Foreign Policy: Ten Principles

While we’re on the topic of the president’s ineptitude in all matters presidential, the question of “foreign policy” deserves a modicum of consideration.  We appear to be watching a perplexing display of behavioral spasms when it comes to decision-making.  

A contributing factor to this bewildering lack of direction might well be the absence of a consistent and well-defined foreign policy.  Our government’s approach should not depend on luck, happenstance, and serendipitous circumstances. 

One is left with the definite impression that most Americans would be uncertain as to how the White House defines its current relationship with the rest of the world, other than a few truncated grunts and interjections: “Us strong them weak, us good guys them bad guys, us smart them very dumb, us rich (ha ha) them poor,” and the like. 

Okay, maybe some Americans can sum up our foreign policy a little better than that but I’m betting there are still a lot of my fellow countrymen who aren’t even sure what our foreign policy is, let alone feel capable of analyzing whether we are consistent and successful in its application.

For that reason, I thought it was time to offer some advice about principles we could adopt. 

I know some of my ideas will seem strange.  The words may burn a hole in the very paper upon which they are written and will prove more potent than some readers can handle.  I would advise safety goggles or at least 3-D sunglasses before you look at them, just to be safe. 

You might also wish to consider making an appointment with a psychiatrist, for after you are finished reading my comments, you may find your world turned topsy-turvy and your psyche thoroughly transformed by thoughts new and wild.  Good luck!

TEN PRINCIPLES

1.      The United States affirms its belief in peace and diplomacy as the first cardinal principle of its foreign policy stance.  That is to say, the U.S. openly announces that it wishes to maintain peaceful relations with the other nations of the world.  Toward this goal, there should be a de-emphasis on threats, bluffs, intimidation, saber-rattling, bellicose rhetoric, insults, provocation, shouting matches, spying, warlike moves, brinkmanship, and the like.

2.      The United States should remain a member of the United Nations in good standing.  The U.S. should be proud of its participation in international organizations.  The U.S. should keep its commitments made under international treaties.

  

If it becomes advisable to consider making changes to one or another aspect of our foreign policy, the White House should begin an open discussion with both Congress and the American public.  There should be a long and thorough airing of issues and proposed solutions rather than a reliance on the unpredictable impulses of any one person or agency. 

3.      Foreign policy should represent our commitment to constitutional principles, democratic beliefs, and the American people’s preference for peaceful constructive engagement between themselves and the citizens and governments of other nations.  Franklin Delano Roosevelt developed the policy of “good will” toward our South American neighbors.  Such thinking should be reintroduced and amplified a thousand-fold.

4.      Another cardinal principle includes non-intervention in the affairs of other countries.  Even as we expect our own sovereignty to be respected, so too must the US respect the sovereignty and independence of other nations.  This pledge of non-interference must be extended to countries with a different form of government than our own. 

5.      The US should stop supporting military dictatorships around the world.  It should stop giving military aid and millions of dollars to dictators who build their own personal fortunes or use the arms and money against their own people.  This paid brutality contradicts fundamental American values while creating distrust of and hostility toward the U.S. 

6.      The US should demonstrate a much greater willingness to build up the infra-structure and industrial development of other nations.  The poorest regions of the world do not need more war, famine, and social chaos.  These areas are breeding grounds for violence and terrorism.  These regions need communication and transportation systems, water and electricity, social services, agricultural revitalization, construction projects, a dependable currency, and a strong modernized economy for buying and selling.  To the extent other nations wish to industrialize and move toward a technology-driven society, the U.S. should do all in its power to help them accomplish those aims.

7.      The U.S. should remember that its “best foreign policy” is to maintain a democratic form of government at home, alongside a high standard of living for its people.  Our government must remember that America’s influence around the world is best served when our nation is seen as a role model for a peaceful, productive society—one in which its citizens enjoy both freedom and economic opportunities to build a better life for themselves and their families.  Successfully addressing issues of inequality at home ultimately leads to the greatest positive influence on, and respect from, nations abroad.

8.      American foreign policy should reflect the good will and known generosity of the American government and people.  We should be willing to share our knowledge, expertise, and wealth through international agreements as well as people-to-people engagement.  The fundamental cause of unrest around the world is the great and growing divide between rich and poor, the haves and have-nots.  Extreme poverty and squalor in drought-stricken regions of the world, now facing calamitous famine, will lead to destructive unrest if the richer nations sit on their hands and do little or nothing. 

There are too many people living in refugee camps or endangering their lives through treacherous crossings of the Mediterranean Sea in unseaworthy boats.  There are too many people traipsing the exhausting journey of stateless families desperately seeking asylum anywhere they can find sympathy and support.  

These dire circumstances call out to all good people of conscience to do more to ameliorate such great hardship and suffering.  Refugees fleeing persecution, poverty, and war are not America’s enemies; in years gone by, people just like them came to these shores to build a new life.  They made significant and lasting contributions to American society though their labor and ingenuity. 

9.      The United States must recognize that it is this extreme poverty that is leading to disastrous social disintegration and the destabilization of entire regions.  It is not enough for the United States and other western nations to pledge peaceful diplomatic interactions with other governments as its priority.  The underlying social and economic conditions that produce the combustible fuel for violence and war must also be addressed: immediately, consistently, and determinedly over a sustained period of time. 

10.  The only way to avoid or lessen the likelihood of war and terrorism is for the United States to change the direction and nature of its foreign policy.  Our government must stop propping up military dictators simply because they behave in a manner favorable to the interests of U.S. corporations and military planners.  America’s reputation for democracy must reflect the hopes and aspirations of its people and not just the economic needs of the rich. 

Now one or more of these ten principles may shock the reader to his core!  Nevertheless, a strong argument can be made that these principles have always been a part of America’s foreign policy, historically speaking.  The principle of equality among nations dates back to the Revolution and the founding of the country itself.  George Washington adopted the policy of non-intervention in the internal affairs of other countries; he pledged peace and kept us out of war. 

All of these principles flow from the democratic principles upon which America was founded. 

Perhaps no one is articulating well what Americans believe when it comes to how our nation should interact with other countries, but we have always had sound principles for foreign policy. 

Truthfully, what is written here is not actually meant to be “shocking” except insofar as the average American may have become bewildered and confused in recent years by what our government does (or does not do) abroad. 

If one has not seen such language in a long time, it takes time to reacquaint oneself with several of the bedrock principles upon which American foreign policy is based. 

Inconsistencies and contradictions have overwhelmed our foreign policy for too long.  We cannot support a right-wing military dictatorship in one place while asserting our belief in “democratic government” without appearing confused and insincere.     

When the current occupant of the White house is impulsive and unpredictable as to what he wishes to accomplish in the way of foreign policy, such a state of affairs inevitably reflects quite poorly on America: on all of us.  Granted, some presidents are not well-educated or experienced in such matters, but all can learn. 

They can study anew the cardinal principles of our democratic philosophy.  They can relearn and reaffirm the democratic and constitutional principles upon which our nation is founded. 

They can read the words of George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and many other Founding Fathers.  They can become familiar with the historical record of America as a country intent on maintaining peaceful relations with other nations, where peace is the highest priority and war contemplated only as a last resort.  Only in peacetime do nations achieve their highest levels of productivity and citizens achieve their greatest creative expression as human beings.

Well, I guess it’s safe now to take off those 3-D sunglasses and safety goggles, set aside the fire extinguisher and cancel your appointment to see a psychiatrist.  These words were never meant to be incendiary or shocking though I still fear they may have that effect on some few readers.

We need a foreign policy that is clear, consistent, democratic, and humane.  These ten principles are meant to help light the way by reminding us who we are and from where we came. 

We were born in revolution and we pledged peace and equality with other nations of the world so that they, too, in time could discover the blessing of liberty, the joys of democracy, and their own potential for economic productivity in a democratic society at peace.

We should not and must not impose our will on others but we can certainly do all in our power, through example and persuasion, through diplomacy and negotiation, to show our faith in peace and friendship as the best way to create and sustain a peaceful and prosperous world.

Let us revisit, rethink, and reaffirm our belief in these basic principles of a sound, democratic, and productive foreign policy that makes friends, not enemies, of the government and people of other nations of whatever race, religion, or cultural history. 

America, as a nation of immigrants with all of its incredible diversity, is well-suited to take the lead in the re-emergence of a sane attitude toward all the world’s peoples by implementing a foreign policy that is founded on peace and good will: a foreign policy that will carefully nurture hopes for a better future for all great humanity: for the one family of mankind, bar none.