The Heart of the Matter – The Gathering Storm: Shaping a Way Ahead

The overlap of multiple crises at the same time is creating a significant challenge to the US and the allied democracies. Crises tend to be segregated in the press coverage, analytical assessments or by the political process. Yet the crises facing the U.S. and its democratic allies are interactive and cascading.

What is the nature of the gathering storm facing the U.S. and its democratic allies?

How best to deal with the cascading crises in a connected world affecting the viability of democratic societies?

Among the key crises cross cutting one another are the following:

• The disaggregation of Europe in the wave of multiple crises;
• Strategic upheaval in the Middle East and its global impact;
• The cascading impact of Chinese expansion and Russian aggression on a fluid global system;
• Iranian actions in the wake of the Iranian agreement, and their impact on key allies in the region;
• The slow roll out of 21^st century technologies to enable a 21^st century concept of operations to deal with evolving threats:
• The continuing decline of the U.S. industrial sector in a world where industrial power still matters;
• The impact of significant debt dependency by Europe and the United States and the impact of significant public deficits on the maneuver room to deal with crises;
• The shortfalls in public debate where problems are obscured more than they are clarified;
• The crisis in shaping a 21^st combat force, the disappearing fighter pilots, and the need to meet the obligations to those who have served.
• The impact of financial crises in various third world areas affecting global security;
• The emergence of 21^st century forces of information war impacting on the political debate and consensus in the US and its democratic allies;
• The impact of political correctness on avoiding tough strategic issues;
• Third rail issues which are avoided in shaping a more effective military;
• The failure of the strategic elite to step up to the challenge.

We will publish pieces dealing with these and other critical issues which together shape a coming storm which can overwhelm our ability to provide for the stability and viability of the democratic way of life in the next decade of the 21^st century.

We welcome contributions on these and related issues, and suggestions on ways to shape a way ahead, notably with the coming to power of new Administration in 2017.