PEGGY: MY GUEST ELIZABETH COBS HOFFMAN, PROFESSOR OF AMERICAN FOREIGN RELATIONS AT SAN DIEGO
STATE UNIVERSITY ARGUES IN HER NEW BOOK IT'S TIME FOR THE U.S. TO REEVALUATE THE COST AND
RESPONSIBILITY OF POLICING THE WORLD.
WELCOME.
>> >>: THANK YOU.
>> >>PEGGY: YOU'VE WRITTEN SEQUESTRATION CUTS ARE ACTUALLY AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT
WHY WE'RE QUOTE STILL FIGHTING WORLD WAR TWO, WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?
>> >>: WE OFTEN SAY WHY ARE WE STILL IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN?
THE FACT IS WE'RE STILL IN JAPAN AND GERMANY.
THESE ARE BASES THAT ARE LEFT OVER FROM THE COMMITMENT WE MADE IN WORLD WAR TWO, WHICH
WAS TO RESCUE A WORLD THAT WAS BROKEN, BOMBED OUT AND BUSTED.
WE DID THAT, BUT IT'S TIME NOW TO LET THAT WORLD TAKE ON A NEW DIMENSION, TO SHIFT A
LITTLE BIT.
>> >>PEGGY: THE PENTAGON ESTIMATES OUR FOREIGN MILITARY BASES COST ABOUT 22ĘBILLION DOLLARS
A YEAR, INDEPENDENT ESTIMATES SAY THAT'S MUCH, MUCH HIGHER THAN THAT.
IS YOUR BOOK ABOUT BASICALLY THE MONEY THAT WE CAN SAVE OR ABOUT SORT OF THE SHIFTING
ROLE YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT?
>> >>: I THINK IT'S BOTH.
THE BOOK IS A HISTORY BOOK.
I START WITH GEORGE WASHINGTON, COME ALL THE WAY UP THROUGH BARACK OBAMA.
WHAT IT DOES IS IT SAYS WE TOOK ON A SPECIFIC ROLE FOR A SPECIFIC REASON AND TO THE EXTENT
THAT THE REASONS NO LONGER PERTAIN, WE NEED TO LOOK OUT FOR OURSELVES FINANCIALLY AS WELL.
THE UNITED STATES SPENDS ALMOST 5% OF ITS GROSS NATIONAL D PRODUCT ON DEFENSE.
JAPAN IS 1%, U.K.IS 1%, FRANCE IT'S 2%.
>> >>PEGGY: YOU SUGGEST WE COULD MAYBE CUT SOME OF THAT SPENDING BY PULLING MILITARY
BASES OR OUR PRESENCE IN PARTICULARLY YOU SAID JAPAN AND GERMANY, WHY THOSE TWO COUNTRIES?
>> >>: THOSE ARE PLACES WHERE WE SET BASES BECAUSE AT THAT TIME GERM GERMANY AND JAPAN
HAD TO BE DEFENDED.
>> >>PEGGY: WE JUST SAW A COVER OF YOUR BOOK, AMERICAN UMPIRE, THE TITLE OF IT LENDS TO
THIS IDEA THAT OUR ALLIES SHOULD START BEING AN UMPIRE AS WELL, HELPING PICK UP THE COST
AND RESPONSIBILITY OF POLICING THE WORLD.
DO YOU THINK ANY OF OUR ALLIES WOULD BE WILLING TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE ON THAT ONE?
>> >>: I THINK THE FRENCH ARE DOING MORE, THE BRITISH, THE CANADIANS ARE DOING MORE,
I MET THE CANADIAN FOREIGN MINISTER OF DEFENSE, AND SAYS CANADA IS ON TOP OF SOME OF THESE
ISSUES.
I THINK IT'S A TRUE THAT GOOD LEADERS DEVELOP NEW GOOD LEADERS.
>> >>PEGGY: WHAT RR YOUR RESPONSE TO THE ARGUMENT THAT CUTTING BACK ON U.S. BASES THREATENS
OUR INTERNATIONAL SECURITY OR GIVES THE APPEARANCE TO OUR ENEMIES THAT WE'RE NOT SO CONCERNED
ABOUT YOU?
>> >>: I THINK IT'S POSSIBLE TO GIVE A VERY DIFFERENT MESSAGE.
I THINK WE CAN SAY WITH CONFIDENCE THAT WE PERFORMED THIS ROLE, AND DONE A VERY GOOD
JOB CONSIDERING HOW UNPRECEDENTED THIS ROLE IS, BUT THAT'S IT'S A PART OF THE ROLE TO
LET OTHERS TAKE UP SOME OF THE SLACK.
I THINK THAT'S A GOOD MESSAGE.
>> >>PEGGY: DO YOU THINK THE PENTAGON OR CONGRESS WILL HEAR THAT MESSAGE?
DO YOU THINK THIS IS SOMETHING THEY WOULD ACTUALLY RELATE TO AND SAY THIS IS AN IDEA
AND SUPPORT IT?
>> >>: I THINK WE'VE SEEN THE BEGINNINGS OF THAT EVEN IN THE LAST ELECTION WITH PEOPLE
LIKE RON PAUL AND QUESTIONING THE BASIS.
I'VE GOTTEN A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF FEEDBACK FROM FORMER MILITARY PERSONNEL WHO SAY IT'S
TIME.
WEAVER BEEN DOING IT, AND OTHERS REALLY NEED TO TAKE SOME OF THE BURDEN AS WELL.
>> >>PEGGY: PRACTICALLY WHAT WOULD THE NEXT STEPS BOOK BEE?
>> >>: I LIKE TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAD A SPECIFIC ROLE, IT'S
TIME FOR THAT ROLE TO SHIFT, AND TO BEGIN THINKING IN TERMS OF CUTTING BACK ON THE PERCENTAGES.
THAT WILL FORCE OTHERS TO COME UP MORE TO THE MARK.
>> >>PEGGY: AND YOU WROTE THE NEW YORK TIMES YOU THOUGHT CHINA COULD ALSO STEP UP TO THE
PLATE.
HOW SO?
>> >>: WELL, FOR EXAMPLE IN THE CURRENT SITUATION IN NORTH KOREA, THE ONLY COUNTRY THAT HAS
A REAL CONTROL OR INFLUENCE IN NORTH KOREA IS CHINA.
CHINA'S NEW BEST FRIEND OUGHT TO BE SOUTH KOREA.
IF SOMETHING HAPPENED TO SOUTH KOREA THAT WOULD BE A BIG CHUNK OUT OF CHINA'S ECONOMY.
CHINA HAS A LOT OF INTERESTED IN MAKING SURE THEY RESOLVE THEIR DIFFERENCES.
>> >>PEGGY: IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE TALKING TO ABOUT DIVERSIFYING ALL THE ALLIES, NOT
JUST HAVING THE U.S. HAVE A STRONG PRESENCE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.
DOING THAT IMPROVES OUR STANDING IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES AS FAR AS FOREIGN RELATIONS?
>> >>: I THINK IT DOES BECAUSE I THINK THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S HARMED THE UNITED
STATES IS THE PERCEPTION WE DO THIS BECAUSE WE'RE POWER MAD AND WE THINK ARROGANTLY THAT
WE'RE THE ONLY ONES THAT CAN PROVIDE THIS KIND OF SERVICE Y.THINK IN MANY WAYS THE UNION
WILL BE ONE THE LARGEST UNITED STATES WILL BE ONE OF THE LARGEST AND WEALTHIEST ECONOMIES
IN THE WORLD, WE DON'T NEED TO PROVE IT ALL THE TIME.
>> >>PEGGY: THANK YOU SO MUCH WE ARE OUT OF TIME.