The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Twitter: Foreign Policy Clarity

Posted on | August 18, 2013 | 18 Comments

by Smitty

 

The argument in favor of U.S. hegemony since WWII has been “Well, who else do you trust?”

60 years on, well into the Information Age, it’s no longer clear we trust ourselves: to manage information; to budget; to tell the difference between the Good Guys and the Bad Guys.

While I’m on Chapter Four of the new Mark Levin book (which read), part of the come-to-Beevis moment our country needs is a foreign policy review. It’s hard to be the land of individual liberty AND the land of “form up and march”.

As a veteran, I’m perfectly comfortable with the notion that the best defense is a good offense. Also, post-Bretton Woods and the National Security Act of 1947, the U.S. had the ball for protecting the West against the Soviets, in exchange for the privilege of being the world reserve currency.

So, what? The Soviets are gone, the Godless Commies having seeded our rodeos and oval office with clowns, and our military is moving in the direction of incoherence.

Irrespective of consequences, I’d take the position that, if we can’t pull our own heads out of that sunless location, we can’t be much use to anyone else. Keep the Navy/Marine Corps team for traditional sea control, disaster relief, and “gentle reminders”. However, let’s just consider that, 20 years after the U.S.S.R. wheezed its last, the Iraq/Afghanistan-style power projection thing is substantially done.

Hegemony was a powerful drug. And we can support groups of allies standing up against, say, China. Fight their wars, though? Not without the thought given a proper Declaration of War, the last of which was in WWII.

Category: Foreigners

Comments

18 Responses to “Twitter: Foreign Policy Clarity”

  1. OwainPenllyn
    August 18th, 2013 @ 9:47 pm

    RT @smitty_one_each: Twitter: Foreign Policy Clarity http://t.co/BGEMHPYoZa #TCOT

  2. thatMrGguy
    August 18th, 2013 @ 9:53 pm

    Twitter: Foreign Policy Clarity http://t.co/T0uLsfHMuh

  3. MrEvilMatt
    August 18th, 2013 @ 9:54 pm

    Twitter: Foreign Policy Clarity: by Smitty @Sephricloud To paraphrase Rick James, the funk Kissinger: “Superpo… http://t.co/WAVFdKNLkm

  4. jwbrown1969
    August 18th, 2013 @ 9:54 pm

    Twitter: Foreign Policy Clarity: by Smitty @Sephricloud To paraphrase Rick James, the funk Kissinger: “Superpo… http://t.co/idfyZwZaZA

  5. Lockestep1776
    August 18th, 2013 @ 9:54 pm

    Twitter: Foreign Policy Clarity: by Smitty @Sephricloud To paraphrase Rick James, the funk Kissinger: “Superpo… http://t.co/IvQ76WNfsR

  6. CHideout
    August 18th, 2013 @ 9:54 pm

    Twitter: Foreign Policy Clarity: by Smitty @Sephricloud To paraphrase Rick James, the funk Kissinger: “Superpo… http://t.co/DqEu5psL6h

  7. Citzcom
    August 18th, 2013 @ 9:54 pm

    Twitter: Foreign Policy Clarity: by Smitty @Sephricloud To paraphrase Rick James, the funk Kissinger: “Superpo… http://t.co/kbVrd5PTDh

  8. preciseBlogs
    August 18th, 2013 @ 9:55 pm

    Twitter: Foreign Policy Clarity http://t.co/7CF1XmIyvl #news #conservative #foreigners

  9. Mike G.
    August 18th, 2013 @ 9:57 pm

    The main problem is, even our involvement in NATO, most of the funding comes from us in exchange for semi-permanent leases on land for bases and seaports.

    When I served in Europe during the late 70’s, we trained most of the NATO air forces and the French, too. By the way, we also trained the Iranians and Iraqis on American bases back then too.

  10. Sephricloud
    August 18th, 2013 @ 10:00 pm

    http://t.co/jhAZaY8SW0

  11. smitty_one_each
    August 18th, 2013 @ 10:13 pm

    “The main problem is, even our involvement in NATO, most of the funding comes from us in exchange for…” — Mike G. http://t.co/SIgUM0Pu6j

  12. Anon Y. Mous
    August 19th, 2013 @ 1:10 am

    I consider the “Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002” to be a proper declaration of war. It was openly debated in Congress, with the American people clearly informed about what was being debated. The fact that it was called an AUMF instead of a Declaration of War is a triviality.

  13. richard mcenroe
    August 19th, 2013 @ 1:13 am

    That is why you, sir, will never be a Senator. The words are FAR more important than the thing itself…

  14. RMNixonDeceased
    August 19th, 2013 @ 10:42 am

    “The main problem is, even our involvement in NATO, most of the funding comes from us in exchange for…” — Mike G. http://t.co/H4FYOpx9YC

  15. RMNixonDeceased
    August 19th, 2013 @ 10:42 am

    “That is why you, sir, will never be a Senator. The words are FAR more important than the thing…” — richard mcenroe http://t.co/wWXsRm3AOC

  16. Finrod Felagund
    August 19th, 2013 @ 2:34 pm

    I agree; Joe Biden of all people made that exact same argument when it was being passed. I used to have a link for it but once he left the Senate apparently all his old links broke, go figure.

  17. Bob Belvedere
    August 19th, 2013 @ 8:13 pm

    Once the British dominated the seas and began to police the world, this planet became a much safer place and, most importantly, The West was more secure. They had the Will to do what it took to enforce the Pax Britannia.

    When The United States took over that role we had the Will – sometimes – to enforce the Pax Americana, and, when we did, the world was a safer place.

    But there have always been two problems that have made us less effective then the British in their heyday: (1) our hearts were never in it because we foolishly misunderstood, from the beginning of the nation, that constitutional republics cannot long afford to isolate themselves from the Real World and that lovely ideals don’t mean much in the non-Western World, and (2) by the time we took over the old British role, the corrosive influence of Leftist Thinking had gained a firm foothold in the minds of our officials and Leftism breeds indecision, Chaos, mental weakness, and it’s policies are but flights of dangerous fancies.

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    August 25th, 2013 @ 5:04 pm

    […] Twitter: Foreign Policy Clarity […]