If I Ruled America: Foreign Policy
A while back, I wrote the Preamble to “If I Ruled America,” in which I described my philosophy of what the government should be, and what I would implement if I were in charge. I said I’d take it into more detail, so here’s my take on foreign policy.
If you read the long Preamble, then you’d be aware of the fact that one of the few responsibilities my government would hold be to protect our citizens’ liberty. In foreign policy, this is an interesting distinction. I didn’t say “anyone else’s” citizens, I didn’t say “French” citizens.
Military Policy
If elected emperor (haha - “elected”), I would try to follow the generally firm non-interventionist policies of George Washington, James Monroe, and Teddy Roosevelt. Applied to today, that means I wouldn’t want to be in Iraq, but I WOULD be more willing to intervene in our hemisphere, particularly in issues with the Panama Canal (priority #2 - Infrastructure). Thanks to T.R. for that one.
Following the basic principles of “talk softly and carry a big stick,” however, still involves carrying a big stick - the military, priority #1 on my big three.
The United States already spends massive amounts of money on the military, so all it needs is a not-modest 50% funding increase and sweeping recruitment reform…you know, just slight hundred-billion dollar tweaks here and there.
In order to strengthen the military, I would do a couple of things. First: make research, experimentation, and development a top priority, even though they already secretly are. Shh! Second: Reform the recruitment process, which means targeting qualified candidates, offering more-than-generous incentives, and decreasing competition between recruiters, and raise training standards. (Note: gays can fight and be openly gay, but there will be strict “anti-flaming gay” policies, as it just encourages our enemies.)
It would be important that the American military continually set the standard for military excellence throughout the world, especially in the air and soon, in space. Space research - strongly tied to priority #3 (research) would involve massive investments in space technology and weapons development to give us an overwhelming advantage if new space races start.
Also, veterans would and should receive generous packages so that no soldier who served the United States ever goes thankless.
In fact, many of these Monroe-like foreign policies wouldn’t apply in space. We’d shoot nearly anything down.
Terrorism Policy
Terrorism is a major issue of foreign policy, and I would treat it with an extreme zero-tolerance policy. Torture would be allowed, and terrorists would be treated as American criminals and sent to the labor camps of Alaska.
Alliance and Trade Policies
Virtually zero tarriffs and trade restrictions, except that food or drugs would have to be acceptable to U.S. standards so that people don’t die. Any and all countries who want to trade are welcome to trade with the U.S. Companies would get tax freedoms for having employees that don’t take effect if employees are overseas.
No restrictions on oil trade, even though we’re “addicted” to it and headed toward a huge oil crisis eventually or soon. That crisis will go under “energy,” which goes under priority #2 - infrastructure.
I would stay out of Europe’s business especially as it relates to the Euro and the EU right now. I would lift the trade embargo off of Cuba, rendering Cuban cigars less cool and thereby crippling their economy.
I would decrease foreign aid significantly, as while it might be important for the wealthy to help the poor, it’s not the responsibility of sovereign nations. Liberals complain about Iraq. Okay, but then they want us to give other poor countries money, indirectly funding some violent leaders. Either we’re involved with helping other countries for humanitarian reasons or we’re not.
(Or, as my high school marketing teacher once put it, “If you feed them, they have more babies, and those babies starve. Is it really the better deal? I’m just asking.”
So that’s my foreign policy, mostly a “sleeping giant” kind of policy that doesn’t want to interfere with other country’s business, but doesn’t want to be Switzerland, either. Staying relatively peaceful, yours truly would have a lot more free time to dedicate to domestic policy: free planes and flat tax rates. America, [bleep] yeah!
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