Isolationism and Our Relations With Foreign Nations

Ron Paul, in a recent audio interview with FOX, suggested that the U.S. would be better off withdrawing its aid to other nations, particularly those in the Middle East, such as Pakistan. In effect, Representative Paul is putting forth isolationism and neutrality as a desirable position for our country to hold. This, however, would be detrimental to our nation’s ‘interests,’ as he states. Pakistan, for example, possesses nuclear weapons, and is located in one of the world’s true hot spots. Radical Islamic terrorists are constantly involved in major upheaval in that area, and simply letting those nations go about their business with no external influences, from the U.S. in particular, simply invites these terrorists to take advantage of our absence. Our stepping out of Pakistan in every way, for example, gives terrorists the golden opportunity to obtain nuclear weapons with which to threaten the rest of the world: especially the United States.

Although circumstances differ in many situations—such as supplying financial or military aid in one region or another—the U.S. must always have a voice in the world. Isolationism is simply not possible in this age of instant communication and fast travel. The whole world is interconnected, now, and attempting to pull out and retreat behind our borders will only result in disaster, both economically and security-wise.