James Jay Carafano, nationalinterest.org; original article contains links
Image from entry, with caption: Servicewoman, Tamar Kurkumuli, 25, holds her 3-year-old daughter Nino, before the oath-taking ceremony as Georgia marks the 100th anniversary of its independence in Tbilisi, Georgia, May 26, 2018.
Washington does a good job of making and keeping its partners, but why settle for good when it could be great?
In an era of great power competition, “small” matters a good deal. Little nations are not sand to be ground between the great wheels of major powers. They are made up of people, not pawns. Citizens in small states have the same hopes, aspirations and natural rights as those in world powers. These people have every reason to expect and demand a life of freedom, peace and prosperity.
Further, it is in the interests of bigger states to help small states flourish. Great powers, if wise, will support the best hopes of smaller states. ...
In an era of great power competition, “small” matters a good deal. Little nations are not sand to be ground between the great wheels of major powers. They are made up of people, not pawns. Citizens in small states have the same hopes, aspirations and natural rights as those in world powers. These people have every reason to expect and demand a life of freedom, peace and prosperity.
Further, it is in the interests of bigger states to help small states flourish. Great powers, if wise, will support the best hopes of smaller states. ...
The United States has an inherent advantage over adversarial powers in partnering with small nations. China and Russia don’t have allies. They have underlings. No country wants to be a suburb of Beijing or Moscow.
America, however, has to up its game. Here is a ten-step process to get the job done. ...
Step 6. Expand People-to-People Exchanges. One good example of where America has fallen short in this area is the government’s failure to expand the Visa Waiver Program which promotes tourist and business exchange between nations. The U.S. goal ought to be to include all its friends and strategic partners in this program which promotes more secure travel, as well as encouraging like-minded nations to strengthen bonds of commerce and culture. ...
Step 8. Get Governance/Human Rights in the Right Place on the Agenda. On the one hand, not all of the small states that the U.S should partner with are free of internal strife. On the other hand, not every time America has tried to assist with such issues has helped. The Bush administration had a troubled democracy-promotion agenda. Obama made an impressive speech about freedom in the Muslim world that was followed by very little effort to advance the cause of freedom in the Muslim world. Instead of explicitly focusing on promoting democracy and the trappings of democratic practice (e.g., elections and political parties), the American agenda ought to concentrate on the fundamentals of freedom: (a) governance, e.g., battling corruption and protecting the infrastructure and institutions that strengthen civil society and (b) fundamental human rights.
Here, no one-size-fits-all policy will work—for instance, in some cases, the priority might be advancing religious liberty, in others, it might be economic freedom that comes first. In some cases what’s needed is quiet in diplomacy, and in others, the U.S. government should name and shame. When it comes to U.S. engagement efforts, issues about freedom and human rights should always be on the menu—that doesn’t mean they should all be the first course.
America ought to get its partnerships right as well. In some cases, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) make good partners. In others, to be honest, they create more problems than they solve. The Open Society Foundation (OSF) is a case in point. OSF and one of the organization’s largest benefactors, George Soros, are a subject of considerable controversy. Some have called attacks on George Soros’ support for such groups as “the demonization of philanthropy.” This debate aside, there is an honest question to be asked if OSF is a good fit for a non-partisan American foreign policy. After all, the U.S. government ought to ensure that its partnerships with NGOs are productive and consistent with American interests.
Step 9. Do Better at Public Diplomacy [JB emphasis]. There is little question that President Trump views strategic communications as an important tool in advancing his policies. But, he appears to have little interest in promoting a grand strategic narrative about anything—let alone how to handle small states. Trump uses the voice of the presidency for a variety of near-term tactical purposes. The U.S. government cannot rely on the power of the White House pulpit to paint the narrative of how American will team with small states. The public diplomacy part of this effort won’t work top down. There needs to be an integrated public diplomacy strategy to account for this, and a lot of American voices have to be part of small state outreach. ...
A Heritage Foundation vice president, James Jay Carafano oversees the think tank’s research on issues of national security and foreign relations
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