Bloggence, Cunning, Exile

The Cheney Plan to Rule the World

Concluding excerpt from David Armstrong's article in Harper's, Dick Cheney's Song of America (Harpers.org), which long before the war began exposed the neocon imperialist project to achieve total dominance over both enemies and allies:

"The Bush Administration and its loyal opposition seem not to grasp that the quests for dominance generate backlash. Those threatened with preemption may themselves launch preemptory strikes. And even those who are successfully "preempted" or dominated may object and find means to strike back. Pursuing such strategies may, paradoxically, result in greater factionalism and rivalry, precisely the things we seek to end.

Not all Americans share Colin Powell's desire to be "the bully on the block." In fact, some believe that by following a different path the United States has an opportunity to establish a more lasting security environment. As Dartmouth professors Stephen Brooks and William Wohlforth wrote recently in Foreign Affairs, "Unipolarity makes it possible to be the global bully -- but it also offers the United States the luxury of being able to look beyond its immediate needs to its own, and the world's, long-term interests. . . . Magnanimity and restraint in the face of temptation are tenets of successful statecraft that have proved their worth. Perhaps, in short, we can achieve our desired ends by means other than global domination."

posted by E. Heroux @ 12:06 PM