Powell/Rumsfeld Differences
The rift in ideology and policy ideals between Secretary of State Colon Powell and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld had been catching the media's attention lately. In this paper, we will look at what these differenced are, what may be the cause of them, and with whom the President is siding with to formulate policy. It seems as of now, that the policy ideals of Secretary Rumsfeld are winning out over those of Secretary Powell partly because of the rekindled hard-line attitude of the American public following the events of September 11th.First, a brief background of the events on which this division of policy is based will be given in this paper, followed by Secretary Rumsfeld's ideals and arguments, then those of Secretary Powell. We will then look at the policy decisions President Bush has made on this topic, and how the international community could perceive said policy.Let us look at the situation in Cuba and the decisions facing President Bush. Right now there are approximately three hundred detainees being held by United States forces at Camp X-Ray in Guantanamo Bay Naval Station, Cuba. Now, one might ask why these prisoners are being classified as detainees and not as prisoners of war. The United States is en
As presented in his Powell Doctrine, the United States must be weary in choosing which battles to enter by choosing the ones that can be won, the ones where popular support will be with the operation. This raises quite the question for the administration. For example, the United States government has not released the identities of any of the captives to date. (Dharam) Some believe that Powell, the American war hero form Desert Storm, is growing too soft, that his views are not in line with the popular ideology circulating in the beltway, and out in the public for that matter, of today. This is the typical middle-of-the-road approach. They were unlawful combatants and terrorists and hence they were detainees. Powell is portraying the views of our allies, while Rumsfeld is portraying the views of the American hard-nosed ideology. I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies or harmful to their cause. One of these prisoners could know where and when the next attack on the United States or one of its allies may be, they may know the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden or Muhammad Omar is, or they may know nothing more than their religious beliefs and what they were told to do in the name of God. How is one to deal with a citizen of an American ally caught in combat fighting against America? How will our allies respond to the decision?Officials are now determining how to prosecute, if possible, the detainees being held. these prisoners were not combatants of an army in uniform. Are these persons not combatants, are they not prisoners of a war? According to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and his camp; no, they are not. This is the sticking point of the Rumsfeld camp's policy of classifying these prisoners as detainees; unlawful combatants not belonging to a sovereign state. Yet according to Secretary of State Colon Powell; yes, they are.
Common topics in this essay:
Geneva Convention,
President Bush,
United Kingdom,
Secretary Powell,
Doctrine United,
Briton Australian,
Powell Rumsfeld,
God President,
X-Ray Cuba,
Navy Seal,
geneva convention,
prisoner war,
president bush,
secretary powell,
war status,
prisoner war status,
vice president,
prisoners war,
secretary colon powell,
secretary rumsfeld,
unlawful combatants,
secretary defense,
vice president cheney,
captives prisoner war,
president bush siding,
|
Acceptance Essays
