United Liberty

I am currently enrolled in a Foreign Policy class at my university. Ever since I was introduced to Ron Paul’s theory of non-interventionist foreign policy I have become very interested in the subject. Sadly, it was in a way hard to grasp his ideas because they have been such a minority viewpoint in the United States today. Nevertheless, after reading “A Foreign Policy of Freedom” I had a much greater understanding of his viewpoints and their justification.

Even though the class has already started, I have already been presented with a seemingly obvious notion: Americans do not care much about our foreign policy. They are generally apathetic and believe it does not affect them significantly. This apathy has been changed somewhat since 9/11, but it is still generally true that something like health care or another domestic issue will be given much more attention than foreign policy.

It is clear that those who want America’s foreign policy to be changed must link our foreign policy to our domestic policy. How does it affect us here, on our home turf? Why should we care what our nation does abroad as long as it keeps us safe? I believe there are a few very simple yet profound answers to this question that, at the very least, should spark debate and bring foreign policy higher on the issue attention cycle:

America’s foreign policy makes us less safe

When I scanned the front page of the local paper here in St. Paul, Minnesota, something stuck out to me (and no it was not the headline about the devastating loss the Vikings suffered last night).  An article written by Rick Montgomery titled Poll: More Americans want U.S. to ‘mind its own business’ immediately grabbed my attention, especially the sub-title “Rising isolationism highest in people younger than 30.”

Of all of Ron Paul’s views, his non-interventionist foreign policy was the hardest for me to grasp. This was partly due to the natural complexity of the issue, but also my own lack of knowledge surrounding the topic. I read Paul’s “A Foreign Policy of Freedom” and was enlightened about some of the more intricate aspects of Paul’s views. He raises some great points and offers an argument that runs so against our current foreign policy that it is hard for an average American to grasp: our foreign policy has made us less safe and more vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

What I read in Montgomery’s article was impressive:

To one poll question, roughly half of Americans agreed that the U.S. should “mind its own business internationally” and let others get along on their own. To another question, 44 percent said “we should go our own way” and not worry whether other nations disagree.

Both questions are vague and mean different things to different people, the pollsters concede. But when asked similar questions in 1964, not even one in five Americans thought going it alone or staying out were good ideas.

Conflict in the Middle East has been part of mankind’s history for many millenia now, and it’s hard to imagine that peace will ever prevail in this tumultuous part of the world.  The land occupied by the modern states of Israel and Palestine is arguably the most fought over piece of real estate on earth, with many groups claiming historical and religious precedence to its soil.

The current conflict between Israel’s government and Palestine’s Hamas has sparked the usual war of words between the spin-doctors of the warring countries, with political pundits across the globe chiming in with their take on the matter.  Each group has a convincing argument, and most citizens of the world are decidedly on one side or the other.

While most American’s may wonder which side to take, advice from Founding Father Thomas Jefferson begs the question “Should we take any side at all?”

Russia Today’s Dina Gusovsky conducted an excellent interview of Congressman Ron Paul on Saturday, January 10. The wide-ranging interview focused most specifically on foreign policy, especially as it pertains to the current situation in Gaza. This interview provides an excellent introduction to Dr. Paul’s ideas of non-intervention to those who may be unfamiliar with his views. Ms. Gusovsky, who has obviously taken the time to familiarize herself with Dr. Paul’s views, chooses excellent questions and allows him to speak at length without interruption. Television journalists of the more familiar news programs would do well to follow her example. This video is an excellent follow-up to Dr. Paul’s previous video statement on the Gaza conflict.

Dr. Paul sticks to his guns regarding a foreign policy of non-intervention, pointing out that there’s little to no difference between McCain and Obama when it comes to their plans for sending more troops to Afghanistan and handling situations like Georgia-