Changing Course: Proposals to Reverse the Militarization of U.S. Foreign Policy
September 8, 2008 | Report
By Donald Herr
In this International Policy Report, Donald Herr analyzes the militarization of U.S. foreign policy and provides proposals to reverse its militarization.
The militarization of U.S. foreign policy, through reliance on our military to pursue objectives better achieved by other means, has reached unprecedented heights under President Bush. Substantial militarization also occurred in the Cold War era, especially during peaks in the U.S. arms buildup against the Soviets and during the Vietnam War. Important examples of militarization today are the Bush doctrine on preemptive defense, the invasion and continuing occupation of Iraq, the War on Terror, and military threats against Iran.
This tendency to rely on military action as a first resort has seriously damaged U.S. national interests. The Iraq War is a disaster for both Iraq and the United States, and the War on Terror has not made us safer. The U.S. is no longer seen as a beacon of liberty to the world, but as an imperial bully with little respect for international law. The economic costs of our emphasis on military action, in turn, are enormous. The Defense Department budget is out of control, now nearing World War II levels. The Department of State, meanwhile, has lost influence and no longer provides robust diplomatic alternatives to militarization.
To change the situation, the U.S. needs a new president with an internationalist as opposed to an imperialistic approach to foreign policy. Such a president would promptly withdraw our combat troops from Iraq and rely primarily on intelligence and law enforcement agencies to counter the worldwide terrorist threat. He also would insist on major changes to rebuild the State Department and to reduce the role of the Department of Defense (DoD).
