PDF Why Nation-Building Matters: Political Consolidation, Building Security Forces, and Economic Development in Failed and Fragile States

Read online Why Nation-Building Matters: Political Consolidation, Building Security Forces, and Economic Development in Failed and Fragile States.pdf PDF, EPUB, MOBI, TXT, DOC Why Nation-Building Matters: Political Consolidation, Building Security Forces, and Economic Development in Failed and Fragile States Speaking from over thirty years experience in the Foreign Service, US Special Forces and even as a missionary, Keith Mines tries to help us see what is wrong with the current US framework for post-conflict stabilization and offer solutions. Partly because we’re stuck in a WWII mindset, partly because the American public quickly loses interest in wars, the United States struggles to establish sound, democratic societies after intervention which can uphold peace, security and prosperity. In WWII, the entire nation mobilized to assure victory. That doesn’t happen anymore. The US has an all-volunteer military now and the public can track war progress via the internet, TV and other electronic means, the same way they track to progress of their teams in a March Madness bracket. In the same way, the American public wants quick progress towards resolution to overseas conflicts.Much of this work reads like a memoir—Mines’ extensive resume is impressive—outlining several US military interventions in the post-Vietnam era, with special emphasis on Afghanistan and Iraq after the September 11th attacks. His critical insights should be essential reading for diplomats and military commanders alike. Of most importance, today’s conflicts are closer to marathons than sprints when it comes to gauging when US combat troops and support personnel can depart. The US must stay engaged for the long haul and in today’s political climate, that is the most difficult challenge to nation-building.The key points are summarized well in the epilogue. This outstanding work needs to be required reading at US embassies overseas—especially those in conflict-prone areas.In Mines’ own words, this is why the US struggles: “Much of the inherent support for military power goes back to the place of the Second World War in the American psyche, an unthinkably difficult success that required the total mobilization of America’s citizens and resources. The exhilaration of this victory, however, left the United States unprepared for most of what would follow. From 1945 on, the country would try desperately to plug all its wars into a World War II framework of total victory and total defeat. Few of them fit. In the future it is possible this model will have little relevance at all by Keith W. Mines