Collins, John (2011) A shake-up at defense. International Affairs at LSE (29 Apr 2011). Website.
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Abstract
To many observers the President’s nomination of Leon Panetta (an archetypal Washington Insider) to replace Robert Gates at DOD, and the shuffling of David Petraeus to the CIA represent business as usual. Or, in the words of Stephen Walt: ‘rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.’ I believe this view vastly understates the significance of the change that has just occurred. Sure, to those critics arguing for a more minimalist foreign policy (Walt becoming something of a standard-bearer for this view of late), anything which doesn’t bluntly hack at what they perceive as Washington’s imperialist foreign policy machine will seem inadequate. But in terms of President Obama’s own ostensible aim of realigning American military commitments to a post-hyperpower environment, this can be viewed as his most proactive step so far.
| Item Type: | Online resource (Website) |
|---|---|
| Official URL: | http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/ideas/ |
| Additional Information: | © 2011 The Author(s) |
| Divisions: | LSE |
| Subjects: | J Political Science > JA Political science (General) J Political Science > JK Political institutions (United States) |
| Date Deposited: | 03 Jul 2017 07:43 |
| Last Modified: | 15 Sep 2023 18:25 |
| URI: | http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/83007 |
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