The national security community has to address the national convulsion over police violence or else forfeit its credibility. So say two former U.S. officials in Foreign Policy (Editor’s note: paywall alert; I asked Foreign Policy to open up the piece; they have not responded.)
The United States has a long history, beset by a sharp contrast between those who enjoy the promise of a better life and others who bear the brunt of ongoing iniquity and heinous treatment. In such an environment it is impossible to build any true national consensus and to sustain the resources needed to pursue national security priorities.
While some make a connection between the militarism of U.S.foreign policy and the militarism of our police departments, Bishop Garrison and Jon Wolfsthal argue that for any sensible foreign policy depends on domestic justice. In fact, they note, the national security community–if it is serious about its mission–must address systemic racial injustice at home to insure the security of the country.
Garrison served the Department of Homeland Security in the Obama administration. Wolfsthal, who advised Obama on nuclear non-proliferation issues, tweets prolifically.
They say:
True consensus means engagement with all parts of society, not just those let into the halls of influence. And as the United States—244 years after its founding—continues to struggle to live up to its creed of equality and inclusion, the credibility which the national security community needs to address global issues of injustice, human rights, peace, stability, democracy promotion, and the rule of law is fundamentally undermined.
If the national security community only seeks to address global threats but refuses to confront the sins that hide in plain sight at home, there will never be lasting progress in either area.
Source: U.S. National Security Community Must Do Its Part to Fight Racial Injustice
