A Libertarian's Thoughts on Whatever

Friday, December 20, 2002

 
So here are my thoughts on US foreign policy. Stop!
Ok, maybe I should explain in more detail. The US has military bases and personnel all over the world. Most of these are in countries that can absolutely defend themselves, such as Japan. Some of these countries don't really mind very much, as it makes defending these countries necessary for us. We also have bases in countries that let us in only grudgingly, either because we basically forced ourselves on them, or because we pay them off to let us do what we want. Some of these arrangements were necessary. We were fighting the Cold War, and defending our allies from the Soviet Union was a good idea, especially when they were still recovering from WWII. It allowed friendly nations to rebuild, and made ruling more difficult and expensive for the Communists.
Well, the Cold War is over. Europe is strong enough to defend itself. Why do we keep bases open there? One reason is probably just a corollary of the law of government, that it's much easier to start a program than end it. From a more sinister perspective, maintaining a military presence everywhere is what all empires do. If we want to rule the world, we must be able to respond quickly to any threat, real or perceived, to our position of power.
Why do we still have troops stationed in Saudi Arabia? The Gulf War supposedly ended 11 years ago. The trumped up allegation that Saddam wanted to takeover that country has gone from unlikely to impossible. Are we defending the country, or are we using our military to keep the Saudi government in line? Either way, that's not what we should be using our men and women who serve to protect American lives for.
Why do we continue to blockade (also known as impose sanctions on) Iraq? Blockades are a tool of war, but they have remained in place for 12 years. Madeline Albright gave away our government's reasoning when asked if the deaths of over a million Iraqis as a result of the blockade was justified. She responded that it was worth it if it helped get rid of Saddam. Basically, our policy has been to try and make the Iraqi people as miserable as possible so that they will kill Saddam for us. No one dounts Saddam is a brutal dictator, but this is madness. As this evil policy has failed, the current administration has decided they need to try a more direct method.
Isreal is the true third rail of politics. Publicly mention that you think both sides are wrong, and you can pretty much forget about remaining in power for long. Do Israelis have a point that the whole Middle East hates them, and that the constant barrage of attacks on the people of Israel are horrible acts of terror, deserving to be condemned by all? Of course. Does that mean Israel is justifed stealing land from Palestinians, torturing suspects, and establishing a legal system in which government policy is that the non-favored classes are no better than second-class citizens? Of course not. Yet we send billions of dollars every year to Israel's government. There is disagreement as to what the total amount we've sent them is, but it is well over $100 billion. Doing so allows Israel to keep in place its immoral policies, and it engenders greater enmity from the neighboring countries towards the US.
The terrorists who attacked our country were evil men. It is hard to even call them men. They were evil swines. Perhaps some of them hated us for our freedoms, or our wealth. But let's take their statements at face value. Most of them hate the fact that our government gets itself involved in everyone else's lives, and acts like anyone who disagrees with us is an awful person. The terrorists use evil means to try to achieve their goals. Just as the end does not justify the means, the means do not delegitimatize the end. I am all for punishing anyone who played a role in the tragedy of 9-11. But let's also do something to prevent this from happening again, and listen to some of what the terrorists are saying: Let's get out of their countries.
Maestro 4:05 PM