World Politics News   Articles for World Politics Course

General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, did not rule out the possibility of sending more American soldiers into the fight against the Islamic State (IS), but ruled out a significant “combat” role for those soldiers.   The US is threading a fine needle, trying to maximize the intensity of force it can bring to bear against IS without incurring large casualties  in the fight.   Dempsey also revealed that the US would be training 5,000 Syrian fighters in Saudi Arabia to fight in the rebellion against Syrian President Assad.  Since President Obama’s speech last Wednesday, there has been a flurry of ideas floated about how to confront the Islamic State, but one cannot help but think that the Administration is flailing around trying to develop a strategy designed to assuage American fears of a terrorist attack against the American homeland–a threat that hardly seems credible at this point in time.

US President Obama has ordered 3,000 American troops into Liberia to help contain the Ebola virus outbreak in the region.   The decision comes as Doctors Without Borders estimates that the number of infected cases may reach 20,000, a level that would be virtually impossible to contain.  The troops would be used to set up hospitals and other medical infrastructures necessary to care for the sick, but not necessarily to enforce quarantines which have turned out to be counterproductive.  It is safe to say that even this commitment falls far short of what is necessary to address the crisis in West Africa, and we should pressure other governments to make similar commitments.

Henry Kissinger was one of America’s premier realist thinkers, and he served not only as an academic, but as a public servant for many years.   I have never been comfortable with Kissinger’s policies, but I have a tremendous respect for his intellect and his ability to articulate complex matters in intelligent and comprehensible ways.  His newest book, World Order, has been critically reviewed by many, and  Amitai Etzioni’s (hardly a fan of Kissinger) review is definitely worth a read.