[Peace-discuss] Searching for enemies

[Brussel Morton K.]

The thesis of Gabriel Kolko is that rational behavior by nations is  
routinely perverted by personal ambition. It is an interesting  
observation. Whether this makes imposssible a coherent approach to  
foreign policy is something one can be skeptical about, but this is an  
interesting and somewhat novel analysis. Here's an extract:

…The problem of running a vast foreign and military policy, not just  
for the United States but also for other nations, is that all  
decisions on vital questions are filtered through the prism of  
ambition. Since men and women who aspire to attain influence and power  
very often give advice with a view to advancing their own careers,  
they are generally anything but objective assessors of options.  
Decisions are made to attain success; choices are rarely made with an  
eye on the facts. The war in Iraq was an example of this.…

For the rest, see

http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArticlePrint/22195
The Contours of Recent American Foreign Policy, Searching For  
EnemiesAugust 02, 2009

By Gabriel Kolko

Source: Counter Punch


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