The U.S. should use unilateralism simply because it is able to use unilateralism. As the author states, the U.S. displayed just how powerful it actually is when it rebounded from the September 11th attacks, and destroyed the fanatical regime in Afghanistan. This displays the fact that the U.S. does not need to appease other countries, because other countries can't pose a threat to our country. However, this does not mean that America should try to use imperialism to take over the world. It merely means that the United States should be able to pursue it's own interests without having to answer to any other country. Any country should pursue it's own interests. The fact that the U.S. has more power than any other country just adds more reason that America should do what is best for itself without worrying about the reactions of other countries. On top of that, since our country is a superpower, just by asserting a position, others will follow.
The U.S. should oppose multilateralism because multilaterlism is a cover for inaction. During the Clinton administration, when the country was at rest with foreign affairs, numerous, useless treaties were made to prevent future wars from occuring. Currently, our country is not in a state of action. There is a war on terror between terrorists and the United States. The United States can't sit around and try to make every other country happy while terrorists plan more attacks on our nation. At another time, multilateralism might be acceptable for this country, but presently, we need to look out for our own welfare, instead of worrying about what middle eastearn country we upset by attacking Iraq.
Those who favor multilateralism might say that it is unseemly to act without considering other nations. Krauthammer isn't saying that we should disregard other countries on issues. He is just saying that we should not inconvenience our own country just to please other countries. Krauthammer says that our country should act in concert with others when possible. He states simply that we should not allow ourself to be held hostage to others. Our country does not need to dictate everything, just issues that are highly important to our country, such as missile defense. Our country should be guided by our own independent judgement. The feelings of other countries should be placed fairly low on the United States' priority list when it comes to important issues.
It's hard to disagree with someone on an issue when they take a stance that is fairly in the middle of the road. By mixing both sides of the argument, a person cannot be wrong. This is exactly what Krauthammer does in this article. While he favors unilateralism, he still argues for points of multilateralism. Overall, Krauthammer thinks our country should use unilaterism at the current time. I agree that, at the moment, and with important issues, the United States should conduct their foreign affairs without involving other countries.
