Re: Our 30 Year Mistake

Foreign policy is not Ron Paul's strong suit.

Johne Cook
| http://raygunrevival.com | http://authorculture.blogspot.com |

*“I am not responsible for actions of the imaginary version of me you have
inside your head.”
Attributed to Teresa Nielsen Hayden*


On Mon, Feb 7, 2011 at 2:30 PM, Lance McLain <lance-X3DuywwxauBWk0Htik3J/[email protected]> wrote:

> Oh sure...make a mess and then say, it's not my job to clean it up.
>
> regards,
> -Lance
>
>
> > david white
> >
> http://paul.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1825:our-
> > 30-year-mistake&catid=62:texas-straight-talk&Itemid=1&Itemid=69
> >
> > Our 30 Year Mistake
> >
> > The events in Egypt of late have captured the attention of the world, as
> > many
> > thousands of Egyptians take to the streets both in opposition to and in
> > favor
> > of the current regime.  We watch from a distance hoping that events do
> not
> > spiral further into violence, which will destroy lives and threaten the
> > livelihoods of average Egyptians caught up in the political turmoil.
> >
> > I hope that Egyptians are able to work toward a more free and just
> > society.
> > Unfortunately, much of the blame for the unrest in Egypt and the
> resulting
> > instability in the region rests with US foreign policy over the past
> > several
> > decades. The US government has sent more than $60 billion to the Egyptian
> > regime since the Camp David Accords in 1978 to purchase stability,
> > including
> > more security for the state of Israel. We see now the folly of our
> > interventionist foreign policy: not only has that stability fallen to
> > pieces
> > with the current unrest, but the years of propping up the corrupt regime
> > in
> > Egypt has led the people to increase their resentment of both America and
> > Israel!  We are both worse off for decades of intervention into Egypt’s
> > internal affairs. I wish I could say that we have learned our lesson and
> > will
> > no longer attempt to purchase – or rent – friends in the Middle East, but
> > I
> > am afraid that is being too optimistic. Already we see evidence that
> while
> > the US historically propped up the Egyptian regime, we also provided
> > assistance to groups opposed to the regime.
> >
> > So we have lost the credibility to claim today that we support the self-
> > determination of the Egyptian people.  Our double dealing has not
> endeared
> > us
> > to Egyptians who now seek to reclaim their independence and national
> > dignity.
> >
> > “Diplomacy” via foreign aid transfer payments only makes us less safe at
> > home
> > and less trusted overseas.  But the overriding reality is that we simply
> > cannot afford to continue a policy of buying friends.  We face an ongoing
> > and
> > potentially deepening recession at home-- so how can we justify to the
> > unemployed and underemployed in the United States the incredible cost of
> > maintaining a global empire?  Moral arguments aside, we must stop sending
> > hundreds of billions of dollars to foreign governments when our own
> > economy
> > is in shambles.
> >
> > American media and talking heads repeatedly pose the same loaded
> > questions:
> > Should the administration encourage the Egyptian president to remain or
> to
> > resign? Should the US ensure Mohamed ElBaradei or current vice president
> > Omar
> > Suleiman succeeds current president Mubarak?  The best answer to these
> > questions is that we should just do nothing, as Eisenhower did in 1956.
> > We
> > should leave Egypt for Egyptians to figure out.  Some may claim that this
> > is
> > isolationism. Nothing could be further from the truth. We should
> > enthusiastically engage in trade and allow travel between countries, but
> > we
> > should stay out of their internal affairs.  We are in fact more isolated
> > from
> > Egypt now than ever, because the regime we propped up appears to be
> > falling.
> > We have isolated ourselves from the Egyptian people by propping up their
> > government, as we isolate ourselves from Tunisians, Israelis, and other
> > recipients of our foreign aid. Their resentment of our interventionist
> > policies makes us less safe, because we lose our authority to conduct
> > meaningful diplomacy when unpopular regimes fall overseas.  We also
> > radicalize those who resented our support for past regimes.
> >
> > Let us hope for a more prosperous and peaceful era for the Egyptians, and
> > let
> > us learn the lessons of our thirty year Egyptian mistake.
> >
> > --
> > dadl-ot mailing list
> > http://mail.thehood.us/mailman/listinfo/dadl-ot_thehood.us
> > http://news.gmane.org/gmane.music.dadl.ot
> >
>
>
> regards,
> -Lance
>
>
> --
> dadl-ot mailing list
> http://mail.thehood.us/mailman/listinfo/dadl-ot_thehood.us
> http://news.gmane.org/gmane.music.dadl.ot
>

-- 
dadl-ot mailing list
http://mail.thehood.us/mailman/listinfo/dadl-ot_thehood.us
http://news.gmane.org/gmane.music.dadl.ot