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What is America's post cold war role in the world?
That's a question I think the U.S needs to get clear on. Not being clear on what our role is can get us in situations like Syria and other conflicts that we probably shouldn't be in.
First of all we have to recognize that current US politics is not compatible with long term undertakings like Iraq and Afghanistan. At one time we were more united and partisan politics did tend to stop at waters' edge, but that is no longer the case. Democrats smelled weakness and went after Bush on the basis of partisanship re Iraq, and let's face it, R's are doing the same thing today re Obama and Syria. Agree or disagree on striking Syria, let's be honest and admit that there is partisanship at work here.
Foreign policy is not physics, and there is always a large element of ad hoc when it comes to FP. That said, I've thought for a while that the best approach vis a vis the Islamic world is the way Reagan handled Libya, and/or the way Obama handled Osama bin Laden. Don't eff with us, and don't eff with Israel. If you do, you'll get a surgical strike that will make you wish you hadn't. If Assad and Al Nusra wish to duke it out, have at it. Maybe the Saudis, Turks, Bahrainis etc. can intervene to save the innocents caught in the crossfire. We should not.
Location: Democratic Peoples Republic of Redneckistan
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tinman01
1 thing our role isn't and that is to police the world.
I agree 100%...I'd rather us just sit back and let them fight it out all around the world and then kick the last one's ass and take all the candy in the bag at one felled swoop...saves time,money ,lives,energy etc etc
What is America's post cold war role in the world?
That's a question I think the U.S needs to get clear on. Not being clear on what our role is can get us in situations like Syria and other conflicts that we probably shouldn't be in.
Well here is the problem. Neoconservatives took over the republican party, and have basically run it until about 2009. That basically made us team america world police. Liberal democrats opposed war, but were tired of looking weak on national defense. Bush ran on that platform in 2004, and its part of the reason why Kerry lost. Remember swift boat? All about Kerry being weak on defense.
Well today americans are tired of playing world police. An isolation movement has broken out in the republican party, partky due to their hatred of everything Obama.
I think we should close all overseas military bases. I think we should cut defense spending in half. But if we are going to continue to feed the military industrial complex, then it is our duty to play world police.
If you take away the means of making unnecessary war from the federal government, by cutting defense, then it will stop any actions like syria.
So ask yourself a question. Our defense spending is equal to 4 times what the rest of the world, combined, spends. If you support that, then support syria. If you think, as I do that we would be just fine spenidng equal amounts of the worlds defense spending, then syria won't be an afterthought.
In the absence of any real external threat the USA needs to maintain a good strong military for defensive purposes only.
The main preoccupation should be to establish a more just society through good governance. There is just so much that could be done in the furtherance of freedom, justice and democracy right at home in the USA.
The big question is will America continue to pursue its current role of being a somewhat global hegemon, something that is becoming more and more expensive due to the military growth of rivals like China, or will it eventually go the way of Europe and begin to focus on things like healthcare and social security? Who knows what path America will choose but it will probably be determined in the voting booth. Demographic changes will probably play a large part in determining what path America will choose. From what I read in an old report, the US Department of Defense considers social spending and interest expenses to be some of the biggest security threats to America since it will impact the military budget.
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