“The Sovereignty Solution” Book by Anna Simmons
Introduction
The US has emerged as one of the most powerful nations over the past centuries because of its foreign policy approaches, allowing them to advance its military capacity and economic stability. However, despite being a nation that has strived to achieve sovereign status and rise above its adversaries, the US still faces unimaginable security threats due to external powers whose interests are not aligned with its initiatives. The authors of The Sovereignty Solution propose that the US should be more assertive and proactive in its foreign policy decisions, particularly those regarding national and global security. Although their propositions are radical and might be perceived as irrational, the global political landscape is characterized by unprecedented factors and conflicts. Therefore, the US would be better positioned if all other nations associate harming its citizens with devastating reparations. Since the US already has the power and capacity to establish a new world order, it should assert its power and formulate a grand strategy that will ensure its citizens’ security, dictate foreign relations, and ensure positive development in the future.
Book Summary
The Sovereignty Solution touches on the nature of US foreign policy in issues concerning national security and global peace. According to Simmons et al. (2011), US policies aimed at creating a favorable environment for business and trade are essential since they have allowed the nation to advance and achieve most of its goals. However, external threats to national security are a major concern with solutions that are not clearly defined. For example, the US is among the world’s most targeted nations by terrorist groups. Nevertheless, the US has never taken any action with far-reaching reparations to deter the habit once and for all. As a result, the US is considered a soft target as terror groups continuously threaten individuals’ safety. Hence, the authors propose that it is necessary to take a stance instead of continuously arguing about what to do.
The US is the world’s most powerful country due to its wealth of resources, advanced technology, and a strong military. However, the authors propose that the US does not solicit the respect it deserves because of its inclination toward the peaceful resolution of issues and refraining from conflict (Simmons et al., 2011). These days, assailants use weapons of mass destruction with the potential to destroy major cities. Regardless, it is unclear what measures the US might take in such instances because of its current approaches to foreign policy and its relations with other countries. Therefore, the main idea of the book is that policy-makers should reconsider their approaches and devise solutions to comprehensively cater to foreign policy issues.
The US is a democratic country where everyone enjoys equal rights. However, racism, political divisions, and insecurity pose significant threats to its development. Hence, Simmons et al. (2011) propose that the US government should work toward limiting division within its borders. In addition, officials should design a grand strategy that cautions other nations from interfering with its peace and stability. One way to ascertain adherence to US demands and requirements is by redefining trade and business ties (Simmons et al., 2011). Regardless of US relationships with other governments in other countries, everyone should be held liable for forms of terrorism or harm on individuals in the US soil if found responsible. Hence, a grand strategy will allow the US to establish strict laws against terrorism, take action whenever necessary, and encourage international governments to comply by enhancing their surveillance and dealing with any issues that might pose threats to developments.
Critique
The Sovereignty Solution shares ideas about how the US can re-establish its sovereignty and shift how they define its foreign strategies. The book’s most notable strength is the authors’ clear representation of the proposed arguments in a convincing way. The authors explain why they perceive a grand strategy as the ultimate solution and why the approach is feasible in ensuring that no nation poses security threats to the US. The most noteworthy aspect of their discussion is the need to alter foreign policy and channel its focus on asserting power over countries around the world. In addition, the authors acknowledge the limitations of their propositions, including heated criticism by conservatives but provide reasonable counterarguments to support their stance. Similarly, they explain that the US is in a position where it might be forced to make tough decisions in the future regarding whether to retaliate against a country for security violations. Thus, it would benefit all individuals to establish a strategy that facilitates critical decision-making when necessary.
National security is a critical aspect of countries worldwide as threats can interfere with the safety of citizens, democracy, and economic stability. Therefore, the authors make a valid argument because the nature of threats to national security has changed over the years, requiring a switch in the approaches used to deal with terrorism (Biden Jr 2020). Since gaining its independence, the US has adopted several foreign policy approaches beginning with isolation since the nation’s forefathers cautioned against interfering in other governments’ business (Bove et al. 2020). However, in the 20th and 21st centuries, the US has played a more active role in global politics and regional development due to its ambition to oversee its manifest destiny. Nevertheless, Simmons et al. (2011) argue that current approaches do not achieve the ultimate aim of the US government, which is to ensure that everyone enjoys their rights and freedoms. Thus, it is necessary to adopt a more radical technique that takes advantage of US powers and its capabilities. A grand strategy enables the US to know what to do in the wake of a massive attack and how to limit the potential of threats against its people.
Application
US sovereignty and matters of national security are critical topics today due to the unstable condition of international politics and the increasing security threats the US faces due to its initiatives in other countries. Currently, countries like Russia take advantage of weaker governments by threatening their stability and even waging war (Kuzio 2018). Over the past months, the Russian government has continuously bombarded Ukraine with disastrous reparations for innocent individuals residing in the region and its infrastructure. Although the US has the power to halt such atrocities, its foreign policy inclinations do not allow taking an active role in international conflicts (Landau 2019). Nevertheless, the pressing concern is the security issues nations like Russia pose to the US since they undermine its power. In case of an unprecedented massive attack, the nation will not be in a position to immediately retaliate as long as the current policies are in place.
The ideas proposed by the authors are essential in forming stronger foreign policies as they encourage the government to take matters into their hands and allow other nations to exist without influence. The US had made significant advancements by sustaining positive relationships with other nations and holding on to their supremacy. However, they need to exert more power in national security issues because terrorism is a vice that has become difficult to eradicate (Radil et al. 2022). The Sovereignty Solution allows me to understand why the US needs to take stern actions against nations that support and host terrorists since they threaten the future of national security and democracy in the US. Although adopting all propositions provided in the book is difficult, officials can utilize key points such as establishing more assertive policies against adversaries and taking stern action against anyone who goes against the presented stipulations. A clear stance and assertive action will encourage other nations to refrain from participating in agendas that threaten US security.
Policy Review
One of the most recent American policy issues that significantly drew the attention of international players is its decision to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan. During his tenure, President Trump worked on a deal with the Taliban to withdraw its military from the region in exchange for peace. Subsequently, President Biden saw the implementation of this policy by removing all personnel from the region (Schmidt 2020). However, the government did not consider the potential implications of their actions as they handed over the country and its capital to a well-known militia and terrorist group. Although the move to extract the military from Afghanistan allowed them to leverage Taliban resources against terrorism in the US, the decision was flawed and perceived as a sign of weakness (Biden Jr 2020). The US worsened the situation as they limited their control over the Taliban and allowed the repression of individuals in the nation. Thus, they are capable of atrocities against the US and its citizens.
The decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan and other nations where these individuals are engaged in conflict aversion missions is wrong because it is against the current US initiatives to deal with terrorism. For example, the main reason why the US set up its bases in Afghanistan was to prevent the training of terror groups like Al Qaeda. Therefore, without their presence to ensure their annihilation, these groups can develop underground channels and work against US interests (Schmidt 2020). Therefore, the country is more exposed to adversities, especially without a military presence and active war against militia and terrorist groups. Instead of withdrawing its military forces without following up to ensure adherence to demands, the US should have asserted its position using force to prevent these groups from thriving.
Conclusion
National security is a vital aspect of a nation’s stability and democracy as it allows individuals to enjoy their human rights and focus on more critical aspects of development. However, the US has been a subject of notable security threats from terror groups and powers with conflicting interests. The Sovereignty Solution is a book that finds several weaknesses in the current US foreign policy in national security because it lacks assertiveness. As a result, the authors propose establishing a grand strategy that allows the government to take stern action against nations that support terror groups and their activities. The US can already achieve sovereignty and reinforce its supremacy worldwide. Therefore, it should take more proactive action against terror groups by thwarting their establishments and obligating other nations to adhere to strict security policies.
References
Biden Jr, Joseph R. 2020. “Why American Must Lead Again: Recusing US Foreign Policy after Trump.” Foreign Affairs. 99: 64. Web.
Bove, Vincenzo, Mauricio Rivera, and Chiara Ruffa. 2020. “Beyond coups: terrorism and military involvement in politics.” European Journal of International Relations 26, no. 1: 263-288. Web.
Kuzio, Taras. 2018. “Russia–Ukraine crisis: The blame game, geopolitics and national identity.” Europe-Asia Studies 70, no. 3: 462-473. Web.
Landau, Saul. 2019. The dangerous doctrine: National security and US foreign policy. Routledge.
Radil, Steven M., and Jaume Castan Pinos. 2022. “Reexamining the four waves of modern terrorism: A territorial interpretation.” Studies in Conflict & Terrorism 45, no. 4: 311-330. Web.
Schmidt, Sebastian. 2020. Armed guests: Territorial sovereignty and foreign military basing. Oxford University Press, USA.
Simmons, Anna, Joe McGraw, and Duane Lauchengco. 2011. The Sovereignty Solution: AÂ Common Sense Approach to Global Security. Naval Institute Press.