Six Elements of Power: Economic
It is quite easy to think of the Economic Element of National Power as the fuel that keeps the other elements going. While that is true as far as the statement goes, that would be only part of the story. The Economic Element is the power (or weakness) of a Nation State in maintaining or expanding it's output in goods and services -- and how that output affects or is affected by other actors in the global economy. It is also the power (or again, weakness) of a Nation State in managing its dependencies on external events and actors.
There's a lot of situational truths to what is good or bad in appraising an entity's Economic Element, and they will reveal themselves in future posts on relevant world events. As a teaser, I would ask the reader to ponder: Is having a negative trade balance with another country a good thing or a bad thing?
The short answer is: "it depends".....which is only marginally less infuriating than the most famous of Economics weasel words: "All other things being equal"...
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Already Slacking Off
Apologies, but I am a little under the weather today, and the meds are disassembling my higher brain functions. Later~
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
The Organizational Element: An Introduction
Six Elements of Power: Organizational
The Organizational Element of National Power is the net effect of a Nation State’s organizational structure and function on its overall ability to carry out and implement its agenda on the world stage. How a Nation State is organized affects its ability to react or adapt to a changing world, and how well it will endure over the long haul.
Pearl Harbor and 9/11/01 could be two examples where a Democratic Republic experienced events that perhaps a dictatorial regime might have prevented. But they are also examples of how a Democratic Republic could endure events that would have toppled a dictatorship.
This element of power isn’t all at the upper levels either. From the three branches of Federal Government down to the states, counties, and town councils, how each part of the organization overlaps when necessary, or is clearly delineated and apart from the rest, will contribute or hinder the most efficient and effective way for a society to function in a changing world. It also includes the ways and means by which civic and service organizations interact with the official organizational entities, when civic and service groups are chartered to act in support of the organizational entities' charters.
The Organizational Element, could be said to be the framework by which other elements are most (or least, or anywhere in-between) effectively exploited by a Nation State.
The Organizational Element of National Power is the net effect of a Nation State’s organizational structure and function on its overall ability to carry out and implement its agenda on the world stage. How a Nation State is organized affects its ability to react or adapt to a changing world, and how well it will endure over the long haul.
Pearl Harbor and 9/11/01 could be two examples where a Democratic Republic experienced events that perhaps a dictatorial regime might have prevented. But they are also examples of how a Democratic Republic could endure events that would have toppled a dictatorship.
This element of power isn’t all at the upper levels either. From the three branches of Federal Government down to the states, counties, and town councils, how each part of the organization overlaps when necessary, or is clearly delineated and apart from the rest, will contribute or hinder the most efficient and effective way for a society to function in a changing world. It also includes the ways and means by which civic and service organizations interact with the official organizational entities, when civic and service groups are chartered to act in support of the organizational entities' charters.
The Organizational Element, could be said to be the framework by which other elements are most (or least, or anywhere in-between) effectively exploited by a Nation State.
Monday, February 06, 2006
The Geographical Element: An Introduction
Six Elements of Power: Geographical
Gee! There is a lot going on in the world that I’d love to weigh in on, but I promised myself I’d take care of all the groundwork and housekeeping first.
Anyhoooo…..The Geographical Element is one that most people wouldn’t think of in terms of National Power unless they really stop and think about it.
The Geographical Element of power is all the net power of a Nation-State that comes from its physical location and composition. Geography is the one element that is influenced least by a society: unless that society is engaged in something like Westward Expansion, building empires, or engaged in other means to gain geographical territory.
Geography enables counties with lots of arable land in the right latitudes to build on their economic power through agriculture. It enables tribal fiefdoms, who would otherwise be marginal actors on the world stage, to wield disproportionate influence on world affairs simply because they are sitting on large percentages of exploitable energy resources. Geography keeps darned near the entire Canadian population living within 50 miles of the US border.
Geography preserved the English people when Hitler found out he couldn’t cross a channel as easily as he had marched across Western Europe. Geography is the reason the country (and canal) of Panama even exists, and why Communist China (PRC) seeks to expand its influence there today. There are so many more examples, and no time to even hit all the best ones....
Gee! There is a lot going on in the world that I’d love to weigh in on, but I promised myself I’d take care of all the groundwork and housekeeping first.
Anyhoooo…..The Geographical Element is one that most people wouldn’t think of in terms of National Power unless they really stop and think about it.
The Geographical Element of power is all the net power of a Nation-State that comes from its physical location and composition. Geography is the one element that is influenced least by a society: unless that society is engaged in something like Westward Expansion, building empires, or engaged in other means to gain geographical territory.
Geography enables counties with lots of arable land in the right latitudes to build on their economic power through agriculture. It enables tribal fiefdoms, who would otherwise be marginal actors on the world stage, to wield disproportionate influence on world affairs simply because they are sitting on large percentages of exploitable energy resources. Geography keeps darned near the entire Canadian population living within 50 miles of the US border.
Geography preserved the English people when Hitler found out he couldn’t cross a channel as easily as he had marched across Western Europe. Geography is the reason the country (and canal) of Panama even exists, and why Communist China (PRC) seeks to expand its influence there today. There are so many more examples, and no time to even hit all the best ones....
Sunday, February 05, 2006
The Military Element: An Introduction
Six Elements of Power: Military
I didn’t pick this element to begin with because it is nearest and dearest to my heart (its not), but because for the purposes of this blog, it is probably the easiest to characterize to a sufficient degree.
This does not mean the Military Element is any less complex than the others; it is just that, in the United States anyway, it has some of the clearest lines drawn around it. Like a lot of free societies, we have specific charters and responsibilities that are formally and explicitly stated for the military, its structure, and its implementation. In ‘less free’ societies the purpose and activities could sometimes be generously described as ‘capricious’.
In a free society, the Military Element of a nation’s or state’s power is the sum total of ALL combat, combat support, command, control, and intelligence apparatus and resources used to project and employ armed force (sometimes violent) for the purpose of exerting the will of the nation or state on an actor or actors (external to the nation or state).
For mature national entities, the primary purpose of the Military Element is to act as a deterrent against adventurism and malice that can spring from friction with ‘less mature’ actors on the world stage. The secondary purpose is to successfully defend and promote the interests of the nation-state when that deterrence has failed.
I didn’t pick this element to begin with because it is nearest and dearest to my heart (its not), but because for the purposes of this blog, it is probably the easiest to characterize to a sufficient degree.
This does not mean the Military Element is any less complex than the others; it is just that, in the United States anyway, it has some of the clearest lines drawn around it. Like a lot of free societies, we have specific charters and responsibilities that are formally and explicitly stated for the military, its structure, and its implementation. In ‘less free’ societies the purpose and activities could sometimes be generously described as ‘capricious’.
In a free society, the Military Element of a nation’s or state’s power is the sum total of ALL combat, combat support, command, control, and intelligence apparatus and resources used to project and employ armed force (sometimes violent) for the purpose of exerting the will of the nation or state on an actor or actors (external to the nation or state).
For mature national entities, the primary purpose of the Military Element is to act as a deterrent against adventurism and malice that can spring from friction with ‘less mature’ actors on the world stage. The secondary purpose is to successfully defend and promote the interests of the nation-state when that deterrence has failed.
Saturday, February 04, 2006
The Elements of Power
Six Elements of Power
If one should exercise a favorite search engine using the terms "Elements of Power", "National Power", or "Elements of National Power", one might find that the terms are used to describe all sorts of things or characterize 'power' in many varied, but highly abstract, terms.
The Elements as described here, I believe, are the best descriptors and characterizations out there. And while I think it is possible there could be equal characterizations, I doubt there can be better ones.
I should note that any good Air Force NCO of my era will recognize these elements, as this is the way Elements of Power were taught in Leadership Schools and Academies.
The next few postings will expand the Elements one-by-one, and then transition into a discussion of how they are interrelated.
If one should exercise a favorite search engine using the terms "Elements of Power", "National Power", or "Elements of National Power", one might find that the terms are used to describe all sorts of things or characterize 'power' in many varied, but highly abstract, terms.
The Elements as described here, I believe, are the best descriptors and characterizations out there. And while I think it is possible there could be equal characterizations, I doubt there can be better ones.
I should note that any good Air Force NCO of my era will recognize these elements, as this is the way Elements of Power were taught in Leadership Schools and Academies.
The next few postings will expand the Elements one-by-one, and then transition into a discussion of how they are interrelated.
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