In democracies, questions of
peace and war or other threats to
national security are some of the
most important issues a society
faces, and must be decided by the
people, acting through their
elected representatives.
DRAFT
The White House Project
Real Security Initiative
Security Dialogues
An open exchange of ideas is the cornerstone of a healthy democracy. With a goal to inspire a national conversation, The White House Project has launched the Security Dialogues, a program that convenes small groups of Americans in facilitated conversations about the US military. Through 2007-08, we will convene a cross-section of public-minded individuals, from community leaders and military veterans to activists and businesspeople, to discuss their experiences with and views of the US military in today’s world.
The Security Dialogues project was created with the belief that today, more than ever, we need to promote sustained discussion among Americans about national security, and the military is a fundamental part of any such discussion. Since the Berlin Wall came down, the responsibilities of the military have grown dramatically, and today include everything from anti-terrorism to conventional warfare to rebuilding community infrastructure.
Most civilians recognize the burden of sacrifice and responsibility placed on our volunteer military. However, we as a nation have not had a broad and meaningful discussion about these obligations, or, for that matter, other issues vital to democracy, like the national security budget or the declaration of war. Our intention is to help close the communications gulf between civilians and those who serve in the military. This space has widened in recent decades, especially following the Vietnam War and the decision to end the draft. The diminished connections between these two communities deprive our nation of an important educational exchange. Because of their first-hand perspective, military professionals are often well equipped to talk to civilians about the changed security environment in the world, along with their new roles and responsibilities. Correspondingly, military professionals are not provided feedback from the citizens they serve, aside from what we all see in the media and on-line. Fostering a real exchange of views, while vital, is not easy. Professional boundaries prohibit military participation in political debates and most other types of public discussion. And civilians, who may be interested in an opportunity to engage and share and learn, don’t know where to start. Moreover, those who have the greatest responsibility for leading our nation on these issues-our elected officials-have yet to conduct a comprehensive and open public dialogue about how to best meet current and future challenges and threats.
During a Security Dialogue, people with different experiences pursue understanding and new connections rather than agreement or solutions. These gatherings are not debates and will not be an occasion to persuade others or to change views. The Dialogues will involve both structured conversation, in which participants will take turns responding to specific questions, and an open discussion. All Dialogues will be off the record, and all exchanges will be kept in confidence.
The Security Dialogues are a key part of the Real Security Initiative, a policy platform that puts forward a new way to think about national security, where traditional state security needs and the requirements to ensure the safety of people are inseparable and are not tradeoffs. We believe that addressing both will require innovative leadership and changed priorities.
Contact Jaime Peters at jpeters@thewhitehouseproject.org for more information.
