Reframing the war

The United States is in danger. The U.S. faces major security threats from foreign nations. However, these nations are not are typical enemies like Iran, North Korea and Syria; they are "weak states" that are on the verge of failure.\nAccording to a report released by a bipartisan commission sponsored by the Center for Global Development, weak states, such as Bolivia, Indonesia, Nigeria and Kenya, are an unacknowledged danger to the United States. The report, entitled "On the Brink: Weak States and U.S. National Security," may reframe the strategy behind the war on terror. The report is signed by nearly 30 commission members, including many former members of the U.S. Agency for International Development, the National Security Council, the Pentagon and the State Department. \nThe threat from weak states arises because they are unstable and are not able to prevent terrorist networks from taking root in their country. These states suffer from three main problems: a security gap, a capacity gap and a legitimacy gap. \nA security gap occurs when a nation is unable to provide for the safety of its people. In its place, terrorist or criminal groups give safety to the people in exchange for their support. When a capacity gap occurs and a nation is unable to provide for its people, the nation becomes fertile ground for political instability. Finally, when there is a legitimacy gap, the government is regarded as not being able to protect the basic rights of its citizens. \nAccording to the report, the U.S. should focus on this problem in four ways. First, America could provide economic assistance, such as greater debt relief and the encouragement of sound development policies. \nSecond, the U.S. could increase its capacity to help weak states recover from a failure of government or economy. \nThird, the federal government could establish a Cabinet-level department and a National Security Council directorate to deal with this problem. \nFinally, America should not act alone, but should recruit help from other nations such as the Group of Eight and the Group of 20. \nSen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) spoke at the release of the report. Along with our own Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), Biden has co-sponsored many bills that would address the issues and recommendations outlined in the report. Perhaps it is time for Congress to re-examine this legislation and begin down a new path for strengthening our national security.\nIt is interesting that this report came out the same week as a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute revealed that global military spending increased by 11 percent in 2003. \nThis is a dramatic increase and close to the peak of the Cold War in 1987. The U.S. alone accounted for 47 percent of the world's defense spending. This second report acknowledges the Bush administration's preference for military solutions to problems of national security.\nThe Green Party has long advocated a dramatic reduction in American military spending and investing the "peace dividend" in funding global basic human needs. Perhaps in light of these two reports, we should begin to examine the merits of this "peace dividend" for national security purposes. Reducing the defense budget by even 25 percent would free up billions of dollars that could be invested in increased aid and the establishment of this Cabinet-level department. \n The Bush administration and Congress should seriously examine the report on the danger of weak states. Afghanistan became a terrorist stronghold because it was a failed state. If the U.S. had focused more on aiding the country after the withdrawal of Soviet troops, perhaps the Taliban would have never taken power and provided training grounds for al Qaeda. \nIt is time to move away from flashy military adventures and focus on strengthening national security in other ways.