Domestic Security success, Foreign Policy failure

The recent, foiled Christmas hijacking calls into question U.S. domestic security readiness. Obama quickly ordered overviews of the system, but rejected any characterizations of systemic failure. He is right. This isolated incident should not indict the Homeland Security department and its programs. Overall, it has done a great job countering terrorism and empowering domestic security personnel (their successes are just unreported by the media). The rapid extinguishment of the situation exemplifies the progress made in protecting domestic security.

Nonetheless, the incident underscores the lacking foreign policy goals of the U.S. Yemen recently and rightfully has drawn attention from policy experts and foreign analysts (see recent Boston Globe article, infra). The biggest foreign policy issue still isn't necessarily one troublesome spot, Afghanistan, but many failed states. These include Yemen, Somalia, etc. For too long, U.S. foreign policy has ignored failed states because individually, each of them present no substantial foreign policy problem or asset. Afghanistan under the Taliban should have taught a lesson. So long as failed states exist, and continue to be lawless, they offer havens to al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups. The war on terrorism should not be limited to Afghanistan and specific terrorist organizations, but to building up and promoting the governments and economies of states on brink of failure.