Note: Remember, this is just an out loud brainstorm. I’m eager to engage in discussion, but please don’t come on too strong as this isn’t a statement of beliefs I hold strongly, just a “What if?” to make me think a little more.
With approval rates low and mumbles of impeachment here and there, there’s few people in support of the current President and maybe even fewer in support of the war. The main face of the USA that people around the globe see is either Bush on a TV somewhere or a military person stationed in their country. We have more military around the globe then many other countries combined.
On top of that, our benevolence in foreign aid mostly goes to buying military weapons for our allies, and the little that goes to actual humanitarian work doesn’t outweigh the illegitimate debt we require back from the same countries we are giving aid to.
So, I wonder, what if we just quit? In economics class I once heard the term “lifeboat” economics to describe the idea of us not helping other countries, that if we did help them our lifeboat would sink, so instead we just need to look out for our own, and keep our lifeboat to ourselves. I wonder sometimes, if that would be so bad.
What if all of our military worldwide, packed up and moved back to the states? What if any Multinational Corporation that did business in the USA had to move it’s factories (sweatshops) back into the borders? What if we gave up on holding illegitimate debt over the heads of third world countries? What if we stopped our environmental hazards and dumping on the rest of the world? What if we stopped giving aid and sending PeaceCorps volunteers?
Would the rest of the world survive without us? Would it all go up in flames and anarchy? I’ve wondered about it recently, and I’m currently leaning toward ‘the world is going to be okay.’ I’m starting to think we do more harm then good with our superpower and privilege. We definitely do some good, and for those out there doing good in the world on behalf of the USA, I don’t mean to take away from your work.
What do you think? Would the rest of the world survive without Washington’s watchful eye and strong hand to hold things together? Do they need us?
in the tack of a good Jewish mind I’ll answer your question with a question. 😉
do we have a responsibility to our fellow man? even if our choices are not ideal or even when we look back end up being mistakes? and if so and the aid of a larger entity like a government is required to live out that responsibility, would it be responsible to do as you suggest?
I also would like to see raw numbers to support your claim that our “benevolence in foreign aid mostly goes to buying military weapons for our allies” because I doubt this.
Makeesha,
Nice response question!
I absolutely agree we have a responsibility to our fellow humans. I think my questioning was to think about whether we are doing more harm then good, and if our un-involvement would have a better overall impact then our positive and negative impacts combined? Maybe our governments uninvolvement would be far better for the whole world, that’s what I guess I’m inquiring about.
As far as the “foreign aid to military weapons” I tried searching for a well put together chart to display this. Let me break it down two ways. 1) Our government does tend to call a lot of military spending for other countries as ‘foreign aid.’ That spending is often a large amount, and it is also often spent on US made weapons.
2) Even with that aside about 1/3 of our ‘aid’ spending has gone to Israel and Egypt for military Spending.
Here’s some links:
http://thebudgetgraph.com/
http://www.vexen.co.uk/USA/foreign_aid.html
http://www.warresisters.org/piechart.htm
http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/politics/us-foreign-aid.htm
I think when you make comments about our foreign aid like the one you made, it really paints an inaccurate and bad picture of our EXTREMELY benevolent nation. NOW, having said that, we have a LONG way to go but I don’t think “pulling out” completely is the answer.
I do think however, what I would advocate is a deep and critical examination of motives. I believe there are spiritual principals at work in situations even when the person isn’t aware of them. In the areas where the US has acted in pride and selfishness, we are paying the price, as is the other nation. In the areas where we have been more altruistic and justice motivated, we have seen the positive results.
What I fear, were we to carry out your idea, is that we would again become isolated and overly nationalistic. We’ve fracked up royally in many situations…but I think in some ways, tis better to have served and failed than not to have served at all.
But who are we truly serving, Makeesha?? As a government, that is. That’s *my* question for the day.
Food for thought…
Good post, Ariah. I’ve pondered this one myself quite often. Looking forward to following the discussion.
Peace,
Jamie
I’m with Makeesha on this one. I am a dual citizen of both Canada and the US, living in Canada, married to an Australian wife. Few could argue that the US has far to go with foreign policy and relationships, both from a governmental and cultural perspective. Your question is an important one, not because I think walking away is the right answer, but because it stirs the right questions.
For all it’s faults and failures, the US is also an example of some pretty powerfully important values. I have blogged on this many times over the last few years, but in brief, few nations of the world have contributed more to foreign aid and even missions than the US. Sure, we can critique motives and colonialism, but I think every nation has these issues too.
Great question. Something needs to change, but the last thing is to walk away. Thanks for stirring things up!
Peace,
Jamie
Jamie,
Thanks for the comment. Like I said at the beginning my attempt was just to ponder things. I recognize that those who want to actually pull out of involvement with other nations politically have far different motives then I’m suggesting.
You won’t see me campaigning for this in any way, it was just a chance to ponder. Sort of like Job questioning the day he was born.
Your mention of the US in the second paragraph above seems like a much larger conversation is behind it. I’ve frequented your blog in recent months, but is there a specific post or two you could point me to regarding these thoughts of yours?
Here are a few to mention:
http://emergentvoyageurs.blog.com/431559/
http://emergentvoyageurs.blog.com/249105/
I think we should stay doing the good things and stop doing the bad. Wouldn’t that be nice?? : )
If we could evaluate on a more ethical level the things that the U.S. is involved in and then pursue abandoning those things such as dumping toxins, throwing military weight around, etc. (THIS DOESN’T include ALL military activity) then I think the world could be better off and so could we. Think about how much better our foreign policy could be if we sought peace and the betterment of all humanity instead of our own good.
That is what I think it comes down to. Mostly I hope that someday we can abandon our own attitudes of selfish economic gain and begin pursuing the good of all.
Well said, Mindy. 🙂
Peace,
Jamie
I’d like to share some of my perspective as a former soldier and (hopefully)burgeoning political scientist.
The popularity of isolationism is experiencing a resurgence in the United States, in part thanks to an unwarranted skepticism in the economy as well as a bleak portrayal of American foreign policy. The Jeffersonian approach to foreign policy, which hinges on the philosophy of isolationism, has been in existence since the founding of this nation and has known various levels of popularity.
Lets look at two periods of time in which the United States had drawn into relatively deep isolation: the periods proceeding the two world wars. During the time before and at the beginning of World War I, you saw the United States in a stagnant economic era, due in part to the recent establishment of government regulation on business, as well as other factors. At the time…you also had the United States viewed on the world stage as a minor nation, unable and indeed unworthy of influencing events in Europe. This view changed significantly as the United States entered the war, with the increased military production lifting the economy and providing the troops and resources necessary to play the vital role in defeating the Central Powers in that conflict.
In the years immediately after the war, while the US government struggled to establish an effective body in the League of Nations, and up swelling of isolationism, prompted by accounts of the horrors of war, led to the United States playing an inactive role in that body and removing itself once again from the world stage politically, and shortly thereafter economically after the fall of the stock market in the late 20s.
In the run up to World War II, isolationism was the leading popular cause embodied in the America First movement. The refusal of America to involve itself once again in Europe, coupled with western Europe’s continued appeasement of aggressive powers led directly to the world’s most costly war, and again it wasn’t until American intervention that peace was again restored. It was also thanks to the resources America poured into Europe and Japan as well as the peace which the American military secured that both Europe and Japan adopted such liberal policies and culture.
The relative security and peace that the world has enjoyed since WWII has been because of the United State’s involvement, both economically and militarily in the world, and is the sole reason the spread of atheistic communism was stopped and eventually toppled. While the United States now stands as the sole Superpower, there are still threats to this peace and relative prosperity in the forms of an increasingly authoritarian Russia, China, as well as the forces of a violent and theocratic ideology in militant Islam and the only protection the world has against those powers is the United States and its involvement on the world stage.
Pulling back into isolationism would do nothing to spread peace, harmony, and economic prosperity in the world. If history shows us anything, it is that America has really been the only nation on earth to stand for peace, human rights, and religious freedom, and that if we want to safeguard those freedoms we must be active on the world stage, and that includes having a vast and powerful military presence.
Jeff,
Nothing like the good old days of thoughtful discussion (now if only we had a hot tub).
You know far more about the history of this country then I do, so I’m not going to try and argue with you there. And it’s quite difficult to look at the outcome of different war and things and say, “What if?”
In other words, I don’t have much of a response to your comments, except that I still look at our policies world-wide and they seem to be mostly in our own self-interest. You said at the end:
“if we want to safeguard those freedoms we must be active on the world stage, and that includes having a vast and powerful military presence.” I guess I wonder ‘at what cost?’
Here’s an article I saw recently that I thought interesting, maybe a tangent, but slightly tied to this discussion:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/13/AR2007071301714.html
Out loud brainstorms are great. Engage in discussion, Hope “powers” don’t come on too strong as this isn’t a statement of beliefs you hold strongly, just a “What if?” to see what the Internet thinks. 😉
“With approval rates low and mumbles of impeachment here and there, there are few people in support of the current President” – The guy’s too thick to front a world vision. Democracy = Bush, Clinton, Bush, Clinton ….
“and maybe even fewer in support of the war” – Yup.
“The main face of the USA that people around the globe see is either Bush on a TV somewhere or a military person stationed in their country. We have more military around the globe then many other countries combined” – Must protect the greedy/silver spooned, oh, and drive thirsty cars.
“On top of that, our benevolence in foreign aid mostly goes to buying military weapons for our allies, and the little that goes to actual humanitarian work doesn’t outweigh the illegitimate debt we require back from the same countries we are giving aid to.” – It shouldn’t be about financial transactions….
“So, I wonder, what if we just quit?” – No I love the American’s I’ve met, just hate Microsoft, you wouldn’t take the books away from a 7 year old kid right?
“In economics class” – American thinking – “I once heard the term “lifeboat” economics to describe the idea of us not helping other countries, that if we did help them our lifeboat would sink, so instead we just need to look out for our own, and keep our lifeboat to ourselves. I wonder sometimes, if that would be so bad.” – You’re not “the” ship, you’re just a country.
“What if all of our military worldwide, packed up and moved back to the states?” – Oil – ain’t gonna happen.
“What if any Multinational Corporation that did business in the USA had to move it’s factories (sweatshops) back into the borders?” – That’s happening, enjoy making clothes for China poor little American peasants – when it’s “economically prudent to do so”.
“What if we gave up on holding illegitimate debt over the heads of third world countries?” – That’ll hurt your rich people
“What if we stopped giving aid and sending PeaceCorps volunteers?” – Those countries’ citizens will be more oppressed than you are. At least you get 2 weeks holiday a year.
“What if we stopped our environmental hazards and dumping on the rest of the world?” – That’s like teaching kids to share and not be greedy and think about the future.
“Would the rest of the world survive without us?” – If Microsoft would **** off we’d all be much further up the road.
“Would it all go up in flames and anarchy?” – Yup, those darned terrorists and Russians will kill you all.
“I’ve wondered about it recently, and I’m currently leaning toward ‘the world is going to be okay.’ I’m starting to think we do more harm then good with our superpower and privilege. We definitely do some good, and for those out there doing good in the world on behalf of the USA, I don’t mean to take away from your work.” – Even the poor people?
“What do you think? Would the rest of the world survive without Washington’s watchful eye and strong hand to hold things together? Do they need us?” – No, but they can’t forget that you’re there, here, and everywhere.
I’ve had a lovely time with the Americans I’ve met. As pleasant as the Russians, Pakistanis, Indians, Africans, South Americans, Europeans etc. Each country has the same problem, there’s always the idiots who want to rule everything. People are only ever millionaires because they worship money and are tight and selfish.
What is happening is the short term short sighted “money is all that matters” greed is so apparent in software, where we have a global and level playing field, where the mind is the commodity, the supply chain and the end product, that the short sighted financial markets view was hobbling us. By not adapting, it’s trying to keep the whole world down. Maybe it’s time for another cold war, or perhaps space exploration to keep us amused.
But do something quick, otherwise the world might end up living in perfect harmony.