Monday, March 17, 2014

Foreign Policy and Isolationism

I was listening to NPR on my lunch break last week as they covered the unrest in Ukraine and the movement of Russian troops into Crimea. There was a caller that insisted that it is the duty of the United States of America to do something so that Russia does not take over Crimea. As you may know there was a referendum yesterday, where residents of Crimea voted to be a part of Russia. Today, the United States has decided to freeze the assets of some Russian dignitaries and their families.

My take on this whole thing? Dearest America, stay in your own lane.

Listen, I am all about the greater good and making people behave when they do something ridiculous, HOWEVER, I am not of the mindset that the United States of America is responsible to bring every asshole to justice. If someone directly assaults US, then WE should take care of them. All for it. If someone moves into some land and take it as their own… which does NOT directly affect us… *shrugs* I don't really care. We should leave the situation alone and let the (capable) countries that are directly affected and in close proximity take control. The European Union countries are the best to impose sanctions-- not the United States. The European Union countries are in the best position to implement punishments-- not the United States. What we need to do is figure out a way to provide the services that Russia provides the European Union and take steps towards financial happiness!!

People who think that we are Captain Save a Hoe to the world are mistaken. We have absolutely no business in this fight. The United States already picks and chooses which scuffles to get involved in. There have been whole civil wars that we have not participated in; we have watched on the sidelines while some countries were run into the ground by dictators; our news has been inundated with families and villages decimated in the fight for power-- and we have not done anything. Because getting involved would cost us more than it would help. Such is this new situation.

Let's not kid ourselves-- America is still fighting two wars. We still have troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. We still have members of our Armed Forces dying every day in a war that has cost us trillions of dollars and has lasted over a decade. We have a Congress that is unable to come to any agreements on how much our soldiers should be paid, or what their benefits should be. We have a struggling economy and thousands of people who are still unemployed and can NOT find work. We have an ineffective, fighting Congress and we do not need to take on anything else. The people of Crimea want to be a part of Russia… I say let the Brits do something. Make the French send troops. Let the Germans list their frustrations about it and do something. Any other country. We cannot afford to be Captain Save a Hoe right now. We have our own shit to deal with.


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