The liberals’ ghoulish foreign policy
October 31, 2006| By Nathaniel Ward
Just in time for Halloween, Heritage national security expert Peter Brookes provides a look at the scary liberal foreign policy agenda. If liberals take the reins of power in Washington, Brookes writes, “expect U.S. foreign and defense policy to veer sharply left, with little guiding philosophy beyond ABB—Anything But Bush.”
“For many Democrats and liberals, this vengeful approach may provide much-needed therapy after 12 bitter years in the minority,” he argues. “But it’s no basis for a defense or foreign policy.”
Here’s what we should expect should liberals take power in Washington, Brookes explains:
- The retreat-and-defeat coalition would push for a premature withdrawal from Iraq, demonstrating to America’s enemies that we don’t have what it takes to win. “[T]here’s no doubt that jihadists would chalk up Iraq as proof positive that terrorism works—adding it to other ‘successes’ in Lebanon (1983) and Somalia (1993).”
- “A liberal majority would also drastically change course on North Korea,” seeking one-on-one negotiations that reward Kim Jong Il’s “nuclear brinkmanship and blackmail.”
- The liberal policy on Iran remains unclear. “They don’t seem to say much about it—other than carp about the White House’s multilateral efforts to curb the mullahs’ nuclear ambitions.”
- They would de-fund the missile defense program. “Liberals see such defenses as provocative,” even though abandoning them leaves America vulnerable to missile attack.
- Liberals would scuttle programs like the Patriot Act and the Terrorist Surveillance Program “that have been so successful in preventing another attack on the homeland for more than five years.”
“Other than categorically opposing whatever the administration is doing to protect us,” Brookes writes, liberals have no plan at all to defend America. “But having no strategy or policy for conducting our international affairs is certainly no way to keep us safe at home—or advance and protect our interests abroad.”
Nathaniel Ward is the Editor of MyHeritage.org—a website for members and supporters of The Heritage Foundation.