Alright, I’ll admit it, I’m a map junkie. And I’m also a sucker for foreign policy discussion. So this morning, I find a link in the Canadian Cartographic Association’s blog an entry about one Prof. Thomas P.M. Barnett, who has this new book called The Pentagon’s New Map. His thesis is as follows:
“The maps on these pages show all United States military responses to global crises from 1990 to 2002. Notice that a pattern emerges. Any time American troops show up – be it combat, a battle group pulling up off the coast as a reminder, or a peacekeeping mission- it tends to be in a place that is relatively disconnected from the world, where globalization hasn’t taken root because of a repressive regime, abject poverty, or the lack of a robust legal system, it’s these places that incubate global terrorism. Draw a line around these military engagements and you’ve got what I call the Non-integrating Gap. Everything else is the Functioning Core. The goal of the new strategy is simple: Shrink the Gap. Don’t contain it, shrink it.”
Ok, now let’s look at this map for a second. Firstly, he’s right to say that a military response tends to be where governments, but that strikes me as rather obvious. That’s like saying that you fix your roof where a leak is, no? Secondly, on its face, this idea isn’t entirely wrong — what he’s saying is that we should increase democracy, liberalize economies and all those fun things so that the U.S. cavalry doesn’t have to come save the day. That being said, there are some odd things about this map:
– North Korea is in the “Functioning Core” ? How’d that happen?
– Most of the African countries haven’t had the pleasure of having US soldiers intervene there, and yet they still comprise the “Non-integrating Gap.”
– Senegal apparently has had some “Security or Evacuation” by US soldiers since 1990. Eh? Cite me a source, please.
U.S. State Dept. says this about Senegal: “There are presently some 65 political parties, most of which are marginal and little more than platforms for their leaders. The principal political parties, however, constitute a true multiparty, democratic political culture, and they have contributed to one of the most successful democratic transitions in Africa, even among all developing countries. A flourishing independent media, largely free from official or informal control, also contributes to the democratic politics of Senegal. The country’s generally tolerant culture, largely free from ethnic or religious tensions, has provided a resilient base for democratic politics.”
