We have heard from many folks over the past few years who say, "Why don't we just pull all our troops home and take care of America? Why do we have to keep the peace everywhere?"
Great question. And I for one know exactly what these folks are saying. When we read the news last week that some Afghan policeman turned his gun on the U.S. soldiers who just trained him....you say to yourself, "let's just bring those poor soldiers home. Afghanistan is a hell hole and we will never accomplish anything with those illiterate idiots!"
Of course the other problem is the $2 billion per day it costs us to keep fighting in Afghanistan...and that just adds to the isolationist feelings that MANY Americans are having.
The problem is....isolationism seldom works for long. History shows us that.
But the question is not whether promises to bring home troops and reduce military spending can be sold in an election year -- the question is what impact would retrenchment have on future U.S. and global security. If history is any guide, the answer is troubling: Over the past century, each of America's attempts to reduce its role in the world was met by rising global threats, eventually requiring a major U.S. re-engagement.
This is not to argue that the U.S. should sustain its muscular post-9/11 global posture or continue its land war in Afghanistan. It is to urge caution against a growing belief that scaling back American power in the world will be without risks or costs.
History shows that in the aftermath of America's major wars of the 20th century -- World War I, World War II and Vietnam -- the American public and powerful leaders in Washington demanded strict new limits in foreign policy. After World War I, that meant rejecting participation in the League of Nations and receding into isolation. After World War II, it meant embarking on one of the largest voluntary military demobilizations in world history. And after Vietnam, it meant placing new restrictions on a president's ability to conduct overseas operations.
But in each case, hopes were soon dashed by global challengers who took advantage of America's effort to draw back from the world stage -- Germany and Japan in the 1930s, the Soviet Union in the immediate post-World War II period and the Soviet Union again after Vietnam. In each case, the United States was forced back into a paramount global leadership role -- in World War II, the Cold War and the military build-up and proxy wars of the 1980s.
Similar effects have also followed the withdrawal of U.S. troops from global hot spots, as in Somalia in 1993. America's need to extricate itself from that calamitous humanitarian mission, in which 18 U.S. soldiers were killed, was clear. But the withdrawal came at a huge strategic cost: It emboldened the narrative of the emerging al Qaeda network that America was a "paper tiger," setting the stage for the escalating terrorist attacks of the 1990s and September 11, 2001.
Whoever wins in November will confront not just an increasingly dangerous world, but also an increasingly isolationist public. The great challenge will be to convince the American people that robust U.S. leadership in the world remains vital to their security and prosperity and convince the world it remains unwavering. History shows that doing otherwise only raises the stakes down the line.
Here;
http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/18/opinion/gottlieb-us-retrenchment/index.html%3Fhpt%3Dhp_bn7%26type=dns%26ISN=1B187FF307EC4812A6D0D4758AE962B3%26ccv=152%26cnid=937811%26cco=US%26ct=3%26sc=804b001e?iref=obinsite
Of course we are all familiar with the famous quote, "Those who don't know history are bound to repeat it." Sadly, in America, most voters DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HISTORY.
Even more sadly, most Americans don't really care. We have become a nation of folks who would rather spend time searching for 'fun' things to do and to watch..and many simply don't want to be brought down by big discussions that they deem are 'boring'.
Sadly, as the article says, this only raises the stakes down the road.
Honestly, how long can America keep up the immense cost of policing the world? We have had thousands of soldiers in South Korea for over 50 years, we have been holding a military blanket over Europe for almost 70 years, and we have bases all over the world.
How long can we pay for all of this when we can't even afford to fix our broken infrastructure in our failing cities at home?
Are we witnessing the decline of an empire....just like Rome, Greece, Turkey and England before us?
We all need to keep praying for another Great Awakening in this land. An outbreak of the Holy Spirit in America would do wonders in healing our land and helping us to elect Godly leaders who could lead us through the coming storm....and it does appear to be a perfect storm that is coming.
