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I'm very pleased to share my new article "Defund the Global Policeman," just out from @nplusonemag. https://nplusonemag.com/issue-38/politics/defund-the-global-policeman/ Here's a brief thread with some background. #longreads
The purpose of the article is three-fold. First, I explain what the term "police" practically means when we use the phrase "global policeman," focusing on US security assistance. Second, I explain how US assistance to police has evolved over the past century.
Third, I argue that the contemporary global policeman is a massive and relatively uncoordinated set of programs: a blob of appropriations to match the blob of foreign-policy groupthink. Because the latter is finally losing its luster, it's now time to rethink security assistance.
My main hope with this article is that it connects a few dots and gives a big picture overview. I also hope that it will be useful for undergraduate classes.
It's hard to believe it, but I first started writing this article in Aug. 2019! Then, I was thinking about a Bernie presidency, but as I completed the article, with that prospect off the table, the protest mobilization of 2020 was at the forefront. It should change everything.
Security assistance is rarely a focus of conversations about US foreign policy, but it should be central. Arms sales get the most attention (though not enough), but it was depressing that the Trump impeachment was premised on the fundamental legitimacy of further arms sales.
Yet the police assistance aspect has a way of continually popping into our feeds. Consider, eg, the recent protests in Nigeria. I have yet to read a full accounting of the US influence on the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, but there are numerous indications that ain't zero.
Or consider the recent story about CBP advisors violating their mandate in Guatemala, engaging in operational activities to deport asylum seekers. This sort of rule-breaking mission creep is constant; little oversight means we rarely learn about it. https://www.vice.com/en/article/wxqwmx/us-border-agents-went-rogue-and-illegally-detained-hundreds-of-migrants-in-guatemala
Anyway, the historical portions of my article of course build on Badges Without Borders ( @ucpress) but add some new perspectives and arguments. https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520295629/badges-without-borders
I also published a related couple pieces over the summer, including this one for @RStatecraft https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2020/06/26/what-defunding-the-police-can-mean-for-us-foreign-policy/
I've learned so much over the years from the research of @SAMonitorOrg on this topic, and I couldn't have written the article without their work. I've also relied on @WOLA_org (and especially @adam_wola). Thanks!
And I have to thank @petersenplusone and the team at @nplusonemag for their great editorial assistance along the way.
Anyway, hope y'all find the article useful and please let me know what you think. /end
Anyway, hope y'all find the article useful and please let me know what you think. /end
