Greetings,
I hope all of you are enjoying the summer. It has been brutally hot and humid this week here in Houston. I'm missing Vermont right about now.
So conflict rages on in various countries in the Middle East, Ukraine, and probably many other areas of the world that the media has forgotten about for the time being. We still have forces in Afghanistan and a crisis on our border with Mexico. We have gang violence in many cities across America that almost makes some neighborhoods more dangerous than a war zone. And yet, the same old hawks are beating the war drum for interventionist policies. What's crazy is that some of my friends who are self-described Libertarians buy into the hype. We have become so programmed for war as a nation with our culture of military worship that a large majority of people tend to favor America stepping in because they think it is our moral obligation or something. They buy into the whole Condi Rice argument that if "America doesn't lead the world, then someone else will, and probably a nation that is adversarial to our interests and values."
Dwight D. Eisenhower warned of the Military Industrial Complex over 53 years ago. Unfortunately, his warnings fell upon def ears. Watch an episode of Meet the Press on Sunday morning and see how many ads you see for Boeing or Northrup Grumman. It's crazy. They'll literally be talking about intervention in Iraq, or Israel/Palestine, or anywhere, and then cut to a commercial of how great Boeing or Northrup is for the United States. Really? What can I buy from Boeing? Are they selling their drones at Wal-Mart or Best Buy now? Anyway, I'll take off my tin-foil hat and throw some academic arguments at you for a bit.
All the authors I will cite here are academics holding at least one Doctoral degree, if not more. They are all published and peer reviewed and highly respected authorities on foreign affairs. Please take the time to look them up and see their credentials. These suggestions aren't coming from my emotional bias toward Libertarianism or Ron Paul. Book references listed at the bottom.
"In reality, interveners are never in a good position to understand what objectives are actually achievable or how to achieve them before the mission starts" (Stewart & Knaus, p. 188).
"There is no evidence that even the most powerful countries, such as the United States, have found a way to make nation building under fire successful" (Stewart & Knaus, p. 192).
"The question that urgently demands attention--the question that Americans can no longer afford to dodge--is not whether the United States has become an empire (it has). The question is what sort of empire they intend theirs to be. For policymakers to persist in pretending otherwise--to indulge in myths of American innocence or fantasies about unlocking the secrets of history--is to increase the likelihood that the answers they come up with will be wrong. That way lies not just the demise of the American empire but great danger for what used to be known as the American republic" (Bacevich, p. 244).
"World politics in the twenty-first century will in all likelihood be driven primarily by blowback from the second half of the twentieth century--that is, from the unintended consequences of the Cold War and the crucial American decision to maintain a Cold War posture in a post-Cold War world" (Johnson, p. 229).
"A smart power strategy requires that the old distinction between realists and liberals needs to give way to a new synthesis that we might call liberal realism...This does not mean imposing American values by force. Democracy promotion is better accomplished by soft attraction rather than hard coercion, and it takes time and patience...The United States would be wise to try encouraging the gradual evolution of democracy but in a manner that accepts the reality of diversity" (Nye, p. 231).
Globalization is a good thing for true subscribers of libertarian ideals and laissez-faire economics. However, it does create a new dynamic where American foreign policy has a direct impact on the day-to-day lives of citizens and residents here in the United States. This should be reason enough to motivate us to school ourselves up on foreign policy and vote accordingly. We've barely begun to see the forces of blowback from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
One last thought to leave you with:
Think about one negative experience from your childhood that has shaped who you are today as an adult. Maybe you got your bike stolen by a minority and now you have a bias against them. Maybe one of your parents was an alcoholic, so now you've vowed to never drink alcohol. Maybe you or someone you know was bullied, and so you are outspoken against bullying or involved in an anti-bullying campaign. You get the idea. Now think about the impact that has made on you and your beliefs today. Lastly, imagine an Iraqi kid whose mother, father, or close relative was killed by an American soldier, whether it was an accident or due to that relatives involvement with the "bad guys." Would he or she be justified in hating America or vowing revenge? Our actions overseas have bred anti-American sentiment. Contrary to what the mainstream media and our former president preach about Muslims hating our freedom, they actually hate our military imperialism.
So the solution is obvious. Thomas Jefferson said it over two centuries ago; "Commerce with all nations. Entangling alliances with none."
Stay conscious my friends.
Semper Fi,
Chris Bentley
References:
Bacevich, A. (2002). American Empire: The Realities and Consequences of U.S.
Diplomacy. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Johnson, C. (2004). Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire.
New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company, LLC.
Nye, J.S. (2011). The Future of Power. New York, NY: Perseus Books.
Stewart, R. & Knaus, G. (2012). Can Intervention Work?. New York, NY:
W.W. Norton & Co., Inc.
