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elleng

(130,156 posts)
Sun Jun 21, 2015, 02:41 PM Jun 2015

Book review: 'Don't Wait for the Next War,' by Gen. (Ret.) Wesley Clark

Voices of reason are few and far between in these days of 24/7 shock news headlines, polarizing talking heads and a fractured and ineffective Congress. With his most recent book, “Don’t Wait for the Next War: A Strategy for American Growth and Global Leadership,” Gen. (Ret.) Wesley Clark speaks truth to power, backed by strong credentials and the weight of a diverse and illustrious career behind him.

He has seen, firsthand, parts of the world where the balance between the strong versus the weak has determined the future of a nation. In conflicts where a solution has seemed unattainable — in Haiti, for example, and most notably in Kosovo, where he served as NATO supreme commander, Clark has had his boots on the ground and in the thick of things, and he knows that knee-jerk responses are never constructive. Reasoned responses with a consistent stance are important for the United States as it moves forward in this hyper-connected world.

World economies are more intertwined than ever, and Clark argues that America needs to go beyond the outdated notion that strategy is only a military concept. War can no longer be the fuel that drives the nation into the future. He asks, “At this crucial pivot point, how can the United States find its role in the world without the galvanizing focus of the next war?” That question is what he endeavors to answer in his highly engaging and fascinating book. . .

Clark gives examples of how the long-established strategy planning for the next potential war has become a huge moneymaker; an entirely new market has emerged and has proved to be very lucrative, and the overlaps between military and commercial industry became entrenched. With the neocon focus that personified 9/11 era politics, Clark watched with dismay from the sidelines as a shift occurred in how America put itself out into the world.

With this fundamental shift, “American forces would no longer be used just as a deterrent, but offensively to reshape the Middle East.” Pandora’s Box was about to be opened, with the prevailing idea shaping up to be an upending of the chess board before the perceived opponent could make the next move. Clark spoke out against the Iraq invasion, not seeing any viable reason to make it necessary. . .

The approach now needs to be less myopic, and we need to back up and look at the big picture — the whole forest, not just the trees. Clark suggests that we need a new approach, a “qualitative” shift. He proceeds to put forth several areas where the anchor of a comprehensive strategy can be best secured. Being decisive and aggressive on cyber security, shoring up the U.S financial system, rethinking our approach to combatting the most sophisticated terrorist networks, building a functioning relationship with China and, finally, seriously tackling the overarching issue of climate change.

Clark says that we have reached an “inflection point,” a pivotal moment when something major — either good or bad — is poised to occur. This is the opportunity for the United States to decide how we are going to move into this new, more globally connected world, away from superpower isolationism and conceit. Being a true global leader means creating a “grand strategy,” understanding that the planet is facing unprecedented challenges. Clark is clearly a firm believer in Martin Luther King’s powerful plea to the world and the nation to heed the “fierce urgency of now.”

http://www.summitdaily.com/news/16897426-113/book-review-dont-wait-for-the-next-war


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Book review: 'Don't Wait for the Next War,' by Gen. (Ret.) Wesley Clark (Original Post) elleng Jun 2015 OP
Clark is one of the few general officers who is a Democrat. I was hoping he would run Cal33 Jun 2015 #1
He DID run, elleng Jun 2015 #2
Yes, now that you mentioned it, I do remember. My age is showing. :) Cal33 Jun 2015 #3
 

Cal33

(7,018 posts)
1. Clark is one of the few general officers who is a Democrat. I was hoping he would run
Sun Jun 21, 2015, 03:40 PM
Jun 2015

for the presidency once.

elleng

(130,156 posts)
2. He DID run,
Sun Jun 21, 2015, 03:51 PM
Jun 2015

I supported him then and I support him now.

'A "Draft Clark" campaign began to grow with the launch of DraftWesleyClark.com on April 10, 2003.[7] DraftWesleyClark signed up tens of thousands of volunteers, made 150 media appearances discussing Clark, and raised $1.5 million in pledges for his campaign. DraftClark2004.com, another website in support of drafting Clark, was the first organization to register as a political action committee in June 2003 to persuade Clark to run. They had earlier presented him with 1000 emails in May 2003 from throughout the country asking Clark to run. One of DraftClark2004's founders, Brent Blackaby, said of the draft effort: "Just fifty-two years ago citizens from all over the country were successful in their efforts to draft General Eisenhower. We intend to do the same in 2004 by drafting General Clark. If he runs, he wins."[8][9]'

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wesley_Clark_presidential_campaign,_2004

The Clark campaign had an organization in about a dozen states, and he won the February 3, 2004 Oklahoma.

http://www.gwu.edu/~action/2004/clark.html

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