Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way

Abstract

The United States stands alone at a critical crossroad in the evolutionary and revolutionary journey of the nation-state system. As the sole surviving superpower, at the close of the most war-ravaged century in the history of mankind, we possess the opportunity to decide which path we will pursue into the next millennium. Our choices are basic: lead, follow, or get out of the way. Superficially, all of these choices appear as realistic philosophies of statecraft; however, a deeper analysis reveals that assuming the leadership role is fundamentally idealistic. Considering the savage history of the nation-state system, the United States has an obligation to pursue a philosophy of statecraft that promotes our humanistic values if we are to survive and progress as a race of people in the global community.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2000
Accession Number
ADA433204

Entities

People

  • Mark M. Kauzlarich

Organizations

  • National War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Civil War
  • Commerce
  • Economic Systems
  • Governments
  • History
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Conflicts
  • International Law
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • Market Economy
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Philosophy
  • United States
  • War
  • War Colleges

Readers

  • Educational Psychology
  • Strategic Security Studies