Within the past few months, we have watched as ISIS, a terrorist organization, has violently taken over major cities in Iraq. With the Iraqi soldiers dropping their guns and fleeing, it seems that all the time, money, and American lives we sacrificed to help “nation build” Iraq has been for naught.
So, do we help Iraq once again, or should President Obama make good on his promise to end all military involvement in the country?
The United States is one of the most powerful countries in our world, and with our democracy and individual liberty, most Americans can live comfortably without fearing for their lives every single day.
Many other countries, however, are less fortunate than we are – developing and unstable third world countries are prone to disaster, chaos, and terrorist uprisings. But despite George Washington’s warnings against foreign entanglement as well as the USA’s past ideology of isolationism, we can no longer sit back and watch as helpless citizens of other countries are torn to shreds.
The world is small now, and humans of every race, religion, and continent must stand up for each other when times are tough. We need to be the World’s Police.
While Libertarians and isolationists advise to focus on domestic policies only, they forget that involving ourselves in World Affairs was what got us our status as a world leader. By fighting in both World Wars, we jumped from “fairly competitive industrial economy” to “World Superpower.” Giving relief to countries in times of struggle gains allies that the USA desperately needs.
Providing money, medical care, and food to disaster locations like Haiti or the Philippines is what earns the World’s respect; sending drones to al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan is what commands fear. Our international involvement is what has kept us from being invaded for the past two hundred years.
Policing the world is a smart long-term investment, even though it costs money in the short-term. Like Teddy Roosevelt, we must “walk softly, but carry a big stick” if we want to compete with China and Russia.
Two centuries ago, we could afford to turn a blind eye to the affairs across the oceans; now, we see everything on Twitter in real time, and we have the resources and activists’ passion to help those who struggle.
The more we interact, the more we realize our commonality, and eventually, borders and divisions will be null and meaningless. And because it is now impossible to be self-sufficient as a nation, global interaction is both beneficial to and necessary for those involved. The more we help each other, the quicker humans of different cultures will dispel their grudges and stereotypes; less strife and tension and greater global harmony will follow.
We must not, however, go where we are not wanted. Choosing sides in religious civil wars where the “right side” is ambiguous is a terrible idea, as we have seen from Vietnam and Iraq. And sending troops to regions where the civilians themselves don’t want or like the USA only leads to trouble. We should provide financial or military relief only to governments and populations who ask for it. Overstepping our boundaries makes us loathed, not loved.
As the world’s democratic superpower, we not only have the means, but also the responsibility to help those in need. If we don’t police the world, nobody else will, and we sure as hell shouldn’t leave the job up to Bill Gates and his philanthropy goons. America must step up to the plate and save the world.
