Hoover Institution
Research fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and author of Managing American Hegemony: Essays on Power in a Time of Dominance; former Associate Professor of International Security Studies at the United States Military Academy; former Director for Defense Strategy at the National Security Council (2002-2005); advisor on national security and military issues to John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign
Republican Rhetoric on Foreign Policy: What's the Plan? If former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is next year's Democratic nominee, foreign policy will be front and center in the presidential campaign. Most of the 17 Republican hopefuls are foreign-policy amateurs, but they're almost unanimously hawkish, blaming the Democrats for "weakness." It turns out that almost all are consulting the same group of advisors, who were part of Mitt Romney's losing campaign in 2012. We hear what the John Hay Initiative is telling the candidates about war, diplomacy and America's role in the world.
Cuts in the Pentagon: Too Much or Not Enough? Ground wars like those in Iraq and Afghanistan, at 13 years the longest in American history, are things of the past. Defense against Chinese cyber-warriors or terrorists in Africa won't require tanks, warplanes or massive armies. That's the theory behind Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's proposed cuts in the Pentagon budget. But weapons and manpower mean jobs and corporate profits. Every program Hagel wants on the chopping block has a constituency. Is he really proposing to cut to the core or just scratching the surface of a military bigger than all the rest in the world combined?
Is President Obama Too 'Passive' in Foreign Affairs? President Obama is accused of standing by as Egypt's generals deposed an elected government and killed almost 1000 opponents both in the streets and in custody. Promised aid to Syrian rebels has not materialized, months after Obama's demand that President al-Assad step down. Iran's new president reportedly wants direct negotiations, but the US failed even to congratulate him on his recent election. Is it too late for the US to have an impact on crises in the Middle East? Have opportunities been missed, or did they really exist in the first place?
The Pentagon, 'Sequester' and National Security In August, when the White House and Congress failed to agree on taxes and spending, they compromised on what's called "sequester." That means an automatic 10 percent across-the-board cut in domestic spending and in the Pentagon, effective on the first day of next year. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says that would be "a disaster" for the Pentagon. How much defense spending does the United States really need? How much can it reasonably afford? Will it really happen or will the White House and Congress kick the can down the road once again?
The Pentagon, 'Sequester' and National Security The US plans to spend more on defense next year than the next 17 countries combined. So why is Washington so worried about an automatic 10 percent cut? That's part of what's called "sequester," the deal made by both parties in August, when they failed to agree on an overall federal budget. Now, facing a deadline at the end of this year, Democrats and Republicans call it, "unthinkable," "devastating" and "deeply destructive." Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says that would be "a disaster" for the Pentagon. Republican John McCain agrees, and so do both President Obama and Mitt Romney. Why, at a time when the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are winding down and many Americans tell pollsters the US can't afford to be the "world's policeman?" Would the US suddenly be weaker? What about jobs? Is this the political club that could finally knock financial sense into the "military-industrial complex?"
Who Benefits from WikiLeaks' Release of Military Documents? On Saturday WikiLeaks released almost 400,000 classified reports about the Iraq war and promised more to come about the war in Afghanistan. At a London news conference, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was joined by Daniel Ellsberg , who leaked the Pentagon Papers almost 40 years ago. Ellsberg called Assange "the most dangerous man in the world" because he has the courage to challenge the US government.
Who Benefits from WikiLeaks' Release of Military Documents? On Saturday WikiLeaks released almost 400,000 classified field reports about the Iraq war, and promised more to come about the war in Afghanistan. Those reports are now on the Internet and in newspapers worldwide. The Pentagon says WikiLeaks has put lives at risk and given adversaries valuable information. Others say official distortions and wrong-doing have been exposed. What's new about contractors, sectarian executions and civilians killed by American soldiers? What about Iraqi stability after US soldiers stand down? Should the whistle-blowers who were the source of the records be treated as criminals or public servants?
New Leadership, but the Same Strategy in Afghanistan In the Rose Garden today, President Obama said General Stanley McChrystal was a good soldier who was always courteous to his commander in chief. But, McChrystal's command in Afghanistan could not survive that interview with Rolling Stone magazine…
General McChrystal Is Relieved of Command General McChrystal is out as commander in Afghanistan , replaced by General David Petraeus, one of America's best-known military leaders. By trashing the President , McChrystal and his team spotlighted ongoing dispute over the War in Afghanistan. In the White House, in Congress and on the battlefield, one side supports a troop surge followed by economic development and government reform. Can Petraeus implement the President's strategy? What about those, including Vice President Biden, who warn against bogging down in an unwinnable war?
Defense Spending and the Federal Deficit A familiar scenario is developing this year on Capitol Hill. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has advised President Obama to veto a spending bill that includes the C-17 Cargo plane and an alternative engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Those are two projects the Pentagon says it doesn't need, and Gates has warned that the soaring deficit is about to shrink the "gusher" of money that has poured forth since September 11, 2001.
Defense Spending, Military Needs and the Federal Deficit Ever since Dwight Eisenhower warned about "the military-industrial complex," there have been complaints about bloated Pentagon spending. Defense Secretary Robert Gates complains that Congress is, once again, pushing job-creating projects the Pentagon doesn’t want, including a spending bill that includes the C-17 Cargo plane and an alternative engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. But critics say Gates has his own recipe for new spending, a Quadrennial Defense Review that calls for ambitious new missions America can’t afford. If Iraq and Afghanistan wind down as expected, will defense spending increase anyway? What about getting the deficit under control?
White House budget proposal slashes and burns President Trump's first budget request is considered dead on arrival in Congress — a familiar development in Capitol Hill. We hear what it reveals about the priorities of the new administration. What's likely to die… and what might survive?
Trump's 'America First' goes missing abroad In the Middle East, President Trump is changing some policies of the Obama Administration—and reversing his own campaign attacks on Islam as a religion that "hates us." We hear about his visit to Saudi Arabia and what's at stake for the rest of his foreign excursion.
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?
Janesville and the American Dream Janesville, Wisconsin is the hometown of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. But he couldn’t prevent the closing of the General Motors factory after 100 years. On this Memorial Day rebroadcast of To the Point, we hear what’s happened to what once was a model of American middle-class unity.