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Why don't advocates of restraint propose concrete alternatives? It's a criticism with some merit, but one that becomes less true every year.
It's also something I've spent the last five years @catofp trying to rebut.
A few examples:
1/
It's also something I've spent the last five years @catofp trying to rebut.
A few examples:
1/
Here's our 2016 election booklet, with actionable proposals for policymakers for every region of the world! A bit out of date now, but clearly full of concrete proposals. 2/ https://www.cato.org/publications/white-paper/our-foreign-policy-choices-rethinking-americas-global-role
Here's my chapter from Strategic Studies Quarterly, about the logics and logistics of a U.S. drawdown in the Middle East: 3/
https://www.jstor.org/stable/26333880?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
https://www.jstor.org/stable/26333880?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
This CNAS project has chapters from myself, @shifrinson, and @CastilloJasen, each of which has some concrete specifics about where America should refocus its attention. 4/ https://www.cnas.org/publications/reports/new-voices-in-grand-strategy
If your complaint is that there's not enough nitty-gritty on military deployments and force posture, my colleagues @EricGomezAsia @LaurenESander @drbvaler @capreble have you covered: 5/ https://www.cato.org/publications/white-paper/building-modern-military-force-meets-geopolitical-realities
Cato scholars have also proposed their defense budget visions in comparison with other approaches, such as in this great project from CSBA: 6/ https://csbaonline.org/research/publications/how-much-is-enough-alternative-defense-strategies
Are you interested in nuclear policy? Do we have a report for you! Nuclear crossroads looks at novel ways to improve and make America's nuclear deterrent more cost-effective. 7/ https://research.cato.org/americas-nuclear-crossroads
If we're talking about specific regions of the world, here's my take via Foreign Affairs on specific policies that we could use to attempt to improve our relationship with Russia, and more effectively deter them: 8/ https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/russian-federation/2018-04-20/how-reflexive-hostility-russia-harms-us-interests
Look, I'm not saying restrainers have an answer to every problem. As Rachel points out here, there's still so much to be done!
And there's some seriously big questions - not least the question of China - where I don't think we've got a good answer yet 9/ https://twitter.com/resplinodell/status/1281227239854608390?s=20
And there's some seriously big questions - not least the question of China - where I don't think we've got a good answer yet 9/ https://twitter.com/resplinodell/status/1281227239854608390?s=20
But to argue that restrainers are only critics, and have no concrete proposals is a lazy argument that's outdated.
If you can't find concrete policy proposals from restrainers today, you're just not looking for it. 10/
If you can't find concrete policy proposals from restrainers today, you're just not looking for it. 10/
PS. This criticism from @MMazarr has some merit. But the work he's talking about isn't typically done by think tankers. It's done in the Pentagon and FFRDCs.
@MirandaPriebe's new initiative at RAND should improve that over the next few years too. 11/ https://twitter.com/MMazarr/status/1281052217689214976?s=20
@MirandaPriebe's new initiative at RAND should improve that over the next few years too. 11/ https://twitter.com/MMazarr/status/1281052217689214976?s=20
