One of the themes I hear from the left is that of dominance. Somehow, they see Bush and his gang of thugs going around the world imposing their world view and dominating everything in their path. Understanding their mindset can help us better understand how to respond to the left. Here are some of the phrases that are thrown around on the left that you'll encounter:
Imperial grand strategy - John Okenberry and others cite this motif which they stems from a May 2002 Pentagon plan. As Thomas Friedman puts it: "The imperial grand strategy is based on the assumption that the United States can gain “full spectrum dominance” through military programs that dwarf those of any potential coalition and that have useful side effects." They claim we do this to reduce social spending in the US by wrecking the economy.
Forward deterrence - this sounds logical enough. But this is a catch phrase to the left for everything wrong about pre-emption.
Arab facade - One claim is that the US is somehow protecting the Sauds and the Sauds are hiding all the weapons and terrorists.
Bush, the crusader - Here's Chomsky: "But the central source of the new focus is the president himself, a man who once ran a baseball team in Texas and who has now become a born-again global crusader - in a way seen only a few times over the course of a century."
Full Spectrum Dominance - Ahh... this is the big phrase. Rahul Mahajan coined it, Chomsky promoted it and Al Gore used it in his MoveOn.org speech.
This is a very brief look at an article I'm composing. Later I'll examine the origins of this. Here's your reading assignment:
Dominance and Its Dilemmas Naom Chomsky
The Bush Doctrine: Preemption And Dominance
Bush and Sharon Pursue a Common Goal: Dominance Over the Middle East By Rachelle Marshall
Full Spectrum Dominance by Rahul Mahajan
Dissecting the Bush Doctrine
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