Gen. Wesley Clark, retired four-star general, will present a lecture, "Don’t Wait for the Next War: A Strategy for American Growth and Global Leadership," sponsored by the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations, on Oct. 15 at noon at the UCLA School of Law, room 1420.
In his new book, which has the same title as the lecture, Clark argues that war is a poor substitute for strategic vision for the U.S., which faces five long-term, persistent, interrelated, international challenges — terrorism, cybersecurity, financial instability, the rise of China and global climate change.
The key, Clark argues, lies in energy. The U.S. must become not just energy-independent, but also become a substantial exporter of energy to other countries. This is achievable, he maintains, if we can produce an additional 5 million to 6 million barrels per day of liquid fuel above and beyond the anticipated growth in U.S. production by extending oil production in federal lands, continuing investments in new oil-related technologies, and facilitating, permitting and encouraging the development of biofuels.
