With all of the talk in the news lately about U.S. involvement with foreign countries, I thought this would be an interesting question to get your input on.
If you were to choose 3 countries in which the United States should be involved in protecting or intervening to help/create peace/stability, which 3 would they be? Why?
14 comments:
Well, considering that I am Pro-Isolationism, I firmly believe that the United States should do its best to refrain from intervention altogether. However, if I had to pick three countries in which the U.S. should protect or intervene in when necessary, I would choose Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the United Kingdom.
I think we should finish the job we've started in Afghanistan, which is what we're doing now. Since we've been in Afghanistan for so long, it just makes sense to stay there to make sure it can remain stable on its own. Hopefully, we can help make Afghanistan strong and independent, so that we will never have to go back there.
Pakistan has not done anything wrong that calls for an intervention; however, many of the Taliban forces and terrorists hide in Pakistan. Since we haven't declared war on Pakistan, we really cannot go in there and get them. So, maybe as a totally last resort, we could protect Pakistan from its inside terrorists and intervene if the situation gets too out of control.
Lastly, I believe that the U.S. should always protect the United Kingdom because they are pretty much our greatest ally. Also, chances are that if the UK is getting attacked or needs help, then we aren't far off from being the next target. I think it's also safe to say that the UK always has our back too. In addition, the chances of the UK needing our help are not as big compared to other countries (knock on wood).
But, again, the U.S. needs to solve our own problems before we go solving those of other nations.
I agree with Morgan on the fact of Pro-Isolationism and remaining out of influence of other countries. We are not the United Nations. On the other hand if I pick three countries to influence it would be Egypt, Afghanistan, and the United Kingdom. Egypt's government is in complete chaos right now and order needs to be restored. Because there is no official governing bodies, and many of the people are unhappy with the situation, the economy is being affected. In turn, this is affecting our own economy and causing our gas prices to rise greatly. It is for this reason that I believe we should intervene with Afghanistan as well. They impact our oil supply and our economy so greatly that our influence is very important. Also, we have made so many changes to their government and country, but it is still not at the proper state. Wr should continue to help them to ensure peace is restored and what we started gets finished. Lastly, I believe we shuold help the United Kingdom if necessary as well. As Morgan said, they are one of our most powerful and strongest allies and we would want their help if we ever were in a situation. Overall, the United Kingdom is a very influential coutnry in our world today and I think if we chose not to help them, it would end up hurting us in the end. Howeverm we can't help these countries in the best way possible if we are not in a good state ourselves.
I personally think that the United States is involved in way to many foreign affairs. For example, China is, in my opinion, is the United State's number one enemy. Why they own our nation's debt and make all of the products America consumes is beyond me. I believe that China will become the most powerful country sometime in my lifetime. Even though the United States shouldn't, in my opinion, get involved with other countries, if there had to be 3 to be involved with I would pick Afghanistan, Pakistan, and probably the United Kingdom. I agree with Morgan on the country picks. Afghanistan obviously is a very corrupt chaotic country, along with Pakistan. We need the oil, and America needs to keep a close eye on these two countries because they are just shady. No one really knows what they are up to and the unknown is the greatest fear of all. Great Britain is just an important country that America had been allies with for awhile. Why ruin something good that we have sustained with that country over the years? These are the 3 countries that I chose to pick for America's intervention.
It is hard to choose 3 countries because we are already involved with too many countries. I think that we should protect England, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. I tried to think of three other places but these 3 countries could use our help and we could benefit from them, too. England is good to have to protect because they are our closest ally and the United States could trust England to protect and intervene for us if needed. Afghanistan and Pakistan are so corrupt right now and need someone to help them. We could intervene and try to fix everything that has been broken over there and try to create a sense of peace with them. If we help these two countries then it is very possible that we would never have to intervene and cause drama with them ever again. England is our source of protection and security but Afghanistan and Pakistan are for us to save our butts and try to fix what we can, keep peace, and then get out of there.
I agree with Morgan, Celine, Emily, and Grace about keeping to ourselves as much as possible. It is no our job to be global police officers, especially when we have so many problems at home to take care of. However, there are certain countries that I think it is important to protect. The first is Canada because we export the most to them. It is important to keep our trade strong and our alliance up because the American economy depends on it. It is vital to American business to keep such a strong export. Likewise, Mexico is our second biggest export. Even though so many Mexicans are coming to America illegally, the success of our economy is very much reliant on Mexico. I think as a way to try and get factory jobs back from China, we need to work more closely with Mexico considering many of their citizens will provide the cheap labor necessary to stay competitive in the global market. This can essentially help to bring some management jobs to educated people in America as well. Other than just the economy, it is important for our national security to keep our closest neighbors as allies. Next, I would focus on China. They are our greatest enemy and they own us. Therefore, it is vital that we stay in good relations with them and work with them. Our economy and our national security depend on staying on top of the game when it comes to China. Furthermore, I also agree that we need to finish what we have started in Afghanistan. The people there are now reliant on our help and we need to make sure that the troops efforts will not be for nothing. We also need to prevent another 9/11. However, I think the Middle East in general is a huge civil war waiting to happen, and we need to stay out of it as much as possible. We need to stop relying on foreign oil and give them their time to form a new government system. Finally, I think we do need to keep the relations with our allies strong. However, the U.K. is not as big of a superpower as it once was, which is why it did not make the top of my list. We need to stop depending on other countries and I think the best way to do that is to build up our own economy to be more efficient and to stop having to import so much. P.S. I got all of my trade facts from http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/Press-Release/current_press_release/. You all should look at it! It's really interesting!
This is a very interesting and diffucult question to answer. Honestly, I do not believe that the U.S. should have any involvement in other countries. It is almost to the point where it is unnecessary. Also, as I was thinking about it, these countries can do nothing in return for us. Yes, this opinion sounds selfish and greedy but in goverment and politics, that is how you win. You play the game better then anyone else. America should not help establish a country without getting anything in return. Places like Iraq and Lybia have to deal with themselves. If a disaster were to ever happen in this country, they would have a difficult time helping us. I just do not think that is fair.
If I really had to choose three countries, I would the British, the Middle Eastern countries, and China.
I think first of all, we should help the Bristish because they have always been there for us throughout our history. Whether that would be economically or in war, they are there. And even more so, getting involved in wars is something very risky for any country, so for them to take the risk and help us should recieve some thanks in return.
Secondly, I think we should help the Middle Eastern countries SIMPLY because we are already there. I do not think they deserve much more from us. Once the job is done, Americans need to get out, and maybe one day they will thank us.
And Finally, we should help out China because they are going to take over soon and we need to be on their good side. Other then these three named, Americans need to not get involved with any other outside ally.
There are very few places in the world where I actually believe the U.S. should be involved. While I realize that Afghanistan, Libya, and many more Middle Eastern countries do need help, I also believe we should concentrate our efforts on places which could actually be beneficial to us. This is partially because I do not want to simply repeat what everyone else said, and so I’ll think of three different countries. In saying that there are other countries out there, I mean that there are certain third world nations that could use aid in becoming stable and who aren’t going to fight us every step of the way. In this sense, I don’t mean we need to send in troops and go crazy, I just mean that there is aid we could provide that would benefit a lot more people. Smaller countries in Africa have suffered a lot in their history, but nowadays a lot are just very poor and oppressed. For example, I believe Ethiopia could benefit from our aid in education and stabilization, and I believe it could be done without a lot of blood loss, since they have been pretty peaceful since around 2000 but are still one of the poorest countries in the world. They could also become a helpful African ally. Nepal, in Asia, could also benefit from being educated and modernized, and while they have dealt with a few rebellions, I believe they do want to become more up-to-date in the world. Lastly, Japan could definitely benefit from some American aid today, and I know they are in no position to turn down help. I know that this wasn’t exactly what the question was probably intending for, since my countries aren’t ones in need of violent help and overturning government as much as benefiting the people’s lives in other ways, but I think this is an important aspect of America too, and just because we aren’t hearing about terrorists from these places doesn’t mean we shouldn’t help.
I agree with everyone else in saying that we are already involved in too much and shouldn’t intervene in so many foreign affairs. The countries that I would pick for the US to intervene and protect are Egypt, Japan, and Afghanistan. Egypt is in a very corrupt and uncertain state right now. A stable government needs to be established. The state of Egypt is also leading to other countries revolting which could be a huge mess because we depend so much on the countries in that area for oil. The gas prices are currently skyrocketing and what’s going on in those countries have a huge affect on our economy. I think that the United States should continue to intervene in Afghanistan because we need to finish what we started there. We are already very involved there and we need to stay until it is stable enough to be on its own. It would be a waste if we pull out now so we just need to stay there until the job is done. The last country that the US should intervene is in Japan because they are in such a dire state right now from the earthquakes and tsunami. There in such a bad crisis right now and they definitely need other countries to help them or else they are never going to get out of this mess.
I definitely think that protecting the UK is a no-brainer. Establishing and confirming a good relationship with them will prove to be very important in the future as they are, like Morgan said, our biggest and strongest ally. The other two are more difficult because we aren't on great terms with too many other countries. However, if I had to pick, I would say Egypt is one we should be trying to stabilize. We get so much oil from Egypt. When their country is in chaos, our gas prices rocket. With the state our economy is in already, we can't afford to be paying any more for gas. Lastly, I would say it's important to work with China because they are so powerful and are already so influential in America. Because so many American companies are there and so many American products are from China that if they have trouble or instability, America would be greatly effected.
I too agree with everyone else stating that we should keep to ourselves and limit our involvement in other countries as much as possible, but the three countries I would select for the U.S. to have a close relationship with would be the UK, Afghanistan, and China.
The UK is a pretty obvious choice because they are our closest ally, and our country needs a good support system. We can always count on the UK to have our backs in times of need, so protecting and maintaining the good relationship we have with the United Kingdom is very important for the U.S.
Next, the U.S. should help stabilize, help, and create peace with Afghanistan because, like Morgan said, we should finish what we started over in that country. The country desires much needed peace, and continued support and aid from the U.S. would hopefully improve the situations not only in Afghanistan but also the effects felt here, such as high gas prices and a rough economy. The U.S. has been in Afghanistan for so long that it would be wrong to choose not to help out the country in any way, shape, or form.
Finally, the U.S. should create a more peaceful and stable relationship with China because of the great influence China has over the U.S. China is a major power, and its influence in the United States is growing more and more each day. Both the U.S. and China are more closely connected than they would like to admit, so what happens in one country affects the other. Therefore, keeping a close, working relationship is very important because China's power is increasing, and staying on their good side is an important move for the U.S. We don't need to be on wrong terms with the soon-to-be biggest world power.
As Morgan first pointed out, focusing on our own country and repairing our own issues here in the United States should be the number one priority. Because there is so much going on throughout the Middle East, it is difficult to decide on three specific countries we need to be involved with. Afghanistan, as most have already mentioned, definitely makes the list. We have already put in so many years of effort, risking too many lives in order to create peace for the Afghan people and help improve their country as a whole. Again, others have said this, but we have to finish what we started. If we were to quit something we have been working on for so long, our country will look weak and vulnerable. Second, I see the crisis in Libya as a major concern for our own country. Like Emily said, the international issues that have a great amount of affect on our own country are what we should be most concerned with. I’m sure many have noticed how gas prices have sky rocketed the past month, which has had some serious effects on the consumers’ wallets. That is just one example how the crisis has affected our own country. It is important that we do our best to help establish peace in that nation, in order to prevent other countries of the Middle East following their lead of rebellion, causing greater problems for the US. Lastly, as everyone else has already mentioned, the United Kingdom should be another focus of the United Stated. It is true, as others have stated, that because we are a known ally of the UK, we would be next in line if conflict were to arise between the UK and another nation. They are our ally, ready to protect us in our time of need. Therefore, we must be loyal and do the same.
I most definitely agree with Morgan and everyone else in favor of isolationism. We have so many problems on our own turf that we don’t need to be working on everyone else’s. So, I have no idea who to pick other than the UK because, like another thing Morgan said, if they get attacked we are pretty high on the hit list after them. I just think we need to finish up were we are at and get out. So the Middle East can make my list as another one of places to make stable. We need them to clean up their act so we can get out. I think it would be nice to help clean up Africa because they have got quite a bit of stuff going on. It would be a good thing to improve the quality of life but I stick to my first statement, we don’t need to get involved any were else till we get out of where we currently are and we fix our own issues.
I agree with all of you on some levels, but strongly disagree on others. I think that our generation in particular has associated foreign involvement with conflict. However, I think that isolationism will gain us as many enemies as aggressive involvement currently does. America is a blessed nation. Its freedoms and natural resources make it one of the most prosperous nations in the world. However, poor leadership has sent it into an economic spiral that has resulted in bankruptcy. I agree that before America can involve itself in other nations it must repair its current economic wounds by maintaining isolationism...for a little while. However, I feel that a sound foreign policy centered on interactions with other nations is the only thing that can keep America strong in a shrinking world.
Foreign involvement should not mean conflict. It needs to mean peace and intervention. It is America's duty to be involved in the world. Our advanced economy and comparatively stable government make us a world power. That is unavoidable. Our economy controls the rest of the world. This is a huge privilege, but is also a responsibility. We have to be involved. Isolationism will bring enemies and financial troubles. America can no longer turn a blind eye on corruption and violence. For example, if America had cut off trade with Egypt right away when announcements of corrupt elections first reached the president's ears, violence could have been avoided. Peaceful economic mandates and global collaboration may seem far-fetched, but can be easily reached if America would form a proactive, rather than reactive, general foreign policy.
It is America's ethical responsibility to cut off trade with corrupt nations like Africa, Iran, and needs to stay involved with allies in Europe. Peaceful foreign policy is the only way to get rid of American enemies, improve the economy, and establish peaceful relationships. Ignoring genocide in Darfur, Africa because it is good fro U.S. trade is ridiculous. Right now America is spending billions on poor foreign intervention plans leading to conflict and economic downturn because no one is willing to take the time to establish a logical, peaceful foreign policy. If we took the time to establish sound foreign policy there would be fewer wasted dollars and more peace. Isolationism sounds good on paper, but in practice it is impossible; we are a majorly influential nation in the world, we can't just be blind to the nations we affect. If we want power, we have to know what to do with it.
If I HAD to choose three countries for the United States to be involved in, I would have to choose China, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. As hard as it is to say, I think the US should stay out of involvement with any Middle Eastern or African nations. These countries are constantly falling in and out of poverty, dictatorship, and war; but there really isn’t anything the US can do to stop it. In Africa, there will always be poverty and despair; for now I think it is best to just send relief in food drives and clothes-drives, it would be foolish to try and set up any kind of stability when we ourselves are already failing as a nation. In the middle-east there are way too many countries that we currently bunt heads with, and it would be next to impossible to help create peace and stability with any of our enemies’ neighboring countries without angering them in some way. So I choose countries that would not only need little help, but also would provide possible aide for us and help us get back on track.
China would be my first choice mainly because of how much we as a nation already depend on it. Most of our industry and appliances are from china, and it is a prosperous nation that seems to only be getting stronger. Involving ourselves with the Chinese would not only help with trade, but it would also give the US an economically stable ally to lean on in times of chaos. Although china would most likely not need our assistance, it is one of the most important countries for the US to be involved with in order to get ahead.
Switzerland would be a prime country for the United States to be involved with for various reasons. For starters, it is a well-known NEUTRAL country which could have a positive effect on American military decisions… also Switzerland had the strongest democratic institutions on the planet, according to a survey in 2010. Ranking second-best social capital and economic fundamentals, along with the third-best governance and health; Switzerland would be a great model for the US in terms of economic growth. By ‘intervening’ with this country, the US would not have to use force, or set up any type of government; we would just help stabilize each other in times of economic crisis.
The United Kingdom is our number one ally. We cannot turn our backs on them after all they have done for us in the past. Though the UK does have a few fallbacks in financial stability and economic growth, we wouldn’t need to worry too much about problems within the nation itself as much as we would with foreign attacks. We seem to have similar ideals and that would help greatly if we were to enter into a war.
Each of these countries would provide a sense of safety and stability to the US. We would probably need their help more than they need us, which benefits us massively. We really can’t afford to help other nations in despair until we can fix our own problems.
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