Essay on "Narrative of 2010 National Security Strategy"

Essay 5 pages (1659 words) Sources: 5

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Narrative of 2010 National Security Strategy

Security Strategy 2010 -- Perspectives

The National Security Strategy is from afar the most important document which encompasses the main principles, guidelines, and strategies to be implemented by one presidency or another. The strategy offers broad guidance, outlining the major national security concerns of the U.S. And how they will be addressed. Given the fact that the Obama Administration has embraced other visions than its predecessor, it is important for the U.S. And its allies around the world to have a coherent, intelligent, but most importantly a well established set of rules and guidelines for the way in which foreign and domestic policies will be conducted on the short run and on the long run as well.

The challenges of a new national security strategy cannot be strikingly different from the ones taken into account by the Bush Administration in 2006. However, it can be said that the themes are more or less the same; the striking difference will be the way in which the new administration will tackle them. The nature of the approach, as well as the themes to be addressed will characterize the new strategy.

The nature of the approach will be democratic. The main difference between the 2006 Strategy and the one to be issued in 2010 will be related to the way in which the two administrations will deal with the issues at hand. Indeed, from 2006 to 2010, little has changed in the main topics for national security. Perhaps the economic crisis will add a new chapter in the 2010 strategy. However, the crucial element which will be changed is that of the approach. Better said, it is essential to bear in mind the simple idea that the 2006 Strategy is the result of a republican administration, whereas the 2010 will be a mirror of a democrat line of thought. This is one of the most important elements to be kept in mind, largely because it is the one clear difference between the two presidential acts.

The 2010 Strategy perhaps will have to address issues such as the war in Iraq or the talks with China in a different manner. Despite the fact that most of the foreign policy issues are the same as four years ago, the Obama Administration is bound by certain promises and statements made during the presidential campaign, part of which he will surely address in the 2010 Strategy.

Given the fact that to this day there is no official document to state the main concerns of the Administration, the only information on this subject comes from speeches and actions taken by the Administration. In this sense, an important speech was that of Secretary of state Clinton in June 2009. She thus stated:

"We want to reverse the spread of nuclear weapons, prevent their use, and build a world free of their threat. We want to isolate and defeat terrorists and counter violent extremists while reaching out to Muslims around the world. We want to encourage and facilitate the efforts of all parties to pursue and achieve a comprehensive peace in the Middle East. We want to seek global economic recovery and growth by strengthening our own economy, advancing a robust development agenda, expanding trade that is free and fair, and boosting investment that creates decent jobs. We want to combat climate change, increase energy security, and lay the foundation for a prosperous clean-energy future. We want to support and encourage democratic governments that protect the rights and deliver results for their people. And we intend to stand up for human rights everywhere." (Reveron, 2009)

It is important to bear in mind the afore mentioned because that statement could be in fact the outline of the new security strategy. Thus, one of the most important targets would be the fight against nuclear weapons and terrorists. This prepares a far reaching perspective on the world. Although these two elements were in reverse order, they were still top priorities in the 2006 Strategy (The National Security Strategy, 2006). However, in terms of actions taken by the Bush and the Obama administrations, these differ. Better said, President Obama considered unsatisfying the methods used for tackling this issue of WMD and made some modifications such as actually creating a position for overseeing the activities undergone by the U.S. In the fight against WMD (Bender, 2008). Therefore, while the Bush administration dealt with this loosely, the Obama administration appointed a White House representative on the matter. The message is not necessarily of stronger action, but rather of "different" action than his predecessor.

Another potentially important element in the upcoming U.S. Security Strategy is that of Iraqi cooperation. Both the previous strategy and the Obama strategy deal with this aspect of international politics and, given the importance of the Iraqi war, it is not unusual. However, the Bush administration was not successful in determining a particular support among the Iraqis for the U.S. troops. The Obama administration therefore has an important step to make in that direction, one which was made public by Obama since the time he was a presidential candidate (Obama, 2007).

Although Secretary of State Clinton pin pointed in her speech comprehensive and straight to the point elements of a future National Security Strategy, it is important to underline the fact that she also points out the means to achieve the goals set forth. Therefore, unlike Obama's predecessor, this administration puts the accent on negotiation and most importantly on "talks." It is very possible that the new National Strategy will bring in focus the renewed idea of negotiation as means of avoiding or even managing conflicts.

The issue of Iraq will however still be a problem for the U.S. administration. Despite the fact that Obama announced the withdrawal of troops by 2011 (MacAskill, 2009) it is essential to see what is left behind. In this sense, Obama will surely make one of his top priorities in the National Security strategy that of dealing with a post U.S. Iraq.

The Bush administration's Strategy of 2006 was far from the period of the economic crisis. This is one of the reasons for which that strategy dealt with the economic issue only as a fifth element of discussion. As times change, so do the priorities. If on the previous strategy, the goal was set a new era of globalization to include free markets, trade, and economic cooperation (The National Security Strategy, 2006), at the moment, the issue of economy is dealt with in terms of measures to revive the economies worldwide. From this point-of-view, it can be said that the realities four years ago have changed dramatically and there is a need for an improvement in the approach. What the Obama administration is proposing appeals in fact to the actual approach of the democratic precept. Better said, the administration considered the revival of the entire global economy as a source for recovery and prosperity. Indeed, the U.S. will play a key role in this respect, but there is a crucial need for cooperation.

A new key aspect in the strategy could be the intense focus on climate change. By comparison, the 2006 strategy considered climate change as part of the challenges faced as a result of globalization. The Obama Administration treats it as a separate and distinct subject. This is an important aspect because it also reflects the new perspective on climate change. It is very well-known the fact that the U.S. is reluctant to discuss reduction of emissions and suggest any limitations that would jeopardize the economic situation. However, President Obama appears to be more opened to deal with such a stringent issue as global warming. More importantly, he encouraged the Administration to participate in meetings such as the one in Copenhagen in December 2009, to discuss possible solutions… READ MORE

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