Posted on 09/07/2009 11:56:17 AM PDT by neverdem
Isn’t ecouraging legitimate democracy in the world in our national interest?
Like I posted in your Levin thread today.
The bottom line hasn’t changed since 911, since Pearl Harbor or before. If the US is attacked, Americans should respond accordingly and with the proper military action. Our elected officials have a duty as prescribed in the Constitution to protect and defend the people from all enemies.
However, the federal government should NOT make nation building mandatory. As always, the notion of spreading real democracy to the Islamic world remains a fallacy.
“Encouraging legitimate democracy” isn’t even working in America. Communists control our public schools - would it help to send in the military?
Well, now that you mention it, I think it would.
Very interesting article by McCarthy that goes in a hundred directions. I agree with the FReeper who pointed out that promoting representative government in the world is in fact in our national interest. The reason is that it promotes commerce, order, and civilization, and reduces terrorism and other weird acts by that means, pace Mr. McCarthy, and promotes the wealth and prosperity of Americans.
It was nation-building that de-fanged Japan and Germany; and in the case of Japan, fundamentally helped develop their culture. Nation-building created an ally (Japan, at least so far) and a more-or-less ally (Germany). The problem is the incredible cost.
So, where we can't afford to build them up, I guess we need to make sure to grind 'em down real good. Can we make a national policy out of that?
True, but many of the nations of the world aren’t the spoiled brats we’ve become.
A Dangerous Delusion
We go to war to defend our interests, not to encourage democracy.
DUH.
Ilamic nations,socialist nations,communist nations turning towards democracy would certainly seem to be in the interest of America.
I don’t believe we can change Afghanistan. Our influence there lasts only as long as we spend money and lives to keep it. The place really is not worth the powder necessary to blow it to Hell.
Bump
Democracy nowadays does not imply the same level of responsibility as it once were. It used to be an individual choice one paid for. Nowadays it morphed into a colletive punishment and is enforced by a majority of lunatics. Worse, “human nature” theorists believe we are all alike and all live on the same page of life experience, and they assume that the “generation of the good savage” is the real us and should rule. This body of corruption is called democracy for them.
“Winning heart and minds” has lead to more naïve mindset of the West: we think they worship our kindness when it is our goods, money and technology that they are after.
It’s a game of political flattery. In these wars and sports of stupid ideologies vs. other stupid ideologies, good intentioned ones are very dangerous... like calling brain or breast cancer cells an endangered specie.
Don't forget that at the end of the day, no matter what we do for or to an islamic nation, that we are still the infidel and they will never love us.
Ilamic nations,socialist nations,communist nations turning towards democracy would certainly seem to be in the interest of America.
The surge we need is at home: to roll back Islamism’s infiltration of our schools, our financial system, our law, and our government. In addition to not being universal, the “values of the human spirit” are not immortal. If we don’t defend them in the West, they will die.
———That says it all. As our troops and former President was protecting us from the physical attacks of Islamic Jihadists, we as a nation were not standing up against it’s creeping into our soceity...and the Van Jones’ of the world are here to promote it, and promote it into the white house, they did.
The surge we need is at home: to roll back Islamism’s infiltration of our schools, our financial system, our law, and our government. In addition to not being universal, the “values of the human spirit” are not immortal. If we don’t defend them in the West, they will die.
———That says it all. As our troops and former President was protecting us from the physical attacks of Islamic Jihadists, we as a nation were not standing up against it’s creeping into our soceity...and the Van Jones’ of the world are here to promote it, and promote it into the white house, they did.
We went to war in Afghanistan to stop Al Qaeda from killing innocent Americans - still a good reason to be there.
I their hate of us was curable, certainly our financing it unwittingly or expectantly is not going to cause the sort of vanity-less reform of themselves despite themselves. In other words, they are not learning from their mistakes but may be encouraged in them... Then their blaming us could be more terminal when we fail. It’s called “Imanentizing the Eschaton”.
Sorry, not buying it. Too simplistic and frankly too cynical. People, who at least believe they control their own destiny (whether or not it’s true) are far more willing to live peaceably with their neighbors than those who do not.
He is talking about the NeoCon foreign policy doctrine. McCarthy is a Realist/Pragmatist. And there exists a big conflict between the NeoCons and the Realists/Pragmatists.
As you read thru the article you notice those names, Wehmer, Kristol, Kagan, Rubin, they all are neocons.
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