Showing posts with label Projection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Projection. Show all posts

July 21, 2016

A New Diplomacy In Town

A wonderful colleague sent me this really impressive photo.

This was one of my favorite of 3 aircraft carrier strike groups taken together (Abraham Lincoln, Kitty Hawk, and Ronald Reagan)--the 1st and the 3rd of which are Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarriers. 

According to the slides, there were literally 4 four nuclear submarines standing guard in the waters beneath, as well as a B-2 stealth bomber flying overhead.  

What I really liked the most though wasn't even the photos, but rather the motto for the carriers of:

"Over 90,000 tons of diplomacy...wherever... whenever..."

Diplomacy can be listening, negotiating, and compromise, but it can also be through the projection of the ultimate national and human strength. 

With a staggering rise in global terrorism, militaristic adventurism, and the proliferation of dangerous weapons of mass destruction, perhaps it's time to harden up on some of the soft power, and demonstrate as well the very credible hard power and resolve we have for protecting American lives, freedom, and human rights. ;-)

(Source Photo: here)

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October 29, 2014

"Chickenshit"?

Wow, what type of politician calls the Prime Minister of Israel, our "Major Strategic Partner," with an "unshakable bond," a "Chickensh*t"?

Yes, it's in the Washington Examiner today. 


Forget about being completely rude and disrespectful--how utterly impolitic!


Sinking to new political lows globally with our friends and allies--while the ratings sink (and sink) to new lows for these politicians. 


Imagine, Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu defends his nation by putting real boots on the ground in Hamas-run Gaza for the 50-days of fighting rocket barrages and terror tunnels, and builds apartments in Jerusalem, the Capital of Israel--Sorry, that is not Chickensh*t.


While domestically, we have been seen as in full global retreat, abandoning our bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, carpet bombing from the air in Syria and not punishing chemical weapons use (remember the "red line"), leaving key portions of Ukraine in the hands of Russia, seeking to forge WMD-losing deals with the devils in Iran, and watching the situation deteriorate as we "Pivot East" to Asia, and as we all know, much more. 


- Finanically--we can't balance a budget,

- Ebola Epidemic--we can't put together a sensible quarantine policy (while the States fill the void)
Imigration--we can't muster a realistic bill
Veterans--the scandal of not caring for our veterans is still scathing.

And the list goes on, virtually without end. 


Horrible name-calling and snubbing leaders on the world stage, let alone of our best allies and friends, is not only politically immature, but morally disgraceful--but psychological projection is a very real possibility.


(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

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