The John Birch Society, on their website, under Issues, on their Foreign Policy page, near the top, says: “Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1801, ‘I deem the essential principles of our government [to be] peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none.’ America would do well to heed this advice by abandoning its current role as global policeman and stop meddling in the affairs of other countries.”.
This can be called “national pacifism”. It is the idea that America should take no interest in the affairs of other countries. America should do nothing about events taking place and actions being done in other countries.
This is the usual position of Liberty Lovers. It is not correct. It is irresponsible. It is a policy of “See no evil.”. It is a policy of refusing to help.
In the 1950’s, American policy toward the Soviet Union was “Containment”. This means “We don’t care if half the world is enslaved. We are still free. We don’t care if the rest of the world is suffering and miserable in the chains of Communism. Endless torture for others is just fine.”.
In 1801, when Jefferson wrote these words, it was a good idea. That was before automobiles and telephones. Going from Boston to Washington was a long trip by horse carriage. A trip to Europe was 2,000 miles of ocean voyage on a sailing ship. There were no Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles.
It is not possible to have “honest friendship” with nations which are founded on doctrines calling for the destruction of Liberty and of America. At this time that is most of the world.
Peace with such a nation is only a temporary illusion.
America cannot plan for Liberty in America only. Such an idea is the sheerest fantasy. Planning for Liberty in America means planning for Liberty in the World. Liberty in the Whole World. Not just one corner of it.
It is very understandable that Lovers of Liberty would get the idea that America should mind its own business. America is being the bully, the gangster, the tyrant of the world. To say that America is being a “global policeman” is to concede the most vital point to the enemy. A “policeman”, rightly understood, is a defender of Liberty. America is emphatically not defending Liberty in the world. Therefore America is emphatically not being a “global policeman”. To say that America is being a global gangster is to slander the gangster. America, on a global scale, is being cruel and vicious and unspeakably evil.
So yes. America should stop all this nonsense. But that does not mean that America should do nothing. Rather America should do good instead of evil. America should work for freedom instead of slavery.
The doctrine that America cannot do anything which has a good result is extremely false.
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