Andrew Bacevich: A Man to be Treasured!

First, a comment regarding Professor Bacevich. He is a West Point graduate, received a Ph.D. from Princeton in International Affairs, retired from the military as a Colonel, and has been on Boston University's faculty for some years.

He was an early critic of the United States' invasion of Iraq and continued his writing even when his son enlisted in the military against his father's recommendations where he was killed. Professor Bacevich has recently written "The Limits of Power" which articulates a more sensible use of power in light of the horrendous consequences often associated with its use.

As a general theme, his thesis is that the policies of the United States tend to be imperialistic and hegemonic in spite of our stated reasons for its use. He argues forcefully about the necessity of realizing the inherent limitations of power, that its use often results in counter measures, e.g., counterinsurgency witnessed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and earlier in Vietnam.

Recently, he wrote about the impact of the nation's mindset on national policy. In this sense, he is stating that many (not all, e.g., it is unclear whether the people would have supported the Iraq invasion if they knew the merits of the arguments put forth by the administration) of the nation's interventions were supported in advance by national opinion. Many examples are cited. He concludes with the observation that the nation now wants a more limited approach to foreign policy.

Today, he writes that Obama's election signals the end of a foreign policy dictated by religious ideology. He references the famous theologian, Reinhold Neibuhr. who guided the thinking of many of our statesmen who advocated a more realistic foreign policy. Neibuhr recognized that the world was influenced by the effects of Original Sin, i.e., nothing done is immune from some evil implications. The use of power is inherently abusive, even when necessary. The need to constantly weigh the "need" to use power against its inherent negative consequences is lost when religious ideology creates tunnel vision that excludes the complexities of international relations.