The Pentagon's New Map: War and Peace in the 21st Century by Thomas Barnett.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...885060-4059918
This looks like an interesting read and I am wondering if any of you have heard of this book or its author. Barnett is a senior strategic researcher and professor at the U.S. Naval War College.
I picked this up the other day when I went back for Plaster's
Secret Commando's but I have yet to read it.
Basically he says the U.S. is the major exporter of security, and that the world is defined by those who are connected politically and economically ("Functioning Core") and those who are not ("Non-integrating Gap.")
The non-integrating gap includes the Middle East, the Balkans, Central Africa, Southeast Asia and the Andean region.
Since I am not very good at reviewing books, and have yet to read this one, here is what another review had to say:
Quote:
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But the main thrust of Barnett's argument-the switch-is the idea that the military must stop fighting wars "within the context of war" and begin fighting wars "within the context of everything else"; that is, in the context of civilian life. Barnett does well the make this phrase awkward; if it were easier to say, demagogues would tear it apart as a new incarnation of "nation building". "War in the context of everything else" is actually more ambitious than nation building. It basically requires dividing the military into two distinct parts. Army #1 would be the traditional force, made up of a few large, expensive pieces of super high-tech equipment, similar to our current force. In a war, it would go in first, guns a-blazing, and kill most of the bad guys, along with a few others. Army #2 would look like a hybrid of the Coast Guard and the Peace Corps on steroids. It would employ a large number of small, inexpensive pieces (e.g. lots of ships resembling Coast Guard cutters), as well as police forces and other civilian-style personnel units. It would follow Army #1, and basically show those bush league natives how it's done in the Show.
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Quote:
Barnett's reasoning instead subordinates war to market forces. He presents four crucial entities whose flow dominates the current process of Globalization: security, people, energy, and investment.
Security: In Barnett's scheme, the U.S. military is merely the most important exporter of security based upon global demand for its services. Indeed, considered on a global scale, the U.S. military is the only viable exporter of these services. Everything else depends on America's global security guarantee.
People: The population in the Core is aging rapidly, meaning that Core countries will require a huge influx of younger people to maintain enough of a workforce to keep pension systems afloat. These young people will all come from Gap countries, but this emigration will be politically unpalatable unless security is assured.
Energy: China and India are growing at phenomenal rates economically. They will consume huge amounts of Mideast oil and gas, possibly becoming more dependent on them than the United States. I need not mention how essential security is in this regard.
Investment: Gap countries will require a safe business environment if they are to attract the immense amount of capital required to raise living standards. Improved living standards are, of course, the only true guarantor of long-term security.
And what if we don't do what Barnett says? In 2050, Grandma won't be able to afford the gas required to go pick up her medicines, which is just as well, since the bankrupt Medicare system won't be able to pay for them. This assumes that she is lucky enough to have a doctor when there are only a few workers for every pensioner. Meanwhile, a perfectly well trained doctor in Gappistan will not be able to emigrate to the U.S. because Gappistan is a disease ridden, terrorist infested dump. He will, of course, be unemployed, since Gappistan lacks the capital to build hospitals.
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Just curious if anyone has read the book or heard of the author.
Sigi.
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