Special Foreign Policy Edition!

Let me begin by saying, as versed as I perceive myself to be in United States domestic issues, I can by no means say that I am well acquainted with the global theater of politics. I know of other countries and places, but I cannot in true confidence say that I know and/or understand the intricacies of international diplomacy or the issues that surround it.

But when did that ever stop an American from speaking obnoxiously before?

So here's the part where I will go through a few hot button issues from the international political community and shoehorn my opinions and ideas onto those global situations. Who knows, I may say something relatively comprehensible?

Mexico's War on Drugs

I don't have too much to say about this. I'm only going to say, if marijuana were legal in the United States, then you can bet your bottom dollar that this conflict would not have gotten as insane as it has become. I'm just saying, it seems like an awful lot of suffering and pain, not only for the people of Mexico, but also for the people of the Southwest United States, over a substance that inhibits human thought just as much as alcohol.

Mexico and Central America's Illegal Emigration Problem

Personally, I think this is a lost cause to fight against. Unless an unreasonable amount of money is spent to build fortifications and fund troops to patrol the border, there is no way to completely protect our country from illegal immigrants. So why are we still playing this game? Open the damn borders! Make the immigration and work visa process more accessible and in return, we get a strong, reliable immigrant work force. Our country is founded on the concept that we accept immigrants with open arms and give them a shot at the American Dream. Why would we be against that very idea being realized by Mexicans and Central Americans?

Allied with Israel

Look, I am all for being allied with Israel. I feel they have every right to exist as a nation and that they are a valuable partner in the Middle East. But the way they act, especially recently with their insistence on establishing settlements in Palestinian land, is downright hostile and is an instigation of conflict. Being allied with states that insight conflict regularly with their neighbor was what dragged the western world into the first World War. And quite frankly, President Obama is letting them walk all over him. We do not depend on Israel, Israel depends on our nuclear umbrella for their protection. Why should we concede to the ridiculous whims of the Israeli leadership? If they would like to incite conflict with the Palestinians over something petty like building settlements, then I say they can fend for themselves. We cannot be asked to protect a nation that has no interest in acting peacefully itself. If we want peace in the Middle East, then the U.S. must play its hand and force Israel into peace discussions if it would like our protection. Additionally, taking a hard line with Israel may increase popularity among the increasingly important Islamic states in the Middle East.

North Korea's Bluff

With all due respect, President Obama, Kim Jong-Il has been playing you. His entire facade of malicious intent and fierceness is a bluff. His country has nothing. His people have nothing. His military is a hollow shell with a scary wrapping around it. North Korea is nothing. They are not a threat to the United States or its allies. If they ever attacked us or one of our allies, they would be crushed. Do not concede to a nation built on indoctrination and tyranny, they have nothing to leverage against us.

The Genocide in Darfur

This is a travesty. I am appalled that it has gone essentially uninhibited for decades. I don't know what can be done short of going to war, but it cannot be permitted to go on.

The War in Afghanistan

This war and the one in Iraq, have been sorely mishandled for nearly a decade. I am happy to see President Obama is winding down U.S. troop presence in Iraq, and I agree that it is only responsible to do so at a reasonable pace so as to not cause distress in Iraq. Afghanistan is also being handled surprisingly well since Obama took office as well, not surprising because Obama is a Democrat, surprising because the war there had so terribly been handled for a decade that its strange to see any progress being made. But what's important about Afghanistan is not the war that will secure the nation, but the endgame of the conflict. The United States has secured Afghanistan before, back when the U.S.S.R. invaded Afghanistan in 1979, it is possible. It's the endgame that our country failed the Afghan people in. The lesson learned in 1989 at the end of the war is that we cannot simply leave after the war is over. If we want Afghanistan to become a productive, U.S. friendly state in the Middle East, we will need to stay after the war and invest in the formation of roads and other infrastructure and support a public education system that includes young girls. If we don't stay after and ensure the new Afghan state forms properly, then the past 10 years and the undetermined expanse of the future will have been for nothing. We must make sure to finish the fight and then finish building the nation.

Alright, there's a little taste of my form of foreign policy. To be blunt, it was less fun than I thought it was going to be. Nonetheless, this has been the special foreign policy edition of the Nothing is fact; Everything is true. The end. :P