Integrated Power
National Security Strategy for the 21st Century
Today Americans can look back at the years since the end of the Cold War and those since the attacks of 9/11 and begin to forge a more coherent understanding of the opportunities we can seize and the threats we must address. The greatest danger to the American people today is not a single great power or a group of rising powers, but rather three forces of fragmentation. They are: terrorist networks with a global reach; extreme regimes that aspire to nuclear weapons and threaten their neighbors; and the ever-growing group of weak and failing states that can provide safe harbor for terrorists and destabilize critical regions. Arrayed against these are strong forces of integration. We have the opportunity to marshal four dynamic forces—globalization, democratization, the emergence of new powers, and technology—to promote the interests of the American people and to help others find the road to security, prosperity, and freedom.
The Center for American Progress advocates a multidimensional and integrated approach to employing U.S. power to protect our national security—one that reflects the world as it is, not as some wish it to be:
To implement this approach, the United States should:
1. Protect the American people by taking military action alone if necessary, destroying global terrorist networks, cutting off access to nuclear and biological weapons, and investing in a comprehensive program to secure the homeland.
2. Increase economic opportunities in developing countries to help their people join the global economy and build new markets for the United States.
3. Prevent conflict by deterring extreme regimes, bolstering weak and failing states, intervening before disaster strikes, and undermining the long-term appeal of extremist ideologies.
4. Lead vital alliances and modernize international institutions because collective action is more powerful and more legitimate than unilateral action and can help save American lives and dollars.
5. Promote the spread of democratic institutions and freedoms to give people the chance to determine their own future, better ensure stability and create new allies.
6. Create a 21st century framework for national security by integrating, where appropriate, approaches, missions, and institutions.
For more information: Integrated Power
The Expert: Robert Boorstin, Lawrence Korb
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