The first and most important reason I believe that we should shift our policy back to isolationism is the simple fact that from 1776 until 1944 America as a nation was set in staunch isolationism this is the reason we did not join World War II at its onset but only after A direct attack on our soil, In 1812 a war started for the unlawful press gang of men from American ships into a war that was not our own, there is a pattern in almost every engagement America takes part in and it is almost always defensive in posture up to the onset of the Korean War at which point we abandoned the proven formula to become world police. This need to be involved in every facet of the world has led only to hatred from outsiders and the needless deaths of our soldiers fighting for people that generally do not appreciate or want our help or occupation.
I guess my major hang up on our foreign policy is that we have poverty, homeless and crime inside our own borders, why do we overlook those in need in our own country and stick our nose in the business of other countries. I can tell you where and why it all began how afraid of communism we became in the 70's during the red scare we had two options, strengthen abroad which we did or fortify at home which we were made to feel like we did, but the simple fact is that the government has spent and continues to spend billions on conflicts to support governments that will embrace us, this is an erroneous action that has already backfired more than once. I can point to Afghanistan, Korea, and even the communist party in power in China as governments we have financially supported and to what end, can we rely on any of these countries if we were to need the aide? I think not.
I think we should return to a very basic foreign policy, a policy reminiscent of the stance taken by those that have prospered before us. Isolationism does not mean we cannot lend a hand to those in need, but it does mean we will be more responsible with our military and more responsible to accept the way other peoples in the world may choose to govern.
RE: Allen R Craig: Isolationism (Foreign Policy – World Police?)
ReplyDeleteOkay, that was just creepy. As I read through Allen’s Stage 7 Blog, I kept thinking – get out of my head; and thank you for writing on the subject of United States foreign policy. I couldn’t agree with Allen more. (Great work on your article, Allen!)
Not only have we designated ourselves as the world police, but we’ve also put ourselves in the role of the codependent, over-protective mothering nation. We think we know what’s right for countries who are centuries older than our nation. We go in to other countries, on the false premise of rescuing, that don’t want us there at all (many times, the real premise being our own capitalist agenda).
The sentiment I read again and again from countries we’ve “helped” is: let us deal with this situation ourselves; you don’t understand, and stop presuming you do; we don’t need rescuing, get out of our country and go back to your own; again, leave us alone to handle our problems our own way.
I really appreciated the other point Allen brought up which was that our own country is in such dire need of help.
“I guess my major hang up on our foreign policy is that we have poverty, homeless and crime inside our own borders, why do we overlook those in need in our own country and stick our nose in the business of other countries.”
In his blog post Allen makes a good argument. The United States government must be very selective when it comes to intervening in the affairs of other countries, as such actions can have unfavorable results and cost this country a great deal. There is no quick or easy way out of the conflict in Iraq, for example, and we must be careful to avoid such situations in the future when there is no urgent need for them.
ReplyDeleteI agree that we should not try to change other countries' forms of government to something more favorable to us, by military or even financial means. These endeavors can lead to instability and violence, and do not necessarily have the intended outcome. Chilean president Salvador Allende, a socialist, was overthrown (after the U.S. government exerted an effort to create economic conditions favorable to a coup). As a result, Chile was taken over by Augusto Pinochet, under whose regime thousands were reportedly killed.
We cannot afford to go about dispensing help wherever there is a problem, particularly in light of our present financial troubles. However, there are sometimes circumstances that require us to get involved, whether militarily or financially. If there is a crisis that a country cannot deal with alone, the United States has a responsibility as a world power to provide aid.