Nation building

Nation building is "the idea of invading and occupying a land afflicted by dictatorship or civil war and turning it into a democracy."

Nation building is a controversial diplomatic and military initiative. American government officials and others have expressed different opinions about its wisdom and practicality, particularly in regards to post-war Iraq.

Views of President Bush

According to the Boston Globe, George W. Bush (then governor of Texas) said the following on Oct. 11, 2000:

• I don't think our troops ought to be used for what's called nation-building.
• I think what we need to do is convince people who live in the lands they live in to build the nations. Maybe I'm missing something here. I mean, we're going to have a kind of nation-building corps from America? Absolutely not. [1]

Views of General Caldwell

The 2008 Army Field Manual on Operations was released in March 2008 by Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell, commander of the Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

• it makes the "stability of a nation" just as vital to success as offensive or defensive combat operations [2]
• the manual's third directive, titled "stability operations," focuses on nation-building

Views of General Vallely

Retired Army Maj. Gen. Paul Vallely said in 2008 that efforts to rebuild in Iraq and Afghanistan have placed a serious financial strain on an Army whose job is to "win war" not "build nations." [3]

External Links

• Deconstructing Nation Building - an analysis of 51 instances of attempted nation building by Britain and the United States.
• Army manual stresses nation building - Washington Times - Sara Carter - March 3, 2008