When traditional conservatives, liberals, and others argue that America’s hyper-interventionist foreign policy is the cause of many of our problems and that they would like to see the U.S. do less around the world, they are called “isolationist” or worse. But like it or not, Israel and the U.S. are seen as one-and-the-same in the Middle East, a fact that should make Americans uncomfortable given the never-ending instability in that powder keg of a region.
With the recent events in Gaza in mind, perhaps it’s time to add a new term to the lexicon of political cuss words when discussing American foreign policy — “interventionism.”
For some, interventionism is a far more dangerous prospect for the United States than simply minding our own business. Writes former CIA counter-terrorism expert Michael Scheuer:
“If America were blessed with a non-interventionist foreign policy, we could all thank Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for giving President-elect Barack Obama a thoroughgoing lesson in the absolute irrelevancy of Israel and Palestine to the national interests of the United States. More than a week into Israel’s invasion of Gaza, America is still alive and kicking and none of our citizens are dead, which is the way it should be, as this is their religious war and not ours. If stubborn non-interventionism were our creed — as the Founders intended — the Gaza war could continue for two more days or two more months and we could simply shrug and mutter ‘Who cares?’ America could simply go on its way, rebuilding its economy and marveling over the madness of two religions fighting to the death over a barren sandpit at the eastern end of the Mediterranean.”
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