Wars are sometimes necessary and Ron Paul’s conception of foreign policy is ludicrous and indistinguishable from that of your typical RAT.
Actually, the mainline GOP has a foreign policy indistinguishable from the Democrats....., neither believe in the constitution, but insist that Congress fund “military actions” in lieu of declaring war.
This idiocy gets us into interminable, feckless, reckless, “make it up as you go” military conflicts. Checked out G. Washington’s farewell address to congress lately?
brought up since it is routinely used by those who are not really aware of what it said or why it was written as it was.
It is not a call to never intervene outside the country but a warning about what intervening in the war between France and England would do to this country. Washington (Hamilton actually) feared a civil war developing HERE should the government side with either. This is obvious to any who has actually studied the times and the document as opposed to those adopting the Fringe view which twists it to argue against involvement in foreign affairs or wars.
His concern is “The unity of government which constitutes you one people....a main pillar in the edifice of real independence,...” He then warns of tendencies which tend to disrupt the Union “...indignantly frowning upon the first dawning of every attempt to alienate any portion of our country from the rest, or to enfeeble the sacred ties which now link together the various parts.”
His next point urges Nationalism over local interest. Then a discussion of the mutual needs of each section for the other followed by a description of the necessity for a strong central government and the role of the Constitution in cementing the Union.
He then warns of the disruption of factions, and parties and of their danger to a republic. Only after several pages does he even address foreign affairs and ties them to the foregoing discussion. His concern is that permanent attachment to any county has the danger of allowing excessive foreign influence by the attachment of factions to foreign powers. This would make disruption or separation of states much more likely.
The “remote” situation of the US allowed it to remain outside of the European conflicts and Washington did not want to forfeit this advantage. “It is our true policy to steer clear of PERMANENT alliances wit any portion of the foreign world;...”
Hamilton and Washington had put the US into a position of neutrality between France and England much to the disgust of the Republicans. That was the background to the Address and it addressed a specific time in history when the US was weak and when the Union would have been endangered by adoption of Jefferson's pro-French ideas. There were those who proclaimed the willingness to fight for France should it invade.
I had always been under the impression you are that it was some kind of universal declaration against intervention abroad. It is nothing of the sort as an honest rereading will show you.