Why can't America mind its own business? Why do we keep interferring with other countries' affairs?

Question

In the beginning America was founded for people to have religious freedom and to "do their own thing".

Ever since the adaptation of FOREIGN POLICY, the United States has not stopped getting involved with other countries' problems! The United States has its own problems, why do we need to make sure the entire world is in harmony? Let the United Nations do that.

I say we focus on educating our youth, sheltering the homeless, feeding our hungry, and preparing our OWN national defense in case anything happens. Let's improve our security so terrorists can't get in the country! Let's improve our security so people can't easily purchase the ingredients to make gunpower at the local convenient store.

America needs to step up and focus on AMERICA itself; we are hippocrites of our founders.

Answer 1

Simple, after WWII, US was as hero, and liberator of Europe. Also economy was great, 50's, baby boomers etc. We realized that WAR is a good business, so we based our economy on the warfare, now our economy needs wars to survive. That's why you find US every where in the world.

Best Regards.

Answer 2

Your attempt at revisionist history doesn't help you make your case. I know you strongly believe what your saying...but please take sometime to educate yourself better on the people and events that lead to our becoming a Nation...and the development of our FP prior to basing you argument on opinion and trying to pass it off as fact.

Clearly the US has made some unpopular decisions regarding it's Foreign Policies...but that doesn't mean it's in our best interest as a Nation to hide from the needs and/or problems of the world. We are who the world looks to when there is a problem. Trust me...you don't want to change that.

Solving difficult social issues like homelessness, hunger, updating our educational infrastructure, and our system of medical care are all tremendously important...but we can't wait until we solve those dilemmas to provide help and support for other countries that lack the natural and human resources that America is so full of.

Answer 3

Why? For the same reason every other country with an international presence minds everyone else's business and intervenes whenever some situation either presents a great opportunity or a great threat -same thing as happens in your own neighborhood. The deal is, for US to mind our own business means everyone else has gotta do the same thing.

Perhaps we should also ask other countries to stop interfering with US, for that matter. No more real estate sales to the Arabs and Japanese, no more foreign investment in OUR companies. And of course, no more trade sanctions for those countries who allow sweat-shop, child labor to make those shoes you're wearing. And no legal challenge to Chinese manufacturers of pirated software and counterfeit clothing.

Oh, and by the way, if you harbor or support terrorists, no problem.

And even MORE good news for the world; we'll cancel all treaty obligations, so if a country that relies on our protection is attacked or threatened, they'll just have to work it out for themselves. Likewise, we wouldn't want the Canadians protecting our air space should another picnic like 9-11 come along.

Now let's have a look at your version of American history. First of all, "America" wasn't founded; rather, the land mass occupied by the United States was named, and later on -MUCH later on- the United States was "founded" by the signers of the constitution. Funny thing, though, many of the states that were part of the whole thing had officially recognized Christian sects: Catholicism and Anglicanism to name two in particular, which is why Maryland is so-named, for the English Queen Mary who was a Catholic. And my quick scan of the Constitution and Bill of Rights failed to find any reference to "doing your own thing." And why Pennsylvania, named for William Penn, had an early identity with the Anglican church until good old William became a Quaker! And the presbyterians had a strong presence there as well, until they were chased down to Greenville, NC, where they wore red scarves to identify themselves to one another and so gave birth to the phrase, "red neck."

Matter of fact, the "American Revolution," which back in its own day was a rebellion, was supported by not more than 1/3 of the colonists. Another third was all about loyalty to England, which involved doing the "king's thing," and the final third was too busy trying to make ends meet to really give a hoot.

I'm not sure what the phrase "adaptation of foreign policy" is supposed to mean, but if it is intended to suggest there was a period when we didn't have one, I beg your indulgence to tell me when that was. Certainly not after the onset of hostilities with the Brits, when Ben Franklin was transferred to France where he established enough good will at the Court of Louis the XV to encourage the French to sail their fleet into the Chesapeake to help us defeat the Brits at Yorktown.

And certainly not after the Treaty of Paris, when Geo Washington and Layfette established the Society of the Cincinnatis (the only existing society with no living members today, by the way) whose membership was limited to officers of the United States and France and who purpose was education of society at large on the merits of democracy.

Perhaps you're drawing the line with the Monroe Doctrine, but THAT was declared back in 1823 and basically said that is you come messin' in OUR backyard, you'll pay for the privilege. It wasn't until 9-11 that we changed the idea to basically say, "If we even THINK you're gonna mess with us, we'll shoot first, period." Far better than making some ridiculous law that makes it illegal to purchase saltpeter, charcoal and suplhur which, by the way, I would be more likely to find at the drug store -not the 7-11 fer Pete's sake!

So, the bottom line here is that if you're going to be part of the world community, you're going to involved one way or another with all the other players -how can you NOT be? Accordingly, rather than attempting to isolate ourselves, the only rational approach is to clearly state what you're going to do and then -DO it.

Answer 4

Because we are a free society, many foreigners want to be educated here. Our university system is the best in the world. Some of these people then return to their countries with new ideas and thoughts, and the uneducated religious nutcases who are in power start chanting "Death to the USA".

Next thing you know, these nuts start flying airplanes into our buildings. Go figure.

Answer 5

Perhaps we think we need to interfere with the world because of our role as chief financial supporter of the United Nations.

Maybe if the member nations would stop accepting our money, moved the headquarters to some other country, that might teach us a lesson.

Spank us. Spank us well.

Answer 6

Were you critical when we went into Kosovo and Bosnia. We do need to shore up our borders and prevent terrorists, infectious people, criminals, and radical Islamists bent on attacking us here from entering our borders. Our presence in Irag and Afghanistan, regardless of the media, is due to their attack on some sixty countries who lost citizens in on 9/11. They started it, we should finish it. We have lost people in Iraq and the media keeps a body count on our troops, What about the Muslims killed by people of their own religion.

Answer 7

OK so we cut off foreign aid bring home our military from 138 countries get out of NATO and the u.n. bring home all our overseas work etc. Would that make the world happy?

Answer 8

I wish we would stop fixing all their problems. We have enough of our own. If we dont help all these countries will cry about how we just stood by and watched and if we do help they cry that its none of our business. We cant win.

The United Nations is nothing without the US.

Answer 9

I agree that we need to start helping our own. BUT as long as people come to us for $$ and we give it to them AND we worry about how people feel about us AND worry about how the UN (worldwide mafia) feels about us, we will continue to be where we are.
If we stopped worrying about what everyone else thinks about us it would force us to become MORE self sustaining. People would stop importing stuff here IF we stopped giving up the $$ and military force so easily.

Answer 10

Thats all well and good and sounds horribly touchey feeley. I wonder what they are teaching kids in school these days, anything. We so called "stick our noses into other countries affairs" to protect our national interests and allies.