Nonintervention: The Original Foreign Policy

Nonintervention: The Original Foreign Policy Ron Paul - June, 2007 Future of Freedom Foundation Ron Paul promotes the Founding Fathers: Non-intervention Posted on June 6, 2007 by Lance The Founding Fathers were very strong advocates of nonintervention. For all the Republican talk of “strict interpretation”, “original intent”, and “look to the Founders for advice”, they seem to have ignored for the past 10 years the non-intervention foreign policy that the founders advocated. Let’s look at what our Founding Fathers said many years ago. Here is George Washington’s farewell address, the shining light of American foreign policy for nearly a hundred years: The great rule of conduct for us, in regard to domestic nations, is in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible. Europe has a set of primary interests, which to us have none, or a very remote relation. Hence she must be engaged in frequent controversies the causes of which are essentially foreign to our concerns. Hence, therefore, it must be unwise in us to implicate ourselves, by artificial ties, in the ordinary vicissitudes of her politics, or the ordinary combinations and collisions of her friendships or enmities. Thomas Jefferson had this to say in his 1801 inaugural speech: “peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none.” Though the Monroe Doctrine was to keep Europe out the west, we were steadfast in keeping out of Europe and other nations’ affairs too; James Monroe: “In the wars of the European powers, in matters relating to themselves, we have never taken part, nor does it comport with our policy, so to do. It is only when our rights are invaded, or seriously menaced that we resent injuries, or make preparations for our defense.” Last night on the CNN Debate (June 5), the question was posed: “What is the most important moral issue facing America today?” If I’m correct I believe nearly every one brought up abortion and tried to say they were pro-life. If Giuliani or someone else brought up another point I do not recall, for Ron Paul made the most important, best speech of the night here. He stood up and gracefully said: “We, in the past, have always declared war in defense of our liberties or go to aid somebody,” Paul said. “But now we have accepted the principle of preemptive war. We have rejected the just war theory of Christianity.” He hit home right there. Paul said he was disgusted that some candidates propose a preemptive strike on Iran. Why? Iran poses no threat to us if we would do as the founders have told us over 200 years ago and simply stop interfering with other nations. It is because of the elite and their direction of foreign policy that we have become entangled with so many other nations and caused the problems we have caused today. Many Republicans will have some sort of knee-jerk reaction to this due to the past ten years of Neoconservative brainwashing, but look at every Republican candidate. They were running on a conservative idea: Nonintervention, no new spending, cutting government. Somehow the Republican party, especially under the Bush administration, has become obsessed that spending is good, that interventionism is good in foreign policy, and that big government is good. Bush ran on a humble foreign policy. So did Reagan. So did Nixon, and Eisenhower. They were elected to stop or to prevent wars from happening, not to start wars. September 11, 2001, gave the Neoconservatives their chance to permanently brainwash the good Republicans into believing war is the answer. It isn’t. This isn’t a Democrat “weak” stance, either. The Democrats are just as apt and ready to go to war as Republicans, they are just using the war as a political point to try to get elected. Clinton nearly went to war with Iraq, they just needed a good excuse. Republicans and Democrats alike, if you want a true proponent of the Constitution, a true patriot, a man who believes in freedom and refuses to become corrupted so far: It is Ron Paul. Source