By Carlos Yordan, Ph.D., Hamilton College

The president's address to the nation last Sunday may have reaffirmed his commitment to achieve peace and democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan, but it offered no clear strategies to achieve this goal. Bush affirmed his pledge to wage war on terrorism without a plan. And he invoked the pain and suffering of 9/11 as he asked for foreign assistance in Iraq and Afghanistan, but without indicating a willingness to cede any control.

"Everywhere that freedom takes hold, terror will retreat," Bush claims. He is willing to fight a war of good versus evil, of the civilized world against barbarians, but his rhetoric will not guarantee success.

Bush's mixed message included a call for $87 billion in additional funding and a plea for more international assistance. The latter reveals his awareness that international financial support will likely be diminished if he refuses to surrender control over postwar Iraq to the U.N.

Does the president not recognize the international community's weariness of his current strategy and their frustration with his narrow vision? A future blueprint in the Middle East must be international in scope. Disgust with our apparent unilateral approach grows.

Bush's comparisons with post-1945 world are invalid. The U.S. was the strongest economic player in the world at that time and boasted the most advanced military in the world. Its leadership and resources were unmatched. Today, the U.S. continues to have the most advanced military, but its resources have been stretched. The economy remains unpredictable. Can Americans afford to pay for the entire costs of our continuing military and reconstruction efforts? And why should we?

The U.S. government must ensure the necessary economic and military resources to address other threats and needs: North Korea's and Iran's nuclear programs; modernization of the U.S. intelligence community; and prevention of terrorist activities at home and abroad.

It is obvious that even some of our allies will not contribute without additional U.N. involvement and assurance of access to Iraq's lucrative oil resources. U.N. involvement is a first step in a credible strategy.

The 20th century is called the 'American century' because our nation's leaders understood the importance of a strong and pragmatic foreign policy, one that advanced our allies interests along with our own. The 21st century may be another century defined by American values and leadership. If we continue to stumble on the international stage it will surely be defined by our decline.

Hamilton College government professor Carlos Yordan is an expert in the reconstruction of the former Yugoslavia and has recently concentrated his research on the reconstruction of Iraq. Yordan was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He received a bachelor of arts in international studies and a masters in arts in international peace and conflict studies from American University. He received a Ph.D. in international relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science.