The Long Council
Who was selected, and why
Is it useful for the US to have military bases on every continent?
The central tension
Global military presence as security guarantee versus imperial overstretch and legitimacy costs.
Selected members
Helmut Schmidt
Will argue: US global presence provides stability but must be sustained through genuine alliance partnerships, not unilateral positioning
Experienced alliance management and the strategic value of US presence in Europe during Cold War · His advocacy for NATO double-track decision and documented reliance on US security guarantee; speeches on transatlantic burden-sharing
David Ben-Gurion
Will argue: Military presence must serve concrete strategic purposes and be welcomed by host populations; presence without clear objectives becomes vulnerability
Managed small state security through pragmatic great power relationships and understood the costs/benefits of external military dependence · His invitation to US military cooperation post-1956, peripheral strategy, and documented skepticism of single-power reliance
Sun Tzu
Will argue: Supreme strategic excellence is achieving security without permanent military deployment; bases should enable strategic flexibility, not create fixed commitments
Strategic positioning, intelligence networks, and the principle of achieving objectives at minimum cost · Art of War chapters on strategic positioning, terrain, and the costs of prolonged deployment
Kautilya
Will argue: Military presence must generate more security than it consumes in resources; distant deployments require local legitimacy and alliance structures to be sustainable
Imperial administration, alliance geometry in multi-polar systems, and the economic costs of military overextension · Arthashastra on mandala theory, military deployment costs, and the relationship between military presence and diplomatic effectiveness
Lee Kuan Yew
Will argue: From host nation perspective, US bases provide security against regional threats but must be balanced against sovereignty costs and regional relationships
Small state perspective on great power competition and the strategic utility of hosting external military presence · Singapore's documented hosting of US facilities, his analysis of US-China competition, and documented positions on regional balance
Considered but not selected
Thatcher: Strong advocate for transatlantic alliance but primarily focused on European theater rather than global deployment strategy
Adenauer: Relevant for alliance management but his framework was specific to European integration and post-war German circumstances
Machiavelli: Strategic thinking applicable but lacks documented engagement with the specific challenges of maintaining distant military commitments