The Foreign Service Journal, September 2007

counterinsurgency. It’s difficult to fix the track while the train is moving; but when the fixes require acknowledging mistakes, it’s even harder. Many key officials have moved on, and no one new has taken the reins. The upcoming presidential election also reduces incentives for the bureaucracy to really invest, because a new team may well demand its own policies. Sadly, this threatens to leave the new Army and Marine Corps Field Manual in a vacuum. In outlining a practice of the good fight, it provides more than military doctrine. It suggests how to fight and win the “ideologi- cal struggle:” enshrine civilian protection, restrain the use of military power, and recognize the primacy of pol- itics. It offers the rest of the government an opportuni- ty to recalibrate its approach to terrorism and even its national security strategy. What a missed opportunity, then, if civilians fail to build upon it. Moreover, the Field Manual faces an uphill fight even within the Army and Marine Corps. It has yet to be applied overseas, in part because of insufficient capaci- ties on both the military and civilian sides. Turning away from the doctrine could tempt reversion to a simpler approach to fighting insurgency, one of unfettered mili- tary power — the Vietnam War that some wish they could have fought — and unfettered military authority, freed of political cognizance and coordination with civil- ians. The Way Ahead: A Bipartisan Commission Perhaps the issues are, at the moment, too complex and politicized to be left to the interagency process — particularly in the final quarter of this administration. But they are also too important to await a new president. Indeed, they should be part of the electoral debate about the purposes and character of America’s role in the world and the next administration’s national security policy. For these reasons, the president and Congress should establish a national bipartisan commission to craft a national counterinsurgency policy. It should be led by former senior officials who have earned respect across F O C U S S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 7 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 39 Home Suite Home The next time you’re going to be in DC for an extended stay, make yourself at home at Georgetown Suites. With our discounted monthly rates and large, comfortable suites, you’ll feel right at home. Plus we’re near the State Department. Call today! Georgetown Suites the fun place to stay in DC 1-800-348-7203 www.georgetownsuites.com sales@georgetownsuites.com