Quote:
Originally Posted by Chan
The only solution is to stop voting for Democrats and Republicans and to follow the advice of the founding fathers not to interfere in the internal affairs of other nations.
|
I am gonna agree with Chan, here.
I am by nature a non-interventionist (at least foreign policy-wise). We should trade equally (best price on oil, regardless of regime), and certainly provide aid when asked and our fair quota of UN troops.
Non-intervention doesn't necessarily mean a complete withdrawal from the world. I think a policy of co-existence is far superior that continually demanding everyone dance to our tune. The debacles in Iraq and Afghanistan have only reinforced my view.
That said, our economic fates are rather interwined with the world's. It is in our best interest if we mellowed out and became trusted partners, rather than bullies. And, yes, sometimes that means doing things that are NOT in our immediate best interest, like abiding by the Kyoto Protocols, as a show of good faith that we are responsible members of the international community, not simply the biggest kid in the sandbox.
Rather than railing against the UN for eroding our sovereignty, I'd love for the UN to take the brunt of international peacekeeping. We've emasculated it by ignoring it when it was convenient, undermining the point of what it's suppsed to be. I say, if they want the job, they can certainly have it!
All of a sudden, we'd have removed a huge source of animosity towards us in the Middle East. They'll never love us, true, but in time they might be able to calm down. It's no coincidence oil shot through the roof, when we decided to destroy Iraq.
There's nothing wrong with being the biggest/best nation. But, there's honor in being at least a "gracious winner". That's what I think of, hearing the term "Citizen Superpower".