The author, defense correspondent for The Nation, examines the post--Cold War strategic doctrine directed against "rogue states"--a doctrine requiring, in the Pentagon's view, the capacity to wage two Desert Storms at the same time. Klare argues that the new doctrine exaggerates the threat posed by the outlaws and forecloses the possibility of shifting economic resources away from defense to other priorities. He argues instead for reduced military forces restructured for peacekeeping and peace enforcement operations alongside a foreign policy directed toward the root causes of global violence (such as overpopulation, resource conflicts, and widespread poverty). Klare's alternative agenda is quite ambitious; much of it, rightly or wrongly, seems blocked by the deeply entrenched opposition of the public to foreign aid. There is an unexplored tension in the work between his desire to "alleviate the security concerns of Third World powers"--a necessary objective if nonproliferation efforts are to succeed--and his skittishness over extending credible U.S. military guarantees. One wonders whether the sharp reduction in military spending he urges is compatible with the guarantees of regional disarmament he wants the "major powers," including the United States, to give.
