Barnett's thesis is that America needs a new post 9/11 approach to foreign policy and military intervention. Barnett divides the world into two groups. The Functioning Core, that accepts connectivity and "seeks to harmonize its internal rule sets with the emerging global rule of democracy, rule of law, and free markets". The internal rule sets include legal and economic rule sets. The Functioning Core is comprised of the Old Core (North America, Western/Old Europe, and Japan) and the New Core(the emerging markets like Chile, India, Russia Brazil, Chile, Argentina, and South Korea).

The other group is the Gap, an arc that includes the west coast of South America, Central America, most of Africa and Middle East, Far East and the Phillipine and Indonesia galapagos. The Gap countries are the crisis points that foster terrorism and threaten global security because they are economically and legally disconnected from the global environment.

Barnett makes a subtle, but profound distinction in Bin Laden's goal when he attacked the U.S. on 9/11. Bin Laden didn't want America to withdraw from  the Middle East, he wanted the Middle East to withdraw from the world.  Global connectivity is the solution that deprives terrorists of their breeding ground. The threat of global terrorism stems from two groups.

There are rogue regimes whose disconnectedness is a result of

The other group are the non-state violent actors.

How the world works in Barnett's model of globalization boils down to four essential elements or flows
 
To meet this challenge Barnett proposes that the U.S. must become Global supercop, SWAT Team, Border Guard and Global Leviathan for nation building. This requires the U.S. military to transform itself to conduct Military Operations Other Than War (MOOTW)  To the dismay of the "Cold War Worriers", Military Operations Other Than War must be "elevated to grand strategy".

That is why all of the foreign policy experts and intellectuals who are writing their Imperialist Empire books may very well be passe. The next generation of military leaders may have already accepted Barnett's framework. To a very large extent, the way the Pentagon thinks about the world is going to be the governing framework for developing and establishing U.S. foreign policy.

Barnett believes the American people will support this effort in spite of the high cost in U.S. treasure and lives. He also believes that we can generate wide spread global support for an effective war against terrorism that provides security for all of the Functioning Core countries and also promotes the development of the Gap countries.

I have done a very amateurish cut and paste presentation of Barnett's ideas. Quite honestly, I've stretched the limits of my capacity to comment knowledgeably on Barnett's book. I don't pretend to be a foreign policy or military expert. Read his book and watch or buy the CSPAN video of his presentation. linked text This is a very sophisticated and persuasive three hour presentation.  

In his book Barnett describes how his New Map has been received by the State Department, Department of Homeland Security and leaders in the business community even more favorably than at  the Pentagon. When Kerry wins the election, this is the mindset that he will confront, regardless of how accurate or effective it may be. The big question may no longer be whether or not the Pentagon adopts Barnett's new map, but how the policies that flow from his new map are implemented.

Another question is whether or not the American people will participate in the discussion of how our foreign and military policy is formulated or if it will be imposed on us the way the neo-cons imposed their "vision" of global empire. I would like to see this discussion made a part of the national dialogue. I see no reason why it can't start here at MyDD.