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Close Embassies, Buy More Ammo
By Amb. Patrick N. Theros
By Amb. Patrick N. Theros
March 15, 2017
The
full quote from Secretary of Defense James Mattis reads “If State
Department funding gets cut I need to buy more ammo.” This might appear
counterintuitive coming from a guy whom President Trump appointed
because they call him “Mad Dog.”
However,
another 121 retired generals and admirals signed a letter that supported
Secretary Mattis and noted that State and related agencies “lead the
fight against terrorism on the battlefield, [the military] “needs strong
partners to combat issues that drive extremism, including insecurity,
injustice, hopelessness, and lack of opportunity.”
This
followed the Trump White House announcement of a proposed defense
budget that increases spending by 10% ($54 billion) and took the cut
from domestic agencies, especially, State Department operations and
foreign assistance.
Steve Bannon and his
hypernationalist colleagues in the White House see themselves as grand
strategists; they are in fact little kids playing soldier. They believe
overwhelming military power resolves all problems. They have contempt
for diplomatic professionals and soft power.
They
know the American public has long been conditioned to believe that a
huge foreign assistance budget has pauperized America for the benefit of
foreigners. Therefore, Mr. Bannon and company see no political cost to
cutting foreign aid.
The popular ignorance is
real and extends to virtually all levels of society. In 1994, I spoke to
the Foreign Affairs Association in a major Midwestern city. My
audience was incensed that my office had a $50,000 dollar program
training foreign police to protect airlines (never mind they might fly
on one of them).https://www.thenationalherald.com/154538/close-embassies-buy-ammo/
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