Dear President Obama: Americans Are No Longer Interested In Policing The World

[FarCenter]

After 12 years of endless war; after Afghanistan, after Iraq, after Libya, after the drones in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia, the American people have had enough. There is perhaps no better explanation for the rather remarkable situation unfolding right now in Washington.

...


Yet, for all the short-term political fallout, the apparent train wreck on Syria might be the best thing to happen in American politics in a long time.

Since 11 September 2001, armchair generals (inside and outside government) have planned one military engagement after another and confidently predicted success – and then dodged accountability after repeated failures. The result has been quagmire after quagmire, trillions of dollars in costs and tens of thousands of dead and maimed Americans.

Those chickens have come home to roost. No matter how defensible the plan for military action in Syria might be; no matter how strong the impulse to punish the use of long-banned weapons; no matter how many assertions of limited engagement are made, Americans and their representatives in Congress appear finally resistant to buying the war-makers' tonic (some might say 10 years too late).

The desire of America's foreign policy elite to continue to demand that the US remain the indispensable nation and the world's policeman has come face to face with a public tired of war and tired of foreign policy failure. And the American people look poised to win this round.


Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/column-americans-policing-world-obama-2013-9

[Jackpine Radical]

1. Actually, some of us never were all that interested in policing the world.

If Odin were to show up and ask me,

"Jackpine, what would you rather do--police the world or sit out on your deck with an iced tea and listen to the birds?"

I know pretty well what my choice would be.

[MrMickeysMom]

3. I had a moment of what I'd rather be doing, JR, along those same lines...

I was sitting at an intersection across from a bevy of geese j u s t taking off into two "V" formations... as they gained (and the light was a long one) I saw them soar, re-arrange in the most democratic fashion a final, unified "V" each in stride with the other... I had just come back from spending time with nature, so maybe the message came through stronger..

What the fuck are we even thinking of policing the world, when we can soar like the geese, each realizing the other...

[Vogon_Glory]

2. Sometimes The US Encounters Heads-We-Lose Tails-We-Lose Situations

Unlike many DU'ers with ties to the peace community or thinking wistfully about the professed virtue of each and every so-called national liberation movement, I have no objections to military intervention when needed and where it's useful.

I have come to the conclusion that military intervention is a d____ed if we do, d____ed if we don't situation.

I don't believe that the current Syrian regime is either virtuous or a friend of the US. It's a brutal, ruthless, murderous regime that has slaughtered tens of thousands of its citizens and has driven millions more to seek refuge in other country. Unlike many DU'ers, I believe that the current Syrian government is more than capable of using chemical weapons on its own people and would resort to nuclear weapons if it could.

Having said that, I have come to be less and less impressed with what would replace the Syrian government if Bashir Assad and company got their just desserts. Having watched the strong currents of virulently anti-western, patriarchical, bigoted jihadism grow among the Syrian rebels, I neither see such a successor regime as being friendly to the US or Americans or protective of the numerous religious and ethnic minorities currently living in Syria.

We have seen what horrors have fallen on Iraqi Christians, Shi'ia Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, and the actions of some Syrian rebels have not convinced me that they mean to practice religious tolerance should they gain power.

To be blunt, I feel for the Syrian people, but I see no reason to like either faction. I don't see military intervention as doing the US any good, and I've come to oppose it.

[delrem]

11. Unlike *some* DU'ers, I don't vaguely dis vague groups of people on DU.

[Vogon_Glory]

18. Well goody for you. Maybe Teacher will give you a gold star for good behavior. n/t

[pampango]

4. Agreed. Perhaps FDR imagined the UN becoming the world's police. No single country should do it.

And the world is probably not better off with no effective police - human nature being what it is.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

5. I guess that whole "America is a nation among nations" line had some appeal.

[another_liberal]

6. We have too much to lose, nothing to gan . . .

Send aid to the refugees fleeing the fighting, but don't launch a single cruise missile to hit Syria. We have too much to lose and nothing to gain by becoming directly involved in a Middle Eastern civil war.

[golfguru]

7. I would love to police the world

A policeman keeps order. He controls crime and you are safer because of him.

But we are broke. If our country was a corporation, we would be in bankruptcy court long ago. Therefor I am now against us acting as policeman of the world. We can't afford it.

Now if all the G20 countries want to get together and contribute blood & treasure to attack Syria, I could reconsider. But no way our lone ranger role is acceptable.

My heart goes out to the women & children & innocent civilians killed by chemical poisoning. All those countries who signed ban on chemical WMD's need to join in and contribute, and only then I could support the attack on Syria.

[reformist2]

10. Most soldiers don't sign up to police the world, nor should they.

[golfguru]

14. That is not what I said

My point is somebody has to keep order in this world of ours. There are lot of rogues around. That policeman role falls on the shoulders of the most powerful nations. Right now China has huge surplus in their treasury. They own Trillions of dollars of our bonds. Their economy is growing 4 times faster than ours. Let them take the role of policeman. Or Russia who also has little debt. US can not be the superpower/policeman with money borrowed every year from foreigners.

Ordinary soldiers are not leaders of a nation. No one expects them to be statesman.

[zentrum]

8. This may be true, but....

...the Republicans are particularly talented in rolling out a war. They have the frames, the rhetoric, the "product" PR, and maybe even the black flag operation that arouses middle America's patriotism.

An aside--what's sickening about this debacle is that it weakens Obama even further and so by default strengthens the right wing. Because now he looks weak, out of touch and not in control. Additionally I find myself wondering what he will bargain away to maybe, possibly, perhaps get the pro-war vote from Repubs. Will he trade SS or financial regulation or student debt or what?

[reformist2]

9. Dear Prez. Obama: We shouldn't even have to be writing this letter!

We thought we made it clear where we stood on war & peace when we elected you!

[sabrina 1]

12. 'The American people look poised to win this round'.

I don't know about that, I hope it is true, but long ago the American people abdicated their duty when it came to keeping their Government under control. The opted for the two team 'game' instead. Red/Blue. And it worked for the top 1%. But not so much for everyone else.

Tell me, what have the two current wars done for the American people?

[brooklynite]

13. So you're saying they're isolationists?

[B Calm]

15. K&R

[azurnoir]

16. But what about Team America?

?w=570&h=408


you mean we're the world police anymore?

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. Graphics are good, but the song...fuck yeah!!!!!

http://m.

&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DIhnUgAaea4M

[WillyT]

17. K & R !!!

[uponit7771]

20. +1

[Arugula Latte]

21. We're repeatedly told there's not enough money for things like education, healthcare and foodstamps

yet anything involving the military-corporate clusterfuck seems to have an unlimited budget.