Reagan Alive and Well

At least his policies are, according to this by John Arquilla:


For both good and ill, the 21st century world has been profoundly shaped by ideas advanced during the presidency of Ronald Reagan two decades ago -- so much so that the caricature of him as a simple, shoot-from-the-hip cowboy must give way to a far more complex portrait, that of a concept-driven man.
Reagan's basic beliefs were: 1) The world could be made less nuclear; 2) Tyrants are weak, especially when confronted by freedom-seeking people; and 3) Ideas are ultimately more powerful than military force.

Some ideas though, need to be buried:

...although the Soviet Union winked out of existence 15 years ago, with the Red Army and Navy becoming shadows of their former selves, Reagan's blueprint has been slavishly followed by each of his successors. Indeed, the U.S. military has developed a kind of philosophy of entitlement during the past two decades, which resonates today to the ka-ching of defense spending in excess of $1.25 billion per day; U.S. military expenditures exceed those of the rest of the world combined.
The worst part of this problem is that huge spending on arms ensures continued dependence on big-ticket conventional weapons -- aircraft carriers, main battle tanks, and advanced attack aircraft. These are neither needed for our survival nor are they effective against the threats now confronting us, or those likely to imperil us tomorrow.

But some are working out:

Reagan's military legacy does have some bright spots, though, especially his support for the creation of the Special Operations Command. Formed 20 years ago -- against the wishes of senior Pentagon leadership -- the command is finally taking the lead in the war on terror.

So, when we win this Global War on Terror, its thank you to Ronald Reagan!