Avoiding Praetorian Societies: Focusing U.S. Strategy on Political Development
Abstract
It is clear that fragile nation-states will continue to be a major contributor to instability in the international strategic environment. The United States, its allies and partners have attempted to mitigate the negative effects of fragile states through a variety of approaches, including military stability and reconstruction (S&R) operations such as those undertaken in Iraq and Afghanistan. America s success rate at conducting S&R operations, however, is mixed. Despite immense efforts undertaken in Iraq and Afghanistan, the creation of politically stable states in both countries eludes the U.S., partner states, and international allies. Despite frustrations, considering the prominence of fragile states in the strategic environment and U.S. strategic goals, it is inevitable that the U.S., and ultimately the U.S. military, will be involved in S&R operations in the future. Therefore, American performance must be improved. This paper argues that weaknesses in U.S. S&R operations are intellectual in nature. The U.S. military, and to some extent the broader U.S. government, doesn t enunciate in official doctrine the centrality and causes of political instability in fragile states, and consequently S&R operations are planned and executed devoid of political development efforts. Current U.S. policy does not directly address the importance of political development in fragile states. In fact, while political stability is often emphasized, it is treated as a by-product of economic development, social development, and governance capacity to include security force assistance. This is a major policy oversight. Governance is not the same thing as politics. Indeed the definition of governance in JP 1-02 is too broad to be useful. Governance is the process by which societies collectively solve problems and meet citizens needs (Osborne & Gaebler). Governance, therefore, is the leadership process of a society, both through formal and informal channels.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2014
- Accession Number
- ADA601849
Entities
People
- Bruce Ferrell
Organizations
- United States Army War College