The reality is that we live in a global community, global economy and U.S. foreign policy should be elevated as among the top issues in this nation that voters consider during elections. The U.S. national annual budget allocates a huge bulk (second only to Social Security) for defense and foreign aid combined – both obviously foreign policy oriented.
How much Americans spend on foreign policy relative to our domestic interests is what Americans are now increasingly debating. For example, for decades the U.S. has been spending more on our military than the next nine countries combined. That money has been used for not just our own security, but for protecting the entire Western world, at our expense, disproportionately. Meanwhile, western countries under the blanket of the security the U.S provides, can spend less on their militaries, and bolster their domestic spending to provide their citizens with benefits Americans do not have, such as universal healthcare and a strong retirement system.
Basic logic tells us that if the U.S. would have a better and proportionate balanced budget between foreign policy spending and domestic spending, Americans would also be able to enjoy some of the benefits our western allies enjoy.
Furthermore, after decades of disproportionate spending between foreign and domestic spending, our neglect on domestic matters have set the U.S. behind other countries in other areas like education, infrastructure and others.
Some Americans argue that the U.S. is the leader of the free world, and this is the heavy price we must pay to be the leader of the free world. This is outdated 1990s thinking that does not reflect reality.
New geopolitical reality
What’s the geopolitical reality of our time?
It is true that the U.S. remains the leader of the free world, have the largest economy and military, but the rest of the world has caught up to where the advantage the U.S. has on all accounts over other countries, do not empower the U.S. to do as they will.
For example, regarding the global economy, the U.S. has powerful financial competition from other centers of economic power not necessarily aligned with the G-7 bloc. There is the BRICS bloc that can trade among their own member-states and now rival G-7. China is expected to surpass the U.S. in GDP within 20 years, and eventually India in the next 50 years.
As for military strength, there are multiple nuclear countries which cancel the “realistic” use of nuclear weapons. Therefore, what are the measurements of actual military strength that can be used in an actual theater of war? High-tech non-nuclear weapons and ground forces – which based on these two, will not win wars for the U.S. The proxy war with Russia is a case in point. It’s not a winnable war. That stalemate would playout the same if the U.S. engages with China in the Indo-Pacific region or Taiwan. Miliary attrition does not give the U.S. an edge because that’s based on economic strength of a country (money to manufacture weapons). And what has kept the Russian economy alive despite U.S. and European sanctions? BRICS.
It’s becoming clearer that a shift in U.S. policy is inevitable.
U.S. cannot afford our same foreign policy model
In this new world of near geopolitical parity, it’s clear that the old U.S. foreign policy model must change from one of dominance to one of cooperation and mutual prosperity.
Even if the U.S. wanted to continue down the same path, it is not able to do so because the American electorate do not have the will for it or ability. Succinctly put, our country can no longer afford financially to be the sole superpower of the world protecting the Western hemisphere and our allies in Asia.
Greater Prosperity in Peace
In each passing year that the U.S. engages in immensely costly wars, we not only impoverish ourselves, but give the other countries not engaged in war opportunities to surpass us. How else can you explain China’s light speed rise? While the U.S. has been engaged in trillion dollars-plus wars over the past 20 years, China, which hasn’t engaged itself in wars, funneled all their money and energy to become the superpower it is today. The same phenomenon played out with India (not engaged in costly wars) which surpassed their former colonial nation Great Britain as the fifth largest economy. As for Russia, who has been engaged in war, their economy (while strong enough to defend their own borders) is certainly not wealthy enough to expand it as serious economists, political scientists, and military analysts know. Those believing in Russian expansionism of Europe have bought into the globalist war profiteers’ propaganda.
Evidence shows that there is greater prosperity in peace than in war in this modern era. There certainly was a time that a war-based economy was central to economic strength. But that time has passed (as with the U.S. sole superpower model) with today’s tech economy replacing that old “war is good business” model. War remains good business for the military arms manufacturers and dealers, but at great cost to U.S. taxpayers even as the military industrial complex spurs lucrative industry pockets.
U.S. is in denial
Our politicians are refusing to absorb the enormity of the damage endless wars and unlimited budgeting for defense have cost the country. Our government is also in denial of the new geopolitical order and still believes in that old idea that spending obscene amounts more on the military will change that order. It will not.
Some Americans are now seeing the connect between our foreign policy choices and our advancements or lack of as a nation. To not weigh on foreign policy as an area for reform such as immigration reform, health reform, education reform and all other issues we deem to be important would be missing their interconnectedness for one. But more importantly, continue to rob us from improving on all those other reforms needing immediate attention.
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