Blog Posts tagged with "Notable Author series"
Dr. Strangelove Strikes Again!
Many of you know that we have a Notable Author and Film series at both my EUCOM and SHAPE headquarters, which allows us to routinely take a step back from our desk work and learn from some of the authors and artists who are observers, critics and practitioners of national security.
On Nov. 9 the Notable Author and Film Series for the SHAPE staff featured the classic black comedy “Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb,” made by the famous director Stanley Kubrick in 1964.
Most of the members of the international audience had never seen the film before, especially the younger ones, and they enjoyed the way the film makes you laugh but also think about the very serious issues surrounding the idea of nuclear deterrence. After the movie, the audience and a panel of staff experts discussed a wide range of related issues, beginning with how accurate the film was (a B-52 pilot shared some of his experiences with the aircraft) and what life was like during the worst moments of the Cold War.
President Obama, President Medvedev and President Klaus at Prague Castle (White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
The discussion soon evolved to address present-day questions: Why did NATO reaffirm the importance of nuclear deterrence in the new Strategic Concept? What potential threats exist today? Do the more extreme “rogue state” leaders have the same fundamentally rational mindset that prevailed in both sides during the Cold War? If so, can they be deterred by the existence of NATO’s nuclear weapons? If not, is Ballistic Missile Defence the answer? In that case, how can a missile defence system be implemented in the spirit of NATO’s aim of continuing to improve relations with Russia?
While opinions on the answers to the above questions may vary, it just goes to show how a good film – no matter how old – can always spark a good discussion. All in all, it was a very thought-provoking afternoon that was enjoyed by all the participants.
Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
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The Importance of Culture
As I mentioned in my vlog last week I was in Bergen, Norway during my official co-hosting duties with the Norwegian Chief of Defense, General Harald Sunde, for the Northern European Chief of Defense (CHOD) Conference. As "The Fjord Capital of Norway", Bergen is often described as "a city with its feet in the sea, its head in the skies, and its heart in the right place." What I didn't mention in the vlog is I found myself in a situation that affected my head and heart before the conference had even begun.
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Time for a Paradigm Shift?
If you are a cable news junkie, then you’ve probably watched BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), one the largest, if not the largest, broadcasting organizations in the world. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to listen to Nik Gowing speak courtesy of ADM Stavridis’ 'Notable Film and Author Series’ and the EUCOM J9 Directorate. Nik presents the BBC's flagship news program, The Hub, which reports on global news for audiences across South Asia and the Middle East. He interviewed ADM Stavridis about operations in Marjah this past February and also recently wrote 'Skyful of Lies' and Black Swans, a study that addresses the role hand-held, multi-media technology plays in shaping public perceptions of government responses in crisis situations.
Comments: 5
Classic movie, here's my favourite part: <blockquote><i>President Merkin Muffley</i>: "You're talking about mass murder, General, not war!" <i>General "Buck" Turgidson</i>: "Mr. President, I'm not saying we wouldn't get our hair mussed. But I do say no more than ten to twenty million killed, tops."</blockquote> Don't get me wrong, I'm not against nuclear deterrence in principle, but with the benefit of hindsight the building of huge nuclear stockpiles of the 60's, 70's, and 80's was a form of madness from which we were lucky to escape. The current policies of gradual disarmament are, given the essentially unusable nature of nuclear weapons, the best policy.
clearly NATO desire to maintain a nuclear deterrance is based on a classified state of affairs regarding today's geo political situation. One where energy and the control thereof requires a nuclear card to ensure certain players don't try for a snatch and grab
Admiral, Russia would benefit from being part of the WTO club. Now is the time to face collectively global threats and challenges common to us all. We must strive for a broader solidarity that goes beyond NATO or the CSTO.
Anyone desiring a deeper understanding of the issues and inside jokes in Dr. Strangelove should consider reading "Arms and Influence" by Thomas Schelling. It laid the foundation for a lot of the thinking about how nuclear weapons were (or weren't) game changers for national and military strategy. Its a short book with big ideas, but written in simple terms and it definitely gets your mind working about how its concepts apply to current strategy.
rogue states should indeed be deterred by NATO and START. Philosophically, START and NATO should be inclusive enough in their nature to fully deter all nation states from launching a nuclear attack. The evolution of this organization and this treaty would be able to track the advances in rogue state's intentions with regard to biological warfare and possibly nuclear warheads being used in an unprovoked attack on the free world..