Defense and National Security 
Recommended
Leaving Afghanistan Moves Beyond Left vs. Right
Malou Innocent, Cato foreign policy analyst, discusses the bipartisan movement to get the United States' spending under control, starting with our overseas commitments, and in Afghanistan specifically. "Concern has begun to escalate among lawmakers of both parties that this prolonged military adventure is weakening the country militarily and economically," Innocent says. Political and ideological motivations are definitely at play, as those on the left want the money currently being spent on Afghanistan to be used for spending projects at home and those on the right want the money left unspent and in the hands of tax payers, but one thing is clear: both sides of the aisle are getting serious about the need to reign in foreign engagements.
DC Forum for Freedom
Cato On Campus is proud to announce that the DC Forum for Freedom will be partnering with a group of students from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark for this month's student forum and reception. Christopher Preble, Cato's Director of Foreign Policy Studies, and Juan Carlos Hidalgo, of Cato's Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, will be addressing the topic: An Effective State is a Limited State: Why Ending the War on Drugs and the War on Terror is a Good Step. We hope you'll plan to join us (in person or online) at Cato for this exciting and uniquely international event!
For a full event description and to register for the event, please click here.
The DC Forum For Freedom is the united effort of DC-area students to champion liberty. Forums are held monthly at the Cato Institute, and are broadcast with a live discussion board online. They serve as an opportunity to hear from preeminent liberty-oriented scholars, and engage in discussions tailored to the student audience. Each event is followed by a reception, at which the dialogue continues as scholars mingle with students and discuss ideas and opportunities.
Who's Your Daddy, America?
Cato vice president Gene Healy, author of Cult of the Presidency, notes that "While security should be important to President Obama, nobody should think of him as America's father-protector." Following terrorist attacks and looming threats, many Americans have fallen prey to placing disproportionate authority into presidents’ hands. Healy argues that approach is not only dangerous but also conflicts with America's core value of liberty. "We live in an open society of 300 million people, and you can't eliminate risk without striking at that openness." Healy reminds that we can't have cake and eat it too, nor can should we entrust the decision making of the optimal policy balance entirely to the President.
Obama's Nation Building Efforts
Cato Defense and Foreign Policy scholars Christopher Preble and Ted Galen Carpenter weigh in with brief statements on President Obama's decision to increase the troop base in Afghanistan. Regarding the exit strategy, Carpenter notes, "Since Obama has repeatedly asserted that the war in Afghanistan is a war of necessity, not a war of choice, his talk of off ramps is largely a bluff--and the Afghans probably know it." And addressing the President's commitment to ramp up troop levels, Preble asserts, "This likely won't be the last prime-time address in which President Obama proposes sending many more troops to Afghanistan."
U.S. Standing in the World
Recent studies show that improvements in international perception of the U.S. aid the government's policy aims. However, fostering such perception can at times run contrary to domestic interest. Cato foreign policy scholar Christopher Preble addresses how this issue applies to U.S. overseas interventions, analyzing several studies and articles. Regarding the resolution of this conflict of domestic vs. foreign interest in U.S. policies, Preble concludes that, "most importantly, we could reestablish our international reputation by keeping our promises, and that would begin by not making promises that we can’t — and have no intention to — keep."
Upcoming Event: Cato Scholar Discusses New Book
Cato scholar and forein policy expert Christopher A. Preble will be discussing his book, The Power Problem: How American Military Dominance Makes Us Less Safe, Less Prosperous, and Less Free, at an event hosted by the American Conservative Defense Alliance on Wednesday, July 15, 2009. His book tour will continue throughout DC over the coming months; stay tuned for updates on these exciting opportunities!
Benjamin Friedman: Forum on Defense Reform
Who: Benjamin Friedman What: Moderating a Forum on Defense Reform Where: Winslow Wheeler of the Center for Defense Information Description: This forum will include writer Doug Macgregor, former US Army Col. Danielle Brian of POGO, and Tom Ricks. The forum will address the role of the Pentagon in the past, the present, and the future.
Be Wary of Using Military as Police
Cato Vice President, Gene Healy, and Research Fellow in Defense and Homeland Security Studies, Benjamin Friedman, discuss the implications of the Pentagon assigning "active-duty troops to a homeland defense mission" for the first time ever in U.S. history.