Foreign Policy and Friends

Hundreds of years the US has been on the world stage of international relations. In the early decades America was dependent on the help of others, but because of isolation imposed by some world traders in those early days, America learned to be self reliant and grow its own food, build its own textile industry, construct its own infrastructure, and blossom its skills and trades so it relied no more on other nations.

By the mid-1800’s other nations came to America for help in their relations with other countries. In peace time and war those friends learned to rely on us as a nation and supplier and collaborator on many projects. Especially in time of war and protection friends asked for help and got it.

By 1950 two world wars had been waged. Millions of people lost their lives. Billions of dollars of infrastructure was destroyed. And America helped rebuild war torn regions including those of our enemies. We restored them to health so they could manage their own affairs on their own. And we created new friends in the process.

Along the way many nations came to rely on America’s broad umbrella of safety and protection. NATO was formed and prospered. The United Nations was built and prospered. SEATO was formed and prospered. And the OAS, too, was formed and prospered. Not all of these treaty organizations have prospered all the time; not all negotiations were easy to agree to, but for the long term, they did work and work well.

Now many generations later leaders in some of these nations have gotten their own wind of power and are seeking their own pathways. Philippines is one such nation. Under Duterte a new order is in view. He is anti-American and now pro China and soon to be pro Russia. That is fine. He will learn soon enough what such partnerships mean to him and his people. His people are forever. He is not. And under such short term circumstances he will learn the friability of his negotiations. I wish him well. But I doubt he will be a generous spirit as much as others have generously provided for him and his nation.

There is no payback for being a friend or enemy of the USA. Ours is not a goal of hegemony over the world. Ours is a goal of peace and prosperity for the entire global community. Some will argue this but they will be wrong. Others will argue that our goal is too out of reach of reality. But they will learn eventually that only peace and prosperity for all is the actual motivation for everyone on the planet. Any non-peace lover will upset the balance of the whole and cause the pain of their own making.

America will prosper on its own or within a sphere of compatriot nations. It has learned well how to do this. And it will continue. We need not be hermits on the world stage; nor do we need to be emperors of other nations. That is not in our nature nor our desire.

May this always be so. Meanwhile, other nations will feel their sinewy strength and march off on their own. May they find the resilience and inner strength they need to complete their journey. And may their peoples find prosperity and peace as well.

I only ask they recall who were their friends when the chips were down and they faced extinction. Recall those days of terror. and remember who came to your aid.

For the rest of the global community we have much to attend to:

1. North Korea is rogue and needs to be controlled before they cause the deaths of billions of people in their own distorted view of reality
2. Africa needs loving care and assistance to safeguard at least a billion people now living under despots and psychotic dictators. Innocents are dying of health plagues and violence to say nothing of starvation. Such suffering is unconscionable but it has gone on for hundreds of years. When will the rest of us help put an end to such ignominy?
3. Quality of life is highly mismatched region by region upon the face of the globe. What will the rest of us do to minister to such needs? Does it fall upon us to help? Of course it does. We have the means and the knowledge. The question is when do we lend a hand? And will we necessarily do so alone or with the help of compassionate nations the world over?

Meanwhile, we have our own injustices at home that need attention, too.

With so much on our plate, we best be getting to work.

October 27, 2016