The reference de jour for the important issue of the new activist doctrine for American foreign policy seems to be The Mission by Washington Post reporter Dana Priest.

It is important to point out, though, that it is the civil leaders of the Pentagon - not the actual leaders of the military - who are advocating this new activism. In an interview on the Danish TV news show 'Deadline', political scientist Barry Posen made this important point. It is of course important (and very reassuring) that the military itself is not advocating this new political role, so that the application of this kind of forign policy is under firm democratic control.