Don't Blame Libertarians for Bipartisan Failures in Iraq and Afghanistan
Have you heard the news? American foreign policy is in tatters BECAUSE LIBERTARIANS!
Seriously, GOP blowhards are attacking folks such as Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) for his foreign policy failures (Paul is slow to invade and occupy countries). Funny thing is, the Republican Party's preferred strategy of stupid goals topped off by terrible execution isn't working so well. And don't expect any help from a Democratic Party and a president that hasn't met a country they don't want to invade or drone.
In my latest Daily Beast column, I suggest some basic tenets of a libertarian foreign policy. Snippet:
All large-scale and long-term military engagements should actually be put to a specific congressional vote as dictated both by the Constitution and by common sense. The use of military force should be governed not by a set of infinitely expandable terms such as ensuring human rights and expanding democracy, but far narrower and less grandiose ideals of national defense.
As Rand Paul wrote recently in a response to criticisms from Rick Perry and other Republicans, "Anytime someone advocates sending our sons and daughters to war, questions about precise objectives, effective methods and an exit strategy must be thoughtfully answered."
Most importantly, foreign policy should not be reduced to a synonym for military action and covert operations. The most powerful weapon the United States has for expanding peace and enlarging prosperity has nothing to do with guns and bullets and everything to do with the way in which we have created a nation of 300 million-plus people who generally get along peacefully while pursuing radically different visions of the good life.