Why is Norway is expanding its armed forces now?

The Norwegian government posted this brief video specifically for the benefit of English-speaking audiences a few weeks ago. The YouTube comments are turned off, but the description reads as follows,

“We asked the question: Why do we need the armed forces and a military? In the end what do we, as a nation, want to happen? This is the answer.”

The video is brief and well-produced. I’ll provide that referenced answer after the jump just in case anyone will consider it a spoiler for me to do otherwise.

U.S. Foreign Policy: State or Federal?

I was reading my hometown paper, The Las Cruces Sun News online version a few days ago and was unsettled after a glance at

Headline: Border governors meeting set for Sept. 19-20 in NM

Why are five governors of Mexico, our neighbor to the south but a foreign power nonetheless, meeting with governors of bordering states in Albuquerque? Doesn’t foreign policy fall under the federal aegis?

Then I thought, “Well, perhaps this is merely a wobble in the balance between State’s Rights versus The Federalist.”

I read the Associated Press news article more closely. It reminded me why foreign policy should be led by the Federal government: the RSVP list from North of the Border showed California and New Mexico attending the September meeting, with Arizona and Texas declining. I presume that Arizona State Bill 1070 regarding immigration law is the polarizing concern. And THAT sums up nicely the rationale for centrally coordinated foreign policy leadership. Solidly Federal-level. So that we remain indivisible, one nation, under… ummm well you know how it goes. No bifurcation. No squabbling. We don’t lose sight of the big picture. Secessionary sentiments remain historical artifacts and the stuff of science fiction nightmares.

I like stability and a unified front. I confess, I am a worrier. I am worried about the State of Our Union.