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Staying Out of Other People's Wars
The Sunshine State News ^ | February 8, 2014 | Patrick J. Buchanan

Posted on 02/08/2014 11:41:02 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

"If these negotiations [with Iran] fail, there are two grim alternatives," said Sen. Richard Durbin, "a nuclear Iran, or war, or perhaps both."

Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham returned from the Munich security conference saying that even John Kerry agrees that President Obama's Syrian policy has failed. They are urging another look at air strikes.

North Korea is warning that should the annual U.S.-South Korean military exercises go forward in March, it could mean war, possibly nuclear war.

Philippines President Benigno Aquino III this week compared his country's situation to Czechoslovakia in 1938, and the disputed islets off his coast in the South China Sea to the Sudetenland. Like Hitler in Europe, Aquino is saying, China is on the march in Asia.

Aquino wants the world -- i.e., us -- to stand up to China.

At Davos, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe compared Japan's clash with China over the Senkaku islands in the East China Sea to German-British tensions on the eve of World War I. Though they were major trading partners, like China and Japan, said Abe, Germany and Britain went to war.

China's foreign ministry charged Abe with "saying these things for the purpose of escaping Japan's history of aggression."

China was enraged by Abe's visit to the Yasukuni Shrine where Japanese war dead are commemorated, including Hideki Tojo and 13 other Class A war criminals.

Asia today is like "19th-century Europe, where military conflict is not ruled out," said Henry Kissinger at Munich.

Cal Coolidge's admonition not to panic -- "If you see 10troubles coming down the road, you can be sure that nine will run into the ditch before they reach you" -- is often wise counsel. Yet, any of these five situations could bring about a war, a war involving us.

For we are obligated by treaty to defend South Korea, Japan and the Philippines. And the Obama "pivot" to Asia is seen by Beijing as a U.S. strategic move to contain China's rise to superpower status.

The possibility of America being dragged into a new war is growing.

For not only is Beijing bullying its coastal neighbors, the Middle East is descending into a maelstrom.

Libya is disintegrating. Egypt is moving toward a new military dictatorship. Sinai is a no man's land. Syria is three years deep in a civil-sectarian war with 130,000 dead. Sunni and Hezbollah groups car-bomb one another in Lebanon. Iraq is being torn asunder by Sunni Islamists in Anbar, newly battling the Shia regime in Baghdad. Tribalism tears at Yemen. Afghanistan may see a return of the Taliban when we go.

Nuclear-armed Pakistan is trying to reconcile with its own Taliban. Al-Qaida has denounced the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria for atrocities and dividing the rebel cause in Syria.

Even the jihadi terrorists are fighting one another.

Behind these conflicts is a Moslem awakening, a Sunni-Shia struggle for supremacy, the rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia for primacy in the Gulf, and the ethnonational dreams of Pashtun, Baluch, Kurds and other tribes.

Still, it is hard to see any U.S. vital interest so imperiled in these conflicts to justify plunging into another war in that hate-filled and blood-soaked region. Sarah Palin's suggestion, "Let Allah sort it out," begins to sound like the sage counsel of George Kennan.

Twice since last summer, anti-interventionists have routed the War Party. First, with the popular uprising that swamped calls for strikes on Syria. Second, with this winter's blockage of new sanctions on Iran that could have torpedoed negotiations.

Yet in both cases the anti-interventionists succeeded because Obama has never at heart been a war president. And because the country does not want any more wars.

A sign of the times was ex-Reagan speech writer and veteran Congressman Dana Rohrabacher telling C-SPAN the U.S. media give too much time to McCain and Graham, who do not speak for the Republican Party when they call for military action. They speak only for themselves.

Yet, despite the victories of the anti-interventionists, the United States remains a hostage to war. Dating back to the early years of the Cold War, in the 1950s, we signed treaties obligating us to fight for scores of nations on five continents. NATO alone now requires us to defend 25 European countries, from Iceland to Estonia.

How many of these war guarantees are vital to U.S. security?

How many of these treaties, which could require us to go to war with nuclear-armed powers like Russia and China over tiny islets and minuscule nations half a world away, are truly in America's national interest?

The 2016 primaries are the setting for the Republican Party to debate and to adopt a new foreign policy for the 21st century, a policy that rejects the mindless interventionism of the McCains and steers us around, not into, the wars of the future that are surely coming.

It's time for antiwar conservatism -- staying out of other people's quarrels and other nations' wars -- one of the oldest and proudest traditions of the republic, to regain its rightful place in the Grand Old Party.


TOPICS: Egypt; Foreign Affairs; Germany; Government; Israel; Japan; Politics/Elections; Russia; Syria; US: Arizona; US: California; US: Illinois; US: South Carolina; United Kingdom; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 911truthers; afghanistan; americafirster; antiwardotcom; arizona; california; china; czechoslovakia; danarohrabacher; demagogue; egypt; estonia; europeanunion; germany; iceland; illinois; iran; iraq; israel; japan; johnmccain; kkk; korea; lebanon; lewrockwelldotcom; lindseygraham; mccain; northkorea; obama; pakistan; paleolibs; palin; patbuchanan; philippines; pitchforkpat; randsconcerntrolls; richarddurbin; russia; senkakuislands; southcarolina; surrendercaucus; syria; unitedkingdom; waronterror; yemen
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Comments?
1 posted on 02/08/2014 11:41:02 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
He's right, but he's basing his whole thesis on the incorrect understanding that the U.S. is still a sovereign nation with national interests.

The U.S. is now a global empire, which means the whole idea of "national interests" is just so silly and antiquated.

The good news is that nobody is going to be drafted to fight for the U.S. in these stupid military campaigns, so for most Americans it will get played out mostly on television and in a continuing U.S. slide into bankruptcy.

2 posted on 02/08/2014 11:48:11 AM PST by Alberta's Child ("I've never seen such a conclave of minstrels in my life.")
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

we cant just give up our secret underground nuclear sub bases in afghanistan

we just cant


3 posted on 02/08/2014 11:48:45 AM PST by bigheadfred
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

What, is “American interests”.

What do we need ?

What are we willing to fight for ?

What do we OWN ?


4 posted on 02/08/2014 11:49:11 AM PST by Zeneta
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To: Alberta's Child

Oh, if they feel the need they’ll bring back the draft in a New York minute. Why do you think that males 18-26 have to register for Selective Service? I was a member of a draft board during the Bush 41 era. They’re in every village and hamlet, every city, state and territory. They can be activated at a moments notice.


5 posted on 02/08/2014 11:52:22 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet (Jealousy is when you count someone else's blessings instead of your own.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
George Washington had the best comment:

"It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world."

6 posted on 02/08/2014 11:52:53 AM PST by Colonel Kangaroo
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To: Colonel Kangaroo

Stay out of Intra-Arab/Muslim squabbles, that would be a good start.


7 posted on 02/08/2014 11:53:59 AM PST by dfwgator
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To: dfwgator; Colonel Kangaroo
From the column:

"Still, it is hard to see any U.S. vital interest so imperiled in these conflicts to justify plunging into another war in that hate-filled and blood-soaked region. Sarah Palin's suggestion, "Let Allah sort it out," begins to sound like the sage counsel of George Kennan."

8 posted on 02/08/2014 12:00:05 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet (Jealousy is when you count someone else's blessings instead of your own.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

These are thousand year wars of no vital interest to us. If we go in, our only option is to lose. We don’t know what we are doing. If our enemy is Iran, why did we take out Iraq, Iran’s enemy? China is building up militarily , seeking expansion in the China seas, building our products and loaning us money. At this stage of our economy, war is existential to us or we go the way of England, crushed by continuous wars.


9 posted on 02/08/2014 12:00:09 PM PST by ex-snook (God is Love)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Bwahahahaha, ROTFLMAO! Your a great guy but.......c’mon.

I wanna be a fly on the wall to see that. Google “People of Walmart” and check out the pictures.

I give them a weeks attempt at the draft and they’ll be beggin’ to sign defense contracts with Blackwater.


10 posted on 02/08/2014 12:14:52 PM PST by Rich21IE
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

“The 2016 primaries are the setting for the Republican Party to debate and to adopt a new foreign policy for the 21st century, a policy that rejects the mindless interventionism of the McCains and steers us around, not into, the wars of the future that are surely coming.”

I gotta wall mural of that.


11 posted on 02/08/2014 12:16:17 PM PST by Rich21IE
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Maybe there is even a US interest in intra-Arab and Muslim civil war?

Dunno, just a thought


12 posted on 02/08/2014 12:20:19 PM PST by PGR88
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

A little Reaganesque restraint goes a long way and its a big seller with voters.


13 posted on 02/08/2014 12:21:43 PM PST by cripplecreek (REMEMBER THE RIVER RAISIN!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I’d be interested in seeing exactly how much Juan McVain and Linda Graham are invested in defense contractors, and vice-versa. They are always itching to get us into a war.


14 posted on 02/08/2014 12:34:06 PM PST by EricT. (ARBEIT MACHT FREI- now get back to work you taxpaying peasant!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
My great-grandfather had an infestation of rats in his chicken houses.

He got rid of the chickens and the rats ate themselves.

Simple solution.

15 posted on 02/08/2014 12:36:01 PM PST by elkfersupper
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To: Rich21IE

“People of Walmart”

cannon fodder


16 posted on 02/08/2014 12:38:33 PM PST by bigheadfred
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To: bigheadfred

Heh.


17 posted on 02/08/2014 12:42:10 PM PST by Cyber Liberty (H.L. Mencken: "The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.")
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To: Alberta's Child

Too bad we can’t figure out how to make being a global empire pay.
Or maybe we’re NOT a global empire?


18 posted on 02/08/2014 1:02:43 PM PST by Little Ray (How did I end up in this hand-basket, and why is it getting so hot?)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Next time send a few of Obama’s all-Gay battalions and all-female battalions.


19 posted on 02/08/2014 1:10:06 PM PST by Iron Munro ("Show me the man, and I'll show you the crime." - Lavrentiy Beria (& Eric Holder))
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To: bigheadfred

The people who prefer Walmart do tend to be middle America, but what do have against the military and America’s veterans?


20 posted on 02/08/2014 2:33:46 PM PST by ansel12 (Ben Bradlee -- JFK told me that "he was all for people's solving their problems by abortion".)
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