Korean Job Discussion Forums

[T-J]

In case you don't know about him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3xlb6_0OEs

While not in complete agreement, I think he brings up some ideas that are worth serious consideration for the following reasons,

1. What we've been doing isn't working.
2. Isolation / non-involvement is not a viable option.
3. We don't have unlimited resources to engage / aid every country in need.

This may have been discussed in another thread, but Dave's search function is what it is.

I'm interested to hear some dissenting opinions out there for me to chew on.

[comm]

[Nowhere Man]

Definitely interesting. Thanks for that.

What I didn't like was the underlying hawkishness. He seemed to be implying that we can just take out NK (as long as we have "sys admin" to deal with the after effects). I think that's a bit too simplistic.

On the other hand, I loved a lot.

A) The Leviathan force separation. Yes. IMO, even the brass behave like 19-year-olds. That's why it's taken so long to get gays accepted.

B) The National Guard should be like the Coast Guard in that you don't get shipped off to foreign misadventures.

C)We, of course, have the peace corps, but it isn't the same as what he's talking about. I take issue with the idea that this new branch must be a part of the military. If I were in Iraq as a member of such an entity, I don't think being associated with the military would be beneficial (even if it involved extensive contact with them). That said, people trained in peace/conflict resolution would potentially have a new importance, which I think is great.

D) We seem to be quite good at projecting military influence in other regions but not very good at diplomatic influence. This is especially relevant to English teaching. The British Council, as an entity, does not have a similar counterpart in the US. We have USAID, but it's a highly irregular entity. What I specifically mean is that, beyond an embassy (especially since ours often look like fortresses), the Brits have an extended diplomatic wing to promote culture and be approachable. In other words, If I'm interested in the US, I can't exactly roll into the US embassy and try to learn more. I'd instead be frisked and asked why the heck I'm there.

E) That's where I see this "sys admin" division naturally being located. Like the British Council, Alliance Francaise, the Goethe Institute and the Cervantes Institute. From here, you can draw people who are interested in the local culture and are likely the best qualified for this kind of "mission".

[Steelrails]

I think Barnett's greatest value is in getting your mind churning. I've been following him since 2005 when I saw his C-Span briefing and read the Pentagon's New Map. His latest book 'Great Powers' is also a great read. Accessible, yet insightful. I think that's what makes him so appealing. He doesn't fill his briefings with jargon.

Among his gems-
New Rules Sets. Especially comparing 9/11 to the Asian Flu (economic) and Bird Flu (health)

Core vs. Gap

Understanding of how the budget works in the DoD

If you get a chance go to c-span.org and search for him in the videos section. There's quite a few good ones, including a (gasp!) non-powerpoint lecture for BookTV.