With the 2008 presidential election comes the possibility of a change in the U.S. as a military power. There are a lot of people out there who wouldn't want to see the U.S. as a country with worldwide military capability at all, but in the evolving state of the world it is something that must be maintained if we are to retain our nation's influence economically as well as overseas.
The Department of Defense and its constituents are crucial to carry over into the next decade, even if it means we have to make some sacrifices in the present. To put all of this in perspective, I'd like to point to some troubling facts. Russia at one point invaded the Georgian capital.
China has more English speakers than the United States and has continued to expand its influence monetarily inside the nation of Sudan. India and Pakistan both have nuclear weaponry, in addition to the simmering tension between two. Of all the times our military should be centralized and developing, we're instead spread thin in conflicts across the Middle East, using the term of the region because along with the wars going on in Iraq and Afghanistan, we've recently deployed for missions into Syria and Pakistan as well.
The latter mentioned countries are, of course, very concerned, and the current administration and their policies are doing nothing to reassure them.
In fact, our military policy as of late has done little to reassure anyone. I'm not saying that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan need to stop; I'm saying this is where our involvement in the Middle East has begun and needs to end if we're to keep any sort of influence across the CENTCOM region.
Getting involved was a mistake, but if we manage to establish some semblance of order in these countries and get out, we can begin prioritizing on threats that are going to become much more real in the next 10 years.
While we're fighting a losing battle with the insurgents and ourselves in Iraq, China and India grow stronger every day in terms of sheer numbers. When this translates into continental military might, the size and capabilities of our current military starts to look awfully small. Sen. Obama's campaign focused more on directing our attention to the Afghanistan and (according to him, and if the Democrats manage a majority in Congress) withdrawing from Iraq.
McCain wanted to continue a war on both fronts. I'm writing this primarily to express my frustration with the situation the Bush Administration has put our military in, which can be best equated to a Chinese finger-trap.
The more effort you sink into trying to get yourself out, the more you realize that your fingers are stuck. To put it frankly, there will be no easy solution for an exit strategy out of the Middle East, much less Iraq.
From a purely strategic standpoint, the prospect is terrifying, and anyone who promises a 16-month withdrawal is setting himself up for a failure or a fiasco.
No matter who was elected yesterday, he is still going to have a definitive impact on the way we deal with these developing issues overseas. My core viewpoint is that the greatest strength of the United States has always been the strength of our economy, our values and our military.
What scares me, and a lot of the American people I'd believe right now, is that if we can't keep ahead of the rest of the world in these three respects, we are going to fall apart.
If you attributed this view to paranoia, I'd understand; the prospect is almost too much for me to swallow as well.
I've never considered myself jingoistic, but I do love my country, and us ceasing to be the best is unfathomable; it seems our long and difficult stay in the Middle East might bring all that about.
There's one thing I don't have, our Congress doesn't have and neither of the presidential candidates had, though, and that's the definitive solution to this conflict.
Though I was sure of who I voted for yesterday, I can sympathize with those who were less sure because there are no easy answers for the problems our country faces ... and I haven't even touched on those of the domestic variety.
Whoever was elected yesterday should be ready the day he steps into the Oval Office to take on some serious crisis management.
If there's something I can leave you with, it's that we're pouring trillions of dollars into a military strategy right now that is going to leave us woefully unprepared for the future.
The new President of the United States should make sure he keeps at least one goal in mind: that with the developing powers across the world, we need to continue developing as well.
Under the circumstance we cease to develop militarily, economically and diplomatically, we will fall behind. If there's one thing I am sure of, it's that.