By Juan Peralez / Herald Forum
There are several reasons why United States foreign policy must change for the sake of humanity, economic and political interests of our country.
Our current foreign policy came after this country’s continuance of committing genocide of Native Americans under President Andrew Jackson’s Indian Removal Act of 1830.
Some country’s leaders of the 1800s, including Presidents Andrew Jackson, James Monroe and James Polk were champions of Manifest Destiny, the idea that mainland America belonged to whites and that the United States was destined by God to expand its dominion and spread democracy and capitalism. The Monroe Doctrine of 1823 warned European nations that the United States would not tolerate further colonization or puppet governments, the United States’ way of declaring exceptionalism and uniqueness above all nations. As a result of this policy the United States has been at war for 225 years of its 246-year history since 1776.
If we look at war in terms of loss of lives, economic and political ramifications it should inspire all U.S. citizens to demand that our government turn from a policy of armed conflict. If we examine the last three wars — Vietnam, Iraq and our country’s longest and costliest in Afghanistan — we should learn that war is not our forte, since we lost all three at the taxpayers’ expense. Nobody imagined a small underdeveloped Asian nation like Vietnam as able to defeat the most powerful army in the world. These wars were justified by telling us that they were at war to stop communism, nonexistent weapons of mass destruction, war on terror and promoting democracy and capitalism.
The loss of lives obviously should be of paramount concern when you consider that 3 to 4 million soldiers, civilian men, women and children died combined in all three wars. Approximately 65,000 were U.S. soldiers and the rest were soldiers, men, women and children from Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Iraq and Afghanistan, most killed by indiscriminate bombing.
If you combine the cost of all three wars, it is estimated to be around $8 trillion. With that kind of money we could have health care and housing for all. Instead the ones that make billions off war are multinational military contractors like Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and, of course, Boeing. When it comes to supporting and funding our foreign policy of war it is automatic that Republican and Democrats are in agreement with hardly any discussion. Could it be that way because most congressional members are millionaires, lawyers and are in bed with lobbyists representing military contractors? There are many that believe we go to war to revive our struggling economy. I believe that if we did not engage in war we could maintain a vibrant economy.
As we continue to invade and overthrow democracies across the globe. We are now looked at as the kingpin of of the world mafia that continues to believe in Manifest Destiny and the Monroe Doctrine.
Europe is under our control as is most of the world. President Biden made the correct decision not to send troops to Ukraine, although there are already more than 300,000 troops in European military bases.
The U.S. military and congressional members are now talking about the Chinese threat. The Chinese do not have the military capacity to bomb the U.S. and it has never bombed countries like we have. The mere existence of China is the real threat as it soon will overcome the United Sates as the greatest economic power on the globe. The time may be coming soon when the U.S. make have to change its foreign policy, whether it likes it or not. Multilateral economic and political peace agreements may have to be the answer to ending wars.
In the name of peace and the continued existence of humanity we must demand that Congress stop spending money on war and instead invest in the climate crisis.
Juan Peralez is president of Unidos of Snohomish County.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
