RAMANAM
In the Name of The Father, and of The Son and of The Holy Spirit, Amen.

To: Senior Policy Staff of Governor Romney
From: The Rev. David R. Graham
Date: 17OCT12
Subject: From Containment To Expansion

Governor Romney is reported to be talking “containment” of Russia and China (and here).  This is a grave mistake.  The use of containment doctrine (Kennan/Truman Doctrine) joins the Republican and Democratic parties at the hip, validating George Wallace’s observation in that regard.

Expansion Doctrine – or another word if you prefer – is the substitute.

The Cold War (the direct, intended result of Containment Doctrine) strengthened the Soviet and ChiComs and shielded them from the consequences of their internal contradictions and from their internal and external enemies.  Containment Doctrine was a God-send to those enemies.  It gave them protection, a quiet yard in which to plot and play, exactly what they needed to multiply their nefarious activities.  The Cold War held the enemy together, gave them power to persist and held back their enemies.  Still, they jumped every fence put in their way.  One could have been defeated in the 1940s, the other in the 1950s (had they even existed).

Vietnam could have been an offer to assist the Vietnamese generally to defeat their traditional enemy, China (and here), who was pushing into Vietnam then and did again later.  A war for national identity and self-support, as the “North” kept saying it was.  That would have disposed US power to assist an effort for national self-support against a real and mutual enemy, the ChiComs.  Even the Soviet would have helped on that one.

The culprit for hiding that geo-political opportunity: Containment Doctrine.  Its destructive, contracting consequences took effect immediately upon its implementation and radiated outwards everywhere, causing a world-wide cock-up of everything from thought to finance to method of eating asparagus.  And a lot of blown out time, money and energy.

The Cold War was not won by the NATO allies.  It was won by the Communists, who today control the “NATO nations” and much else besides.  The Soviet died but not the ChiComs and not the Communists.  They have flourished, thanks to the strengthening and protecting effect of Containment Doctrine.

And there was some question about Communists in the State Department, CIA and White House? Whoever did Containment Doctrine helped the Communists.  Today they’re helping the Salafists as well, through Containment Doctrine.  In Korea, MacArthur’s staff asked incredulously, “Whose side is Washington on [meaning State Department and CIA]?” The bridges over the Yalu River, which carried several ChiCom field armies and their supply and resupply south, stand to this day.  DOS (Dean Rusk at the Far East Desk, he of the “DMZ” in Vietnam) told the ChiCom CG that the bridges would remain.  That CG said he would not have committed to that peninsular campaign had he not received that assurance.

Stupid, ignorant, or deliberate?  Even Reagan left containment in place and it’s what bit his ass as “the Iran-Contra mess.”  Yes the country had internal prosperity but transnationally was weakened because containment let the bad guys grow stronger, even protected them.  He should have just cleaned the floor with the ayatollahs while Russia was paralyzed – or even invited the Russians to join him somehow in the project.

Water under the bridge now.  Also lessons learned, or should be.  I urge you guys to be un-lazy and creative enough to conceptualize foreign and domestic policy that does not rely on the concept of containment and relies instead on the concept of expansion, for ourselves and for all other nations so long as they do not do bad things to us or our friends, or prepare to.

Here are links, from my website, to essays I have composed to examine this matter.  Please at your top policy level take time to give them friendly rumination:

If I Were King Of The Forest

Law Of Expansion: How To Get A Handle On This Situation

Containment Doctrine, Military Doctrine: Are They Compatible?

Useful Concepts Relating To Debunking And Replacing The Policy Of Containment

Thank you for efforts on behalf of our country.  You have my and my wife’s vote regardless.  We are registered Republicans, have been for years.  I urge you to consider this actual transcendence of persistent wrong-headed fundamental policy.

Update I: Scott Johnson at Power Line and Elliott Abrams at The Weekly Standard

AMDG – VICTORY