The Balance

The State Department budget is equivalent to the funding allocated to the military bands of the United States. One could say that this is a sign of the faith the U.S. government has in diplomacy, or one could examine it from the perspective that diplomacy is a more efficient alternative than waging war. To maintain peace by diplomatic means is simply a more fiscally responsible option. Negotiation does not require the massive re-allotment of resources that the mobilization and deployment of troops requires. Although, we cannot forget as logical citizens, that there is no better deterrent to international violence than a large, rapidly deployable, technologically advanced military.

So, our responsibility is to do determine the most effective balance between arms and Foreign Service, a balance that keeps us ready for conflict, yet capable of averting it. This balance could be seen from a managerial perspective as reconciling the theories of I.R. Realism and I.R. Liberalism: maintaining powerful state sovereignty by means of the military and flexible state malleability through diplomacy. A successful balance would leave a state free of prolonged, expensive engagements that were unnecessary, while also allowing it to remain strong enough to engage large enemies abroad.