3: Security
Promote Security Other Information:
The best way to achieve security is to prevent war when possible and to encourage peaceful change within the international
system. Our strategy emphasizes building the capacities of a broad spectrum of partners as the basis for long-term security.
We must also seek to strengthen the resiliency of the international system to deal with conflict when it occurs. We must be
prepared to deal with sudden disruptions, to help prevent them from escalating or endangering international security, and
to find ways to bring them swiftly to a conclusion. Local and regional conflicts in particular remain a serious and immediate
problem. They often spread and may exacerbate transnational problems such as trafficking in persons, drug-running, terrorism,
and the illicit arms trade. Rogue states and extremist groups often seek to exploit the instability caused by regional conflict,
and state collapse or the emergence of ungoverned areas may create safe havens for these groups. The prospect that instability
and collapse in a strategic statecould provide extremists access to weapons of mass destruction or result in control of strategic
resources is a particular concern. To preclude such calamities, we will help build the internal capacities of countries at
risk. We will work with and through like-minded states to help shrink the ungoverned areas of the world and thereby deny extremists
and other hostile parties sanctuary. By helping others to police themselves and their regions, we will collectively address
threats to the broader international system. We must also address the continuing need to build and support long-term international
security. As the 2006 NSS underscores, relations with the most powerful countries of the world are central to our strategy.
We seek to pursue U.S.interests within cooperative relationships, not adversarial ones, and have made great progress. For
example, our relationship with India has evolved from an uneasy co-existence during the Cold War to a growing partnership
today. We wish to use the opportunity of an absence of fundamental conflict between great powers to shape the future, and
to prevent the re-emergence of great power rivalry. The United States welcomes the rise of a peaceful and prosperous China,
and it encourages China to participate as a responsible stakeholder by taking on a greater share of burden for the stability,
resilience, and growth of the international system. However, much uncertainty surrounds the future course China’s leaders
will set for their country. Accordingly, the NSS states that "our strategy seeks to encourage China to make the right strategic
choices for its people, while we hedge against other possibilities." A critical component of this strategy is the establishment
and pursuit of continuous strategic dialogue with China to build understanding, improve communication, and to reduce the risk
of miscalculation. China continues to modernize and develop military capabilities primarily focused on a Taiwan Strait conflict,
but which could have application in other contingencies. The Department will respond to China’s expanding military power,
and to the uncertainties over how it might be used, through shaping and hedging. This approach tailors investment of substantial,
but not infinite, resources in ways that favor key enduring U.S. strategic advantages. At the same time, we will continue
to improve and refine our capabilities to respond to China if necessary. We will continue to press China to increase transparency
in its defense budget expenditures, strategies, plans and intentions. We will work with other elements ofthe U.S. Government
to develop a comprehensive strategy to shape China’s choices. In addition, Russia’s retreat from democracy and its increasing
economic and political intimidation of its neighbors give cause for concern. We do not expect Russia to revert to outright
global military confrontation, but the risk of miscalculation or conflict arising out of economic coercion has increased.
We also share interests with Russia, and can collaborate with it in a variety ofways. We have multiple opportunities and venues
to mold our security relationship and to cooperate – such as in countering WMD proliferation and extremist groups. At the
same time, we will seek other ways to encourage Russia to act as a constructive partner, while expressing our concerns over
policies and aspects of its international behavior such as the sale of disruptive weapons technologies and interference in
and coercion of its neighbors. Both China and Russia are important partners for the future and we seek to build collaborative
and cooperative relationships with them. We will develop strategies across agencies, and internationally, to provide incentives
for constructive behavior while also dissuading them from destabilizing actions.
Objective(s):
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