Foreign Relations
The Left Says
Diplomacy first. Secondly, the U.S. has a critical role in supporting humanitarian causes, with the plight of refugees topping the list, but we can’t forget about the scourge of extreme poverty or the need to eradicate communicable diseases.
The Right Says
“Peace through strength1.” Win the fight before it even begins. The best way to stabilize some of these conflict-ridden countries is to invest in them. When we open new markets to our goods and services, everyone wins.
The Solution
Wouldn’t it be weird if Spain had an army base in Vermont, or South Korea had an air force base in Oregon? Or what if Russia had a base in Mexico? Why is it OK for us to have military bases all over the place? Let’s have a seriously robust navy and air force, and let’s treat our vets with respect, but then let’s quit sticking our nose in everybody’s business. The National Guard is for taking care of U.S. soil, and probably some disaster relief. “Foreign aid” is a big corruption scam which is not excused by the fact that it “only” takes up 1% of the federal budget (much of which goes to U.S. contractors). Stop it all and take care of our own backyard first.
We’re not saying that we pull out of the Korean peninsula, We are asking why does it have to be us sitting there as a deterrent? Let the United Nations deal with everything. In fact, give the United Nations some teeth, and quit making us look like the bad guys. (fixing the United Nations just takes removing the veto power of the 5 permanent members of the Security Council; replacing it with a 2/3rds majority (of the 15 members) for the use of force)(Yes, this United Nations fix strays from S2OP’s principle of practicality – none of the big 5 will ever go for it – but still, there it is. We’ll deal with World Problems once we clean up our own mess. …and right near the top of that global list of problems is stopping the burning of 1200 year-old rainforest trees so you can raise cattle on the land for 5 years before burning the next chunk of 1200 year-old trees. It’s like some people never read “The Lorax.”)
Lastly, Rescind the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force. It is blatantly unconstitutional, taking the war power from congress and giving it to the president.