WAGGING.

WAGGING. Brad Plumer writes:

If the United States government had a bigger Army at its disposal, it would view the military as the solution to an even greater number of foreign policy problems. As Madeline Albright once asked Colin Powell, "What's the point in having this superb military you are always talking about if we can't use it?" That's some serious tail-wagging-the-dog action there. Why bother seeking out a non-military solution in this or that little corner of the world when we can always send in a couple thousand troops?

I'm reluctant to accept this argument. The oft-cited Albright quote is taken out of context; Albright was complaining about the reluctance of the Pentagon to come up with any plan for the use of force that wouldn't result in an impractically large operation. More generally, I just don't care for the argument that we ought to structure our military around the fear that a government will use it unwisely rather than around a careful analysis of national values and interest. As an empirical question, I'm not sure there are any good examples of "wagging" in the sense that having military capabilities caused a state to eschew a better diplomatic option in anything but the most obvious sense. The development of military capabilities follows aggressive intent, not the other way around.On the other hand, there are cases in which the tactical characteristics of particular weapons create strategic concerns. Examples include early steam warships (necessitated the need for coaling stations), oil-fired battleships (needed Middle Eastern oil), strategic bombers, and ballistic missiles (the ranges of both of which determine basing needs). The street does go two ways. Also, while commitment to a progressive vision of government includes the belief that governments should have the tools to do the things they need to do (thus implying that military structure should follow interest, rather than limit it), there are obviously some capabilities that I would rather government not have out of fear that they might be used. So, it's a complex and interesting question. I suspect, in the end, that the larger Army will not substantially outlast the end of the Iraq war.

--Robert Farley