The Obama Administrations National Security Strategy-
The National Security Strategy, released May 27, 2010 by the Obama Administration, lays out a strategic approach for advancing American interests, including the security of the American people, a growing U.S. economy, support for our values, and an international order that can address 21st century challenges.
This strategy addresses foreign policy (our strategies for dealing with foreign nations with regards to security, economy and military forces) and national security issues that we as a country are facing in the world today, as well as addresses the need to control and fight transnational/global organized crime.
In effect, this strategy has been designed to implement and ultimately strengthen our nations ability to prevent global atrocities and human created tragedies by elevating key global concerns in a timely manner for our nations government to address and take action on. This also helps to implement an open door foreign affairs ideal by which we are willing and able to attend to those nations in need who show that they are our allies and not a national security threat. This type of foreign policy closely resembles that of the idealism strategy, which simply states that our national integrity and ideals helps promote us on a global level (while maintaining a military show of force to those that only force can be effective with).
The National Security Strategy has also been designed to implement a new arms reduction treaty with Russia, and prevent the spread of nuclear arms in ‘enemy’ nations. Also, this strategy is aiding in peace and cooperation talks with Muslims world-wide, to give them and the American people a more enlightened understanding of each others cultures and values. In a sense, this newly implemented strategy is strongly in the vein of solidifying diplomatic relations and promoting the virtues of our national ideals. However, let’s take in to consideration the fact that not all foreign countries and peoples of the world are interested in learning about or adopting the American values and ideals that we hold so dear. After all, many foreign nations are so vastly different compared to ours that there is no obvious way to have them incorporate the American way of life in to their day to day lifestyle, or enmesh our beliefs in to theirs.
With the Obama Administration potentially out the door by the end of next year, can we expect to see any of these strides in foreign policy and national defense come to fruition? Can this initiative begin to rival the glory days of President Clinton’s foreign diplomacy victories?
I feel that this diplomacy/foreign policy initiative is in many ways an overly ideal notion at this time, with our current global climate and heightened need for military show of force. However, we will never be able to make strides in developing more copacetic foreign relationships if we do not take some measures in opening our doors and our minds to understanding and accepting other cultures, and continuing to offer aid to countries and nations in need.
More detailed information regarding the newly constructed National Security Strategy can be found by visiting the links below.
