In defense of moderate isolationism

[bluestateguy]

I'm all for joining organizations like the UN and WTO, and I'm all for facilitating duologue in world politics, but the United States has no responsibility, and no standing to remake the world order. Other countries in the world have to sort out their own dirty laundry and deal with their own dictators. I would be just as opposed to the US military meddling in the situation in Sudan, trying to build a "democracy" in that country, as I am to us getting involved in Iraq. Humanitarian aid is fine. In fact, I think it's a good thing, but no nation building. Nation building must be left to the people who live in those nations to succeed or fail on their own. Besides, not every country wants to be like America anyway.

We need to pull back for the foreseeable future. Tend to our own affairs and just take a time out for awhile.

[wuushew]

1. Interventionism has caused far more problems then it has solved

I agree completely with your post.

Also when we meddle in a foreign country we are interfering with a complex set of cultural and environmental factors which have shaped the prosperity or poverty of said region. How can we be so smugly arrogant of our own cultural superiority when we do not allow the natural evolution of societies to manifest themselves?

[Katherine Brengle]

2. Mostly agreed...

except for the WTO.

Most of our economic problems have risen from globalization--too much money leaving the country, too many products from other countries coming in...

Recipe for disaster.

[sweetheart]

3. living by example isn't isolationism

We needn't make any very special case,
to say why we should keep to our own affairs,
its not exactly easy to save face,
given the sordid empire to which we are heirs.
Keeping a club of progressive free nations,
needn't be such difficult a thing, most agree, "Fairs fair.",
but our economic surplus makes complex relations,
gun barrels enforcing kapital, opposing truth's glare.

All humanity is remarkably alike,
given how spin doctor images mislead and swear,
we're best put to follow our hearts delight,
let the unleashed emprisoned mass clear the air.
We have our own domestic prison-race-war under wraps,
Imprison at home, kill abroad, bushwack attacks.

[rman]

4. There's some ground between Humanitarian aid and nation building,

I think as a matter of principal military intervention can be justified and moral - as a matter of principal allied military action during WW2 was the right thing to do.

Thing is, there wouldn't be nearly as many dictators as there are if the wealthy nations, primarily the US, would not create them in the first place. (not that Hitler was created by the US, though he was enabled by certain forces in the US - but that's another matter)

Solving that problem will also solve much of the problems such as illegal immigration/economic refugees, war, famine and exploitation.

In the mean time however we must make a transition that takes current problems into account, and something along the lines of "moderate isolationism" might well fit in there.