The United States’ current policy of intervention is harmful economically and it incites hatred around the world. Many believe that 9/11 happened because “they” hated the United States because of freedom and prosperity. Intervention was actually the main factor for the attacks on 9/11. In his “Letter to America”, Osama Bin Laden stated the reason for the attacks was, “Because you attacked us and continue to attack us,” and, “It is commanded by our religion and intellect that the oppressed have a right to return the aggression” (Full Text: Bin Laden's 'letter to America'). After 9/11, the United States launched its “War on Terror” which has continued into the next decade and the end doesn’t appear to be in sight. It began with the invasion of Afghanistan to fight Al-Qaeda and the Taliban and then spread to Iraq under the threat of WMD’s. Now it is spreading to the rest of the Middle East with Libya and the threat of war with Iran. The costs of these wars to date have been about 1.283 trillion dollars (United States). Other costs include the loss of lives by both American forces and innocent civilians. The costs have been high and the results have shown little or no success besides the death of Osama Bin Laden. Al-Qaeda and the Taliban are still growing stronger and spreading and Iraq and Afghanistan are still in chaos. With little result, and high costs, the logical reaction would be to pull out and return home.
Foreign Aid is a major flaw in United States’ foreign policy that costs it billions of dollars and does less good than harm. The United States gives foreign aid for mainly humanitarian purposes and for security or economic interests. Regardless of the motives, the idea of the United States government giving other countries money is wrong. It’s not constitutional, it frequently doesn’t achieve its purpose, it’s often questioned, and it just doesn’t make sense especially considering the current state of the economy.
Humanitarian purposes often are the justification for aid, but rarely if ever does the money given work to achieve its goal. Foreign Aid is influenced by politics in both the country of the donor and the recipient. Politicians in the United States decide where the money goes but those in power of the recipient country decide who gets the money. Recipients are often countries in violent civil war and the result is that it is commonly used as a tool by those in power to maintain their power and suppress any who oppose them. This scenario has played out on countless occasions but a recent example is the aid to the Palestinians that was misused, “Former Palestinian Authority chairman Yasser Arafat ordered millions of dollars, taken from international aid funds, tax money transferred by Israel and from Arab countries, to be used to purchase weapons and ammunition...These weapons were then provided to Palestinian terrorists from the Tanzim and al Aksa Martyrs' Brigades” (Katz, Yaakov). The discretion of the distribution of aid by the United States has been questioned because of the apparent alternative motives for aid. It seems that the United States only gives aid when it will serve to benefit them in some way.
National Security Interests are another reason for aid. One purpose is to establish peace in certain regions and help to defend allies of the United States. The Camp David Accords under Jimmy Carter achieved their purpose resulting in an end to fighting between Israel and Egypt. This peace is undoubtedly positive however it isn’t stable. In 2010, Egypt and Israel received more than 1.5 billion and 3.1 billion dollars in US Aid respectively which is around one third of all aid (U.S. Foreign Aid Summary). This peace depends on the continuation of the flow in funds from the US and is even less stable considering the recent events of the Arab Spring. The basis that it helps the military-industrial complex and produces more allies and that they are better armed makes sense but has often backfired. The most significant example is United States aid to extremists including Osama Bin Laden, “Between 1978 and 1992, the US government poured at least US$6 billion (some estimates range as high as $20 billion) worth of arms, training and funds to prop up the Mujaheddin factions” (Dixon, Norm). The purpose of this aid was to protect US interests by combatting the Soviet Union in Afghanistan, but this would prove to backfire on the United States in the attacks on September 11th.
The foreign policy of intervention that the United States has practiced from the mid-20th Century to the early 21st Century has been extremely harmful to itself. The solution is too simple, and the outcome would be very beneficial. End the interventionist policies including the wars and foreign aid. This would free up billions that could be used to boost the economy through lowering taxes and through domestic spending. Ending the wars would bring the military, which is spread thin around the world, back to the United States which could help to secure the borders and build up defense from the threat of foreign attacks. A foreign policy of freedom, peace, and commerce is the best solution to the current issues that the United States faces.
Works Cited
Dixon, Norm. "How the CIA Created Osama Bin Laden." Green Left Weekly. 19 Sept. 2001. Web. 04 Dec. 2011. <>.
"Full Text: Bin Laden's 'letter to America' | World News | Observer.co.uk." Latest News, Sport and Comment from the Guardian | The Guardian. 24 Nov. 2002. Web. 04 Dec. 2011. <>.
"George Washington Quotes." Mark's Quotes. Web. 04 Dec. 2011. <>.
Katz, Yaakov. "'Arafat Used Foreign Aid to Buy Weapons'" Newsgroups.derkeiler.com: The Source for Newsgroups News. Web. 04 Dec. 2011. <>.
"Quote from John Quincy Adams." Liberty-Tree. Web. 4 Dec. 2011. <>.
United States. Congressional Research Service. By Amy Belasco. 29 Mar. 2011. Web. 4 Dec. 2011. <>.
"U.S. Foreign Aid Summary." Vaughn's Summaries - General Knowledge Reference. 23 Aug. 2011. Web. 04 Dec. 2011. <>.
Vance, Laurence M. "Jeffersonian Principles by Laurence M. Vance." LewRockwell.com. Web. 04 Dec. 2011. <>.
