Somehow, I got on the Council on Foreign Relations e-mail list. The following wandered into my inbox today and is likely to be required reading for all aspiring Alpha-plus world controllers studying their hearts out across the Ivy League:
In his new book, The Opportunity, Council President Richard N. Haass describes an unprecedented moment in which the United States has a chance to bring about a world where most people are safe, free, and can enjoy a decent standard of living.
The principal reason the 21st century shows such promise is that the potential for armed conflict involving today’s major powers is remote. This remarkable development reflects not just U.S. military and economic might but also the assessment that much of what the United States seeks to achieve in the world has the potential to be broadly acceptable to others.
But the combination of these circumstances will not stay unchanged. Like all great moments, it will pass. If we are not careful, the world could see its energies diverted by a new cold war ? or, even worse, descend into anarchy defined by terrorism, disease, the spread of nuclear weapons, genocide, and extreme poverty.
More than anything else, it will be how well and how wisely the United States uses its immense power that will determine the future. The United States does not need the world’s permission to act, but it does need the world’s support to succeed. Haass proposes a doctrine of “integration” in which the United States would involve other states and peoples in efforts to deal with the challenges of globalization.
Mmm, sounds like the kind of truly noble and wonderful thing that can only be truly accomplished by soldiers, crack administrators, misguided altruism and lots and lots and lots of tax dollars.
2:46 pm on May 24, 2005
