Kucinich on national security
The following is taken from the Kucinich campaign's issues page on National Security
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The current administration's national security doctrine, with its reliance on preventive war as a standard instrument of policy, is making the world more dangerous. We must reject this approach, and develop and communicate to the American people our own vision of national security. National security policy must contribute to broader foreign policy objectives, and complement our domestic priorities.
Since the 1970s, the Democratic Party, especially its progressive wing, has been put on the rhetorical and political defensive on national security issues. Conservatives have sought to portray their opponents as weak on defense, and have denigrated legitimate differences of opinion as naiveté or disloyalty.
The attacks of September 11 and the consequent "War on Terror" have allowed the Bush administration to frame the national security debate as it sees fit. The attack on Iraq was portrayed as a part of this war, despite a lack of any credible evidence linking Saddam Hussein to al Qaeda. At the same time, budgets for defense programs across the board have been greatly increased, with no reference to, or debate regarding, their relevance to the war against those who attacked us. The perception of an ongoing emergency has made many Democrats hesitant to take on the administration, in an area that effectively has been surrendered to the Republicans.
The current administration clearly believes that international terrorism can be defeated solely through military, law enforcement, and intelligence actions, without addressing the underlying foreign policy issues that, while in no way justifying the attacks on us, certainly contribute to explaining them. This is a prescription for war without end, for exacerbating anti-Americanism and winning more recruits to al Qaeda, and for continuing to alienate our friends and allies worldwide. The reluctance of Congress and the public to criticize the President during wartime (which, given the nature of terrorism, could be defined by the White House as lasting indefinitely) also facilitates the accomplishment of this administration's domestic agenda, including the erosion of civil liberties and economic policies blatantly favoring the wealthiest among us.
My vision of national security ties together not only military but diplomatic, economic, and human rights polices, and views the use of military force as a last resort. Building the link between domestic and defense issues, I believe that this country is more secure when the largest possible number of its citizens have a stake in its success, when decent education, healthcare, and housing contribute to productive lives for everyone.
The U.S. military is the strongest in the world by far, and will remain so. We need to recognize the accomplishments of, and hardships experienced by, our men and women in uniform. My position on pay and benefits, for both active duty military and retired veterans, reflects this recognition. The Kucinich approach to national security is anti-militarist, not anti-military.
National security must be defined in terms much broader than size of the defense budget, or number of carrier battle groups, fighter aircraft, or infantry divisions. Unfortunately, the response of many Democrats has been to paint their canvas in a Republican frame, to accept the need for vastly higher budgets and assertive use of military force, with minor fine-tuning. It is time to redefine the argument, to convey to the public that effective multilateral institutions, appropriate economic aid, principled foreign policy, and support for arms control regimes buy us more real security than launching preventive attacks or further increasing the Pentagon budget.
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Comments
From this side of the Atlantic the current US attitude not only looks wrong and dangerous, but like it's going to bankrupt the country. With the crashing dollar and airport 'security' putting people off visiting, Bush seems to be doing the terrorists job for them. In much the same way the Soviet Union collapsed under the expense of keeping up in the Cold War and was defeated without a major conflict taking place, so the US seems to be tearing itself apart.
I've always wanted to visit America, but I'm going to put it off until Bush is gone and it starts being a great country again.
Posted by: Ian | January 10, 2004 03:07 AM