U.S. National Security Policy Post-9/11: Perils and Prospects

Two years after the attacks of September 11, what perils does U.S. national security policy face, and what prospects? In short, are we on the right track, and where do we go from here? Let me begin by acknowledging the impossibility of doing this topic justice in one brief article. So rather than be comprehensive, I will only focus on the most salient issues.

I will not pretend to be perfectly objective. While I do not view myself as a partisan when it comes to national security affairs, I did serve in the Clinton administration and, as you will see, I do have major policy differences with the current one. However, the critique I will present here is anything but partisan. In fact, it reflects what I believe are concerns now shared broadly by a bipartisan cross-section of national security experts as well as by much of the American public.