3D Security Initiative

Congressman Bartlett (R-MD) was kind enough to sit down with me recently to talk about Peak Oil, a topic consuming much of his time and energy on the House Floor. The Congressman is an impressive and committed environmentalist, owning the first hybrid (on the Hill) and building over 30 solar-powered houses. Congressman Bartlett understands well the linkages between oil and security and how many of this world's wars were fought over access to oil.

How does this relate to the 3D Security Initiative? Well, if more dollars were spent on DEVELOPMENT, in this case the development of alternative fuels, conservation mechanisms, renewable energy infrastructure, etc., we would significantly increase and embolden our overall security. By developing local mechanisms for energy production and distribution, rather than relying on scarcely positioned and depleting sources of fossil fuels, we simultaneously enhance our security and reduce our reliance on oil and natural gas.

As part of the “Security for a New Century” Senate briefings hosted through a joint partnership between Senator Lugar and the Stimson Center, the topic of Thursday December 7th’s session was, in short, whether or not US Foreign Aid was effective in bolstering America’s image broad and if not, how can it be reinvigorated or reconfigured to maximize both aid efficiency and effectiveness and ensure maximum diplomatic potential abroad.

Terror Free Tomorrow’s Ken Ballen kicked off the discussion by explicating his organization’s mission, i.e. to focus on the drivers behind extremism and determine appropriate responses. According to Ballen, Terror Free Tomorrow (TFT) has conducted over 20 polls in the Muslim world and what TFT finds is that public opinion in favor of America is correlationally higher when US aid is accessible by the publics. For example, when the US Navy’s hospital ship Mercy toured South Asia and Southeast Asia providing pro bono medical assistance, aid and surgeries, positive public opinion toward America was high. In Indonesia, after Mercy left the archipelago’s shores, 85% of Indonesians polled were in favor of the Mercy mission and, more generally, US aid. In Bangladesh, post-Mercy, 90% of Bangladeshis polled were in favor of the mission and US aid.

The idea of 3D Security is making its rounds in Washington DC of late. For example, key themes that arose from a panel at the Brookings Institution on December 6th titled “Diplomacy and Security: Building a Solid Agenda for US Foreign Policy” pertained to the need for increased bipartisanship on the issue of national security, more effective coordination and communication between government agencies charged with handled some component of national security, and improved management (from the White House) of these various and disparate government agencies, from the National Security Council to the State Department to the Defense Department.

Security requires a 3D “whole-of-government” strategy of development, diplomacy and defense. Development and diplomacy should be the first resort for preventing violent conflict, ensuring that defense strategies are truly a last resort.