Read from the first chapter of The Opportunity. "Real World Order" is the New York Times review of the book. It is a question of "when" and not "if" the United States will suffer from another major act of terrorism, possibly one involving a weapon of mass destruction. With the possible exception of ten days in October 1962 when the United States and the Soviet Union nearly came to war over the introduction of Soviet missiles into Cuba, Americans and their country have never felt more insecure.
Have you read Apocalypse Soon, by Robert McNamara, in the latest issue of Foreign Policy? (I know a few of you have.) Despite difficulties, this is a moment of rare opportunity for the United States and for the world. The United States, working with the governments of the other major powers, can still shape the course of the twenty-first century and bring about a world that is to a striking degree characterized by peace, prosperity, and freedom for most of the globes countries and peoples. Opportunity, though, is just that. It could be a long boom. Or it could turn out to be an era of gradual decay, an incipient modern Dark Ages.
The Long Boom: A History of the Future, 1980 - 2020
From Dawn To Decadence, by Jacques BarzunThe 2002 National Security Strategy stated: "Today, the international community has the best chance since the rise of the nation-state in the seventeenth century to build a world where great powers compete in peace instead of continually prepare for war." It is difficult to exaggerate the significance of this development.
The End Of History?, by Francis Fukuyama And now for a brief diversion:
Countdown to a Meltdown (excerpt) In a new article in the Atlantic Monthly magazine, writer James Fallows examines America's economic strength and stability from the vantage point of the year 2016.
Back to Haass: Worldwide drug trafficking meets and fuels American demand (and is indirectly responsible for a significant portion of our crime).
Do you read about The Lure of Opium Wealth? ... [ Read More (0.4k in body) ] | 
