tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321349.post110357776327604482..comments2024-03-18T22:21:33.261-07:00Comments on The Debate Link: For Every Action, There is an Equal and Opposite US InactionDavid Schraubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04946653376744012423noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321349.post-1103599584680094762004-12-20T19:26:00.000-08:002004-12-20T19:26:00.000-08:00Soft power is neither here nor there. The problems...Soft power is neither here nor there. The problems in Sudan and Congo are sufficiently horrid to need a solution NOW. The continued existence of genocidal violence and internal oppression means that voluntary change is not a solution. Saying that the US will "use soft power" is bad because it binds the US to a solution which is unlikely to have any meaningful effect at all, much less in the short amount of time we have to prevent these atrocities. In the mean time, trying to solve problems in Sudan and Congo through soft power implies that the US will not be using force, preventing the realization of an actual solution. I think it's self-evident that the US is capable of mitigating or stopping conflicts by using force, but, as expected, this requires the use of force. Coercive power is not appropriate in every situation, but for now I'm willing to take the ad-hoc position that Sudan has clearly crossed the threshold for military intervention. I think that intervention in Sudan could be defended more convincingly (on grounds of genocides, mass rapes, planned famines etc.) but I think it's superfluous. Sudan presents one of the foremost cases of human rights violations today, and we need to stop it. Because of the magnitude of continuing violence in Sudan, and the possibility of war with an already unstable DRC, the situation needs to be resolved quickly, almost certainly through hard power. In the long term, foreign aid could serve as a stabilizing force, but looking at the short term is important to ensure that we GET to long term plans. To that end, the US needs to be willing to use coercive power<br /><br /><br />Of course, the article right below the Sudan/Congo article in the WP from a few days ago ("UN Sexual Abuse Alleged in Congo") deserves mention too. Somehow, abuses seem to be inherent to the way that military and peacekeeping forces work. Accountability and the open access to more information might go a long way towards making the US/UN effective as occupying powers.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03445497103630902861noreply@blogger.com