“ Let’s be candid: can a Western-flavored rules-based international order led by the United States be revived? It seems really, really doubtful.”
Yes, but it takes will. We are spending the lowest on defense as a share of GDP since before WWII. If we cut back elsewhere in the government (do those other departments actually do anything?) we could double the defense budget, double the size of our Navy (if the demand is there, industry will follow and we won’t hear about the “hollowed-out industrial base”) and return to an era of American hegemony. A hegemony isn’t an empire, but instead dominance of the high-seas and an ability to ensure our interests are secure around the globe. As a side benefit the world enjoys free trade.
“ At home, we’re beset with a military recruiting crisis.”
1. Because we don’t pay enough
2. Because we have an obesity crisis and a good chunk of potential recruits can’t pass basic fitness tests
3. Because our military is anal about disqualifying people on the basis of imaginary health conditions (see Luther Abel’s discussion of this in National Review, although had my own experience with this on the civilian side of things)
All of these problems are solvable.
“ Bear all this in mind as 2024 continues to unfold. For the sake of your ability to sleep at night, though, you may not want to spend too much time envisioning the lay of the land on December 31.”
In the 1970s or the 1930s it looked even worse for America and things turned out alright in the end.
“ Let’s be candid: can a Western-flavored rules-based international order led by the United States be revived? It seems really, really doubtful.”
Yes, but it takes will. We are spending the lowest on defense as a share of GDP since before WWII. If we cut back elsewhere in the government (do those other departments actually do anything?) we could double the defense budget, double the size of our Navy (if the demand is there, industry will follow and we won’t hear about the “hollowed-out industrial base”) and return to an era of American hegemony. A hegemony isn’t an empire, but instead dominance of the high-seas and an ability to ensure our interests are secure around the globe. As a side benefit the world enjoys free trade.
“ At home, we’re beset with a military recruiting crisis.”
1. Because we don’t pay enough
2. Because we have an obesity crisis and a good chunk of potential recruits can’t pass basic fitness tests
3. Because our military is anal about disqualifying people on the basis of imaginary health conditions (see Luther Abel’s discussion of this in National Review, although had my own experience with this on the civilian side of things)
All of these problems are solvable.
“ Bear all this in mind as 2024 continues to unfold. For the sake of your ability to sleep at night, though, you may not want to spend too much time envisioning the lay of the land on December 31.”
In the 1970s or the 1930s it looked even worse for America and things turned out alright in the end.