Selling a Slender Foreign Policy
07/09/14
Peter Harris
Domestic Politics, United States
Rand Paul wrote an op-ed for the National Review
last week to criticize the Obama administration’s handling of recent
violence in Israel. The senator’s argument was that President Obama
should act decisively to cut off all aid to the Palestinian Authority in
order to show solidarity with Israel and influence events in the Middle
East. Properly understood, though, Paul’s piece was hardly a clarion
call. On the contrary, it was part of a long-term and incremental
campaign to win over the U.S. public to the cause of non-interventionism
in foreign policy.
Rand
Paul stands for a light global footprint for the United States. Costly
wars of choice, expansive networks of overseas bases, generous handouts
to foreign leaders—none of these serve the interests of the American
people according to Paul. On the specific question of overseas aid,
Paul is on record as calling for such programs to be abolished—including U.S. aid to Israel.
If
Paul had his way, foreign policy would command a much reduced budget,
require a significantly smaller military establishment (at home and
abroad) and would involve precious little money being allotted to
America’s allies. The U.S. would be involved in far fewer military
operations—whether large or small—and the nation would be meticulous in
drawing distinctions between core national interests and problems which
properly belong to other countries. To coin a phrase, America would
“come home.”
The
rub is that Paul’s brand of foreign policy is a tough sell
domestically, especially in GOP circles. The U.S. military is highly
valued by American society, regarded as a source of national pride
and—in many parts of the country—regional economic growth and
much-needed employment. The public and their leaders fret about
external threats such as terrorism and nuclear proliferation, and look
to the military for protection. If credible, the accusation of being
weak on national security has the potential to torpedo any would-be
presidential bid—Rand Paul’s prospective run for the White House
included.
Read full articlehttp://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/selling-slender-foreign-policy-10838
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