1 / THREAD: Syria is a case study in how obsolete our foreign policy toolkit has become. Our only options today are troops or sanctions.
As we rightly eviscerate Trump for abandoning the Kurds, we must also work to make sure the next president has more options.
Let me explain.
As we rightly eviscerate Trump for abandoning the Kurds, we must also work to make sure the next president has more options.
Let me explain.
2 / The vast majority of our national security budget goes to the military and intel. We're talking over $600 billion year.
To put that in perspective, we spend 20 times as much on the military and intel agencies as we do on diplomacy, democracy promotion and smart power.
To put that in perspective, we spend 20 times as much on the military and intel agencies as we do on diplomacy, democracy promotion and smart power.
3 / The problem? Most of the threats we face abroad are no longer conventional military threats. Syria, at it's heart, is a political, not military, quagmire.
But we could only deploy 20 year old soldiers there, when we needed a massive diplomatic and political investment.
But we could only deploy 20 year old soldiers there, when we needed a massive diplomatic and political investment.
4/ Russia, for example, uses oil, propaganda, bribery and intimidation, and cyber warfare to undermine U.S. interests.
But we spend all our money on aircraft carriers and drones, not anti-corruption and anti-propaganda capabilities. In Syria and elsewhere, we're left helpless.
But we spend all our money on aircraft carriers and drones, not anti-corruption and anti-propaganda capabilities. In Syria and elsewhere, we're left helpless.
5/ My piece for @TheAtlantic lays out a comprehensive vision for what a new foreign policy toolkit, built for the real modern threats we face, would look like:
theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…
theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…
