With the recent assassination of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, the heat in the Middle East has been turned up substantially.  War exists in Iraq and Afghanistan, Turkey is invading Iraq, there is talk of an invasion of Iran, and now chaos reigns in Pakistan. 

 

United States government officials down through the years have not helped matters much and may have created the environment for such chaos to exist.  American government foreign policy has pretty much been one of support for dictatorships as opposed to open and free societies, which is very surprising since the principles of American government are founded upon individual liberty and very limited government. 

 

American foreign policy has been one of both financial and military support for the likes of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, the Shah of Iran, and now “President” Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan.  American foreign policy has been one of interfering with the internal affairs of foreign governments and society, providing American taxpayer dollars for financial and military support. 

 

As a result American government officials expect the leaders of these nations that receive such support to be “puppets” of American government officials to do as they are told.  If these subsidized leaders do not follow the wishes of American government officials, American government officials utilize the American military for the unconstitutional purpose of changing foreign government leadership. 

 

With this type of foreign policy one cannot expect anything but turmoil.  If one interferes with the lives of his friends and neighbors, the results will be the same, turmoil, animosity, and chaos. 

 

George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, two of the key founders of the United States, stated the proper foreign policy of no entangling alliances, no interference with other country’s internal affairs, and allow Americans to peacefully and freely trade with whomever they choose. 

 

The American government was not and is not established to get itself involved with nation-building and interfering with the governments of other countries.  Its sole purpose is to protect the inalienable rights of American citizens and to use the American military for defensive, not offensive measures. 

 

Besides the resulting negative side effects of antagonism, the founders understood that for the American government to entangle itself in another country’s affairs would result in substantial cost to the American taxpayer.    

American foreign policy must change to one of non-entanglement with others, allow Americans to freely trade with whomever they choose, and support the inscription on the base of the great lady in New York Harbor by establishing America as the beacon of liberty to which all who can make it to America are welcome without being subsidized from government tax revenue.  This kind of foreign policy is also a good domestic policy as well.

 

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt come to Yuma April 29.