Bush and Gates on the

Bush and Gates on the U.S. National Defense Policy 1. Implicit to the speech that Secretary of Defense Robert Gates would deliver before the annual meeting of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Singapore is the understanding that post-cold war conditions, patterns of globalization and strife in developing nations have produced a new type of conflict.

The Secretary addresses at one moment in his speech the notion that in many ways, defense and security strategies are still in a state of evolution subsequent to the end of the Cold War and its considerable fallout. It is thus the United States has pursued a new mode of engaging partners in the global community that functions simultaneously on the strength of regional diplomatic alliances and unilateral military alliances.

This emphasis on promoting a dual strategy of engagement, which is also in no small way impacted by trade relationships as demonstrated by the focus on such partners as China and India, underscores this new defense strategy which might counterbalance outmoded military orientation. As Gates contends, the events of the last decade both in terms of trade developments and military conflicts, have precipitated "a shift that reflects new thinking in overall U.S. defense strategy. We are building partner-nation capacity so friends can better defense themselves.

While preserving all our conventional military deterrence abilities as traditionally understood, we have become more attentive to both 'hard' and 'soft' elements of national power, where military, diplomatic, economic, cultural and humanitarian elements fold into one another." (Gates, 5) This is to suggest that by managing individual relationships such that key partners are strengthened by U.S. economic and military interest, these partners may become better allies in preemptively eliminating threats which might come to fruition on American soil. 2.

As a matter of philosophical grounding, the Gates speech cites a number of the core principles which tie together America's strategies of global trade liberalization and military engagement. This is particularly evident in consideration of the U.S. National Strategy for Public Diplomacy and Strategic Communication, which sites as its primary three objectives a commitment to human rights; a focus on reaching out to those with shared ideals; and to support the struggle for democracy. Frequent references to the engagement of U.S.

forces in Iraq and Afghanistan underscore the last of these three commitments, demonstrating the willingness of the U.S. to commit its forces to the global fight for democratic governance. And in addressing the American concern over the struggle for human rights, dignity and freedom in Burma, Gates indicates that the U.S. has committed significant aid in spite of the obstacles posed by civil strife there.

The conference as a whole would also speak from the point of view that the parties there gathered has been assembled based on their shared vision for an economically and diplomatically stable Asian Pacific region. 3. During the previous administration of George W. Bush, the primary strategy for U.S. engagement of partners revolved on the conditions provoked by the War on Terror.

This is evident in the ends, ways and means of addressing the situation in Somalia, where Bush cites as the primary priority for all partners involved to end war. Indeed, the intended ends of the strategy are the transformation of Somalia into a peaceful democracy. The ways proposed have seen the formulation of a regional alliance helmed by the United States, which such partners as Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Yemen have come together to assist Somalia in extracting the cause of its conflict.

To the perception of the Bush administration, this cause is the presence of terrorism, with the means of strategy implementation centering on the need to "eliminate the terrorist threat and promote political stability by supporting the establishment of a functioning central government." (Bush, 7) 4. The strategy described above voices many of the priorities which are commonly applied throughout the U.S. National Security Strategy, as illustrated by a review of the essential tasks promoted by the 2006 report thereupon.

Here, the emphasis is on cooperative measures such as the creation of strategic regional alliances and collaborative military efforts aimed as targets such as terrorism, the development of WMD and impediments to the process of globalization. The Bush speech addresses a regional organization assembled with these very principles at its core.

Indeed, the policy promoted by Bush indicates that "broad-based dialogue that will lead to reconciliation and a political consensus is crucial if Somalia is to achieve a sustainable solution to this long-running conflict." (8) This is a clear statement of intent with respect to the invocation of support from parties outside of.