Quote:
Originally Posted by Norstromos
Say tomorrow America were to completely abandon every foreign base it has and were to completely stop getting involved in any foriegn affairs whatsoever, what would it mean, and do you think it wouldn be a good or bad thing?
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Don't listen to the people in this thread, they don't seem to understand foreign-relations or economics.
American foreign bases, are about power-projection, and stabilizing international trade. The purpose of power-projection, is about maintaining the stability of foreign governments, as well as influencing their internal politics.
By making a country dependent on American trade/military bases, and providing our military to prevent internal insurrection. It has enabled us to keep more-or-less pro-American governments in power all over the world. To maintain an American empire, dominated by American finance.
If America pulled out of these countries, it would leave a vacuum of power that will likely be filled by our international rivals, such as Russia and China. Those governments which are only being held in power by American military power, and American foreign-aid, will suddenly become economically-destabilized, and Russia and China will seize their opportunity to fund and organize opposition parties, or military insurgents, through their own intelligence agencies, to put in place pro-Russia or pro-Chinese governments, to pull these countries out of America's "sphere of influence".
Iran and Saudi Arabia, who are fighting their own proxy war in the Middle-East, are currently in a relative stale-mate, with Iran being backed by Russia, and Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf States being supported by the United States. Without America, Iran's influence in the region would grow, and the Saudi monarchy would likely be overthrown. Russia would gain more control over world oil supplies, with America and Europe largely cut out.
This would likely result with oil no longer being traded with the US Dollar(IE the petro-dollar), and that would likely collapse most western economies, especially if Iran then tried to blockade the Strait of Hormuz(which it has already threatened to do), while possibly hiring pirates or other mercenaries to terrorize international trade along the Horn of Africa, all the way to India.
In the East, Japan would be increasingly-threatened by a rising China, who' influence in the Pacific would continue to grow. China is already trying to use its muscle to seize control of resources and territory in the East China Sea, and with the "Asian infrastructure investment bank", it is trying to pull developing Asian countries into its sphere-of-influence.
The point is this, the United States isn't actually run by morons, regardless of what Trump likes to say. Our foreign-policy is being run by ruthless psychopathic killers, who are trying to expand American power and influence. The United States does what it is her "National interests". A few Americans dying from some terrorist, is nothing. If American foreign policy suddenly took an anti-Islamic turn, or pulled itself entirely out of the region, we would lose control of the Middle-East, and its massive resources.
If there is no more petro-dollar, the United States would likely lose its position as the "World's Reserve Currency", which means it could no longer run $550 billion a year trade deficits. This would further collapse our economy, and with our economic collapse, so goes our social and political stability. Which could cause the dissolution of the United States altogether, especially if foreign powers began bankrolling secessionist causes and other radicals.
American nationalism is a nice idea, but America is completely dependent on foreign markets. Our standard-of-living is being heavily subsidized by cheap foreign resources, cheap foreign labor, and our $550 billion a year trade deficit.
A policy of American "self-sufficiency"(such as energy-independence), would require a complete restructuring of the America economy, and the American "way-of-life". All while China and Russia continue to spread their influence around the world.
The European Union isn't in a position to fill the power vacuum left behind by America, because it doesn't really have a national Army, or the ability to manipulate its currency/monetary policy like the United States can. In order to resist Russian hegemony, it would need to strengthen itself into a "Federal Union", otherwise it would be slowly swallowed up, especially right now, when the union looks like it could completely collapse.
Basically, America isn't going to stop its aggressive foreign policy. The Democrats are supposed to be more timid when it comes to war, but Obama and Hillary Clinton are both hawks, and for good reason.
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