhealthy for a nation to be engaged in global crusades for some principle or ideal while neglecting the needs of its own people”

Solution Offered

Based on the external projection of U.S. military power, therefore the U.S. has to change some of its foreign policy that has a relation with the U.S. military power.

Cut U.S. spending on military defenses

Allocate or call back home significant number the U.S. troops from each bases in the world to some places in the U.S. that has a higher security risk, for example multiply more troops in Washington DC, New York, Los Angeles, and states that are in the border with Latin America countries. In the other words, reduce the military power which location is less strategic for U.S.

Minimize projecting its democratic values in other countries

Senator John McCain and Joe Lieberman, the Advance Democracy Act, points out: “Wars between democratic countries are exceedingly rare, while wars between and among nondemocratic countries are commonplace.”

“I don't know what our country is trying to accomplish. History says Afghanistan will never be a nation. It will be a country of tribes. We're wearing out the troops and spending money we don't have.“ - Rep. Walter Jones (Huffington Post)

Preventive to Preemptive

Preemptive war is an anticipation of immediate enemy aggression

Preventive war is launched to destroy the potential threat of an enemy, when an attack by that party is not imminent or known to be planned,

“American Mission” by “ending tyranny in our world” stated by George Bush

Pair U.S. troops with United Nations Peace Troops

And this would make the U.S. not doing it “alone” and the U.S. “share more responsibility to others” to lead, save, liberate and ultimately transform the world.