Module 7 Reflections

Our final class debate about the greatest threat to US power provoked some interesting discussion about the concern over internal versus external threats. I think both groups brought up some great points, though being from Group 1, I am going to side with out argument. Caj did a really nice job in his post below addressing some of his concerns/further carrying out the debate with Group 2. I would just want to add that his addressing the environmental concerns was something I felt could be carried out further in the debates, if the time was there. I do think that it is hard to carry out an environmental concerns argument because it is still considered idealistic, and possibly theoretical, at some times. Something that we could have talked about further is the role of oil, politics, and the lobbying that goes on with electric cars. A concern with oil money and individual gain over the power of the US is part of the environmental argument that contributes to part of the problem.

For the US to truly maintain power on the international scale, we need to work on overcoming our internal threats to maintain power over external ones. Jason brought up one point that neither group touched upon, identity. I think this is another really interesting topic that, with the time, could have brought a really interesting dimension to our discussion. We have observed identity movements throughout American culture and these movements can have a significant impact on the power of the US. Joy’s blog discussion on movements, like the Occupy Wall Street movement. These movements have a significant impact on the internal threats of the US.

Again, the points both groups agreed on, such as improvements to the economy and education reform are important to contributing to maintaining power on the global scale. Discretionary spending is a key concern to helping reform the economy. Taking a look at the issues that plague internal debate among the US are key to maintaining power. Success internally will help prevent against external threats to US power.