Iraq ...
This
war is a mistake.
It
has nothing to do with 9/11 or the war in
Afghanistan. We were pulled into it for reasons still not
clear. What is
clear is that our administration began with allegations that Saddam was
in league with Osama bin Laden. When that couldn't be
substantiated, the administration began a campaign to paint Saddam as a
supplier of Weapons of Mass Destruction to terrorists. When
that
didn't pan out either, the administration simply threw it's hands up,
said Saddam is a 'bad guy', and we should overthrow him.
Never
mind
that the world is chock full of 'bad guys' that we don't go to war
against.
Your US Congress
supported the
administration's excuses for war.
The
effects of this
are now clear.
There have been over 2000 US GIs killed, tens of
thousands more wounded, and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis killed or
wounded. Iraq is in a persistent state of anarchy and has
become
a breeding ground for terrorists that now pose much more of a real
threat to US citizens than Saddam ever did. We have spent
hundreds of billions of dollars of borrowed money when our national
debt is so high that it threatens our security more surely than Saddam
ever did. America's image abroad has been badly tarnished by
the
way the invasion took place and the subsequent revelations of
atrocities and torture, and it will take generations to repair.
The best solution, at
this point,
is to declare 'victory' and get out by whatever plan will result in the
least loss of lives to American soldiers, Iraqis, and
others
involved. We must allow the Iraqis to control their own
destiny.
Iran ...
There is a rather absurd diplomatic ballet being played out at present. There's a large cast of players. The dance steps don't seem familiar to some of our diplomats. Let's hope they learn them soon. Let's not let the hot-heads make a war out of this.
That's
not to downplay the seriousness of Iran becoming a nuclear power. That
would inspire a regional and possibly global nuclear arms race among
lesser-developed nations. What is required is that Iran not become a
nuclear nation. It may take compromise to make that occur. The leaders
in Israel should ask themselves if a nuclear-free mid-east is more
secure than a mid-east multiple nation nuclear stand-off.
Europe ...
Europe, through the EU, has become a major player on the world stage. Where once the U.S. could call the shots, the EU is now standing on its own. There will be global competition with the EU, diplomatically and economically. Our position must be to consider the EU as an equal partner and negotiate accordingly.
We must at the same time recognize that the EU is beginning to suffer from the same economic turbulance as the U.S. Their problems are very similar to ours. Decades of easy money and creaping socialism must be paid for. And it won't be cheap.
China ...
China
has become an economic powerhouse. There is a huge
population that is willing
to work for very much less than their American counterparts.
This
gives China a big advantage in manufacturing. The
sophistication
of their technology in most areas is
now approaching that of the U.S. This combination gives
China the option of challenging the U.S., not just economically and
diplomatically, but also militarily. The U.S. and China are
now
engaged in a 'cold war' for control of influence in Asia and the
Pacific region. This relationship must be managed with the
utmost
care. That said, if managed with care, the relationship can
be
mutually beneficial.
North Korea ...
Isolating North Korea from the same forces that have brought
down
communism all around the world is not the way to go. Don't'
keep
North Koreans alone and in the dark. On the contrary, we need
to
do all that we can to open the blinds and let the sunlight
in. We
need to engage North Korea in economic development and the natural
consequences of that; open communication with the rest of the world and
knowledge, on the part of its citizens, that there is a better way to
live.
Israel, Palestine and Lebanon ...
The U.S. and Great Britain historically were in a mode of
creating,
preserving, and defending Israel for almost 40 years. Over the past 20
years the U.S. has taken a more even-handed approach to the conflict
between Israel and Palestine. Never the less, memories linger
and
perception seems to trump reality most of the time. The key
is
for the U.S. to maintain an even-handed policy and to make sure that
even-handedness is perceived in Palestine.
The rise of Hamas to power in Palestine presents a
difficulty.
The U.S. should not financially or diplomatically support any
government, Israeli or Palestinian or any other, that uses murder and
terror as its preferred tools of international relations.
Hamas
should not be supported until it renounces violence. As a
balanced policy, no Israeli government should be supported until it
also renounces violence.
Libertarian Perspective ...
Violence is justifiable only as a last-means of self defense.
My own perspective ...
All
wars are rooted in
economics; that is, money. Rationalizations may be couched in
other terms – religious belief, regional control, ethnic or
racial
difference, or philosophical difference. If you dig past the
veneer of rationalizations you will find economics at the root, almost
every
time.
The point is that the U.S. needs to adjust it's attitude toward
economic relationships with the rest of the world. It's the
same
thing I learned many years ago in business: Make a
winner-take-all deal and you make an enemy; make a win-win deal and you
make a friend.