War Without Strategy
This is a dangerous edition of The Galli Report,
because I'll be dabbling in an area I know little about—foreign affairs. That doesn't stop me from
being fascinated by it.
Take, for instance, this analysis of our recent
wars in the Middle East. As an amateur in this field, I found "The Wages of War Without Strategy" a compelling argument: The United States hasn't had a
coherent strategy or end game, and this more than anything is the source of our woes in that region. I assume
readers of the GR will inform me of alternative ways of looking at that complex subject! Not every follower
of Jesus has to concern himself with such complex issues, but I'm glad some are called to do so.
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Global Disorder
Another foreign policy analysis comes from Andrew Bacevich,
whose writing I've pointed to before. Again his argument makes sense to me: We long for the "global order"
that at one time characterized US foreign policy, but that seems to be a bit of nostalgia, or more bluntly,
a myth. Not sure what this says about what we should do now, but it does suggest that global politics is
a messy business even in the best of times. Lord, have mercy.
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The Limits of Globalization
And just when I'm ready to give up on the idea
of the nation-state comes "The Case for Nations" by philosopher Roger Scruton. Scruton is—to me
anyway—at his sensible best.
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What the Benedict Option Looks Like in Australia
Lots of ink and pixels have been spent in
arguing about Rod Dreher's The Benedict Option. It is not, as some of would have it, an argument
for withdrawal from the public square but instead a vision of what engagement might look like at the
local level. That idea has been disruptive enough in the US. But theologian Michael Bird believes
that in anti-Christian Australia, Christians need to do something even more disruptive.
It's a reminder of how thinking globally can give us fresh perspective on how to tackle things
at home.
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Grace and peace,
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P.S.
In the rush to get two Galli Reports out before the July 4 weekend, I
failed to put the correct link in for the humor video about the breakup
of Britain and the U.S. I hope this link is correct!
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