Here’s an interesting read – it’s a web reprint of an Esquire article by Thomas Barnett, one of the strategic advisers to the US Secretary of Defence amongst others. It’s interesting because it’s a chance to see what the US military actually think they’re doing these days.

Basically, his thesis is that there are a group of ‘Core’ countries that subscribe to a certain set of ideas, including free trade, globalisation, etc, that allow their citizens to feel reasonably safe and secure and that create wealth for those ‘Core’ countries. Contrast these with the ‘Gap’ countries, where for whatever reason, the countries are not adopting measures to become part of the global community. Included in this is most of Central Africa and the middle east, and also most of South-East Asia. It’s from these countries that the threat of the ‘Super Empowered Individual’ [sic] comes, and it’s these countries that need US and Western intervention.

As I said, it’s very interesting to read, in broad strokes at least, what the US thinks it’s doing. Also interesting is the tone and frankness of the text – including such gems as

The Middle East has long been a neighborhood of bullies eager to pick on the weak.? Israel is still around because it has become – sadly – one of the toughest bullies on the block.

Although I don’t really agree with the conclusions, it’s nice to see that at least some people in the US military aren’t just out to try out all their funky new toys.

The thing that I find really interesting is when you combine that article with this missive from John Perry Barlow, Grateful Dead member and founder of the EFF. He tells how he worked with Rumsfeld and against him in the past, and how he thinks that the ultimate US plan is the creation of a Pax Americana, where the peace is kept by the threat of overwhelming force on the part of the Americans, the de facto rulers of the Earth.

The scary part about this plan is that one has to ask ‘Would it really be so bad?’ Yeah sure, the US would impose its values on everyone, but the majority of the world might actually be able to spend their lives something like we do. I must emphasize that I don’t think it’s a good idea, but I can see that others who don’t have my distrust of authority might think it was the only way. At the very least, it’s something to consider.