Suchergebnisse

Discusses US plans to retire its space shuttle fleet for the US. At issue is what might happen to US standing during the gap between the last shuttle flight & the first launch of the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle of the Constellation program, which will not be until at least 2015. During this gap, it is asserted that the US will outsource its space operations, probably to Russia. Attention is given to the current space program costs, the space program's national security/counterterrorism dimensions, China's engagement with space technology, the prospect of relying on Russia to meet US space operational needs, & President Barack Obama's space policy. While an argument might be made to shift space operations to the US military, under Obama, this is seen as unlikely. What all this means in a period of declinism is touched on in closing. D. Edelman

Argues that the US military represents a force for good in the world in relation to defending freedom & deterring its enemies. Post WWII Germany & Japan are cited as examples of successful US attempts to turn battlefield victories into democratic nations. Attention is given to the sometimes imperfect but ultimately important actions of the US military during & after the Cold War & recently in Afghanistan. The current war in Iraq is examined to contend that, in spite of persistent attacks by reactionaries, the Iraqi people are fighting to lay the foundations for a free, democratic government & the US is aiding the process. It is argued that critics who question Iraq's capacity for democracy are guilty of cultural prejudice that belies the history of places once considered incapable of representative government like India & many Eastern European nations. Although the efforts of non-government organizations & diplomats are important, it is emphasized that "the process of democratization often begins with the force of arms.". J. Lindroth