americanscalltoaction-blog

[americanscalltoaction-blog]

Call to Action

Claim and Audience: The subject of globalization and the regulation of weapons is a complex subject, so the objective of this blog is to inform college-aged students to take action against current regulations. As many of these new “anti-globalisation, isolationary” ideas become more prevalent as political strategies, it is important to understand why this is happening and anticipate what will happen. This blog is made in a format to be understood by young people who are comfortable with the format to make informed decisions and discussions. The goal is for the reader to support globalism of all countries through trade, open borders, and global war courts while reforming the ethics of war that are outdated or unethical.

Grounds: As countries become more interconnected, travel, immigration, and trade become easier. The technology of war has become advanced enough to destroy entire countries at the discretion of the aggressor. After hundreds of years of promoting open-border policies, large ally and trade agreements, countries including the United States and France are leaning toward more protectionist policy, which cut them off from the rest of the world. The United States needs to interpret war propositions on an international scale instead of making isolationary decisions, which usually do not succeed. People need to be more aware of these policies to become more educated voters and citizens. 

Opposing View: Citizens of America are afraid other countries’ people will come to provoke or promote terrorism, worried about losing American jobs, or simply do not appreciate other cultures being part of their society will support the isolationist policies. These isolationary ideas are okay for America in limited amounts, but the result for America as more people are voting to be isolationist will probably end negatively for America. When America acts as a global citizen, the decisions for war are held between multiple countries with many points of view. America could end up making rash war decisions where no country wins.

[americanscalltoaction-blog]

America First

Krauthammer, Charles. "Trump's Foreign-Policy Revolution." The Corner. National Review, 26 Jan. 2017. Web. 26 Apr. 2017. <http://www.nationalreview.com/article/444321/trumps-foreign-policy-isolationism-america-first-not-countrys-interest>.

Warrant: President Trump’s policy could isolate the United States from the rest of the world, hurting the relationship with important allies.

Backing: Krauthammer discusses President Trump’s foreign policy and the possible outcomes. Trump’s main foreign policy idea is that we need to keep ‘America First’. Trump, in turn, is giving up many of the trade agreements and weakening the friendships with other countries. Historically, America has been supporting other countries in acts of self-interest, like WWII, which helped the United States get the power it has today. Taking a u-turn to go from helping other countries to acting with ‘America First’ will weaken America’s world power.

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TPP

Baker, Peter. "Trump Abandons Trans-Pacific Partnership, Obama's Signature Trade Deal." Politics. The New York Times, 23 Jan. 2017. Web. 06 May 2017. <https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/23/us/politics/tpp-trump-trade-nafta.html?_r=1>.

Warrant: Abandoning the Trans-Pacific Partnership will hurt foreign relations.

Backing: This article is about President Trump dropping out of the Trans-Pacific Trade Partnership between twelve nations, which would have supported more efficient and cheaper trade between the countries. The previous administration worked for eight years to write the deal and get the other countries’ support as a way for the Pacific countries to be in competition with rising Chinese manufacturing. This agree was rejected by the president because of his “America First” policy. The domestic manufacturing competition that comes mainly from China, which would be traded for a number of other low labor cost countries. This partnership would be in support of globalism yet the rejection portrays Americas growing isolationism.

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Banning Immigrants

Almasy, Steve, and Darran Simon. "A Timeline of President Trump's Travel Bans." CNN. Cable News Network, 30 Mar. 2017. Web. 06 May 2017. <http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/10/us/trump-travel-ban-timeline/>.

Warrant: President Trump’s travel ban is causing the United States to further sink into isolationism.

Backing: This article talks about the days after President Trump issued the travel ban of certain Middle Eastern countries. The events that followed are detailed in this article and prove that America is divided on the subject of immigration. Since about half of America voted for Republican Donald Trump and the other voted for Democrat Hillary Clinton, many Americans are bound to disagree on whatever decision is made on the topic. The idea of banning certain countries from America is a very isolationist political decision. The decision comes from fear and dislike of the people from these countries. Banning people from certain countries is a strange concept in America due to the young and immigrant-rich history of the country. The isolationist concept behind this issue is a large selling point of Trump’s administration.

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South Korea

Rucker, Philip. "Trump: 'We May Terminate' U.S.-South Korea Trade Agreement." The Washington Post. WP Company, 28 Apr. 2017. Web. 06 May 2017. <https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-we-may-terminate-us-south-korea-trade-agreement/2017/04/27/75ad1218-2bad-11e7-a616-d7c8a68c1a66_story.html?utm_term=.8d4da73c5be4>.

Warrant: Similar to the TPP, the lack of trade between America and Korea would lead to bad policial relation, making America more isolationary.

Backing: President Trump, again, takes the American side to the trade agreement between other countries, in this case, Korea. Trump declared that the agreement was costing the United States to lose more to South Korean firms than it gains from the Koreans buying US goods. Trump wants to renegotiate or terminate the trade agreement to promote US business who are not able to compete with the cheap goods coming from South Korea. This is yet again another way Trump’s administration is promoting Isolationism by valuing America far about a way to stay connected and help an important ally.

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Southern Immigration

Cotton, Tom. "Fix Immigration. It’s What Voters Want." The New York Times. The Opinions, 28 Dec. 2016. Web. 1 Feb. 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/28/opinion/tom-cotton-f ix-immigration-its-what-voters-want.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FImmigration&action=click&contentCollection=opinion&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=10&pgtype=collection&_r=0

Warrant: America should not be focusing on enforcing the southern border because the issue is leading into a bad relationship between the US and Mexico.

Backing: Some American industries are in dire need of illegal immigration. It would be impossible for some business such as ones in farming and food services to exist with the constant flow of illegal immigrants to work. However, this excess supply of workers has to lead to a decrease in wages for American workers. It is a difficult dilemma, yet this issue makes it understandable about why many Americans voted for a more secure border. The issue has lead to some uneasiness between Mexican and American governments.

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Policy Now vs. JFK Era

"Inaugural Address of President John F. Kennedy." Washington, D.C. 20 Jan. 1961. JFK Library. Web. 1 Mar. 2017. <https://www.jfklibrary.org/Research/Research-Aids/Ready-Reference/JFK-Quotations/Inaugural-Address.aspx>.

Warrant: JFK’s globalistic ideals were positive for the United States during the Cold War Era.

Backing: There is an interesting comparison is to make between John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address and the current policy of the current president. JFK’s Cold War Era politics were focused on helping underprivileged countries combat communism and supported important alliances to support the American battle against communism. JFK’s globalist ideals are alien compared to the current administration.

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US in Vietnam

Spector, Ronald H. "Vietnam War." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 28 Oct. 2016. Web. 05 Mar. 2017. <https://www.britannica.com/event/Vietnam-War/The-fall-of-South-Vietnam>. 

Warrant: The United States’ overstay during the war in Vietnam proved that Americas best option was to work with other world powers instead of acting independently.

Backing: America's involvement in the Vietnam was a large stepping stone for the foreign policy. In most cases before, the United States tried to be independent and neutral of other countries. As the fear of the Soviet Union was rising shortly after the end of WWII, America took the responsibility of the free world on its shoulders and started a full-on proxy war against the Soviets in Vietnam. The war started as America being a good global citizen by acting with the support of European countries by protecting French colonies. The war dragged on and was left with America primarily acting on its own in an isolationist fashion. This war portrays that America should act as a global citizen. America ended up losing international support as the war continued and stubbornly acted independently to finish the war. The Vietnam War could have ended earlier or ended with a loss of fewer soldiers and money if the US government acted as a good global citizen.

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US from 1919-1941

Blower, Brooke L. "From Isolationism to Neutrality: A New Framework for Understanding American Political Culture, 1919-1941." Diplomatic History 38.2 (2014): 345-76. CrossRef. Web.

Warrant: America relies on the relationship of European nations.

Backing: After WWI, the United States wanted to act independently from Europe to avoid another tragedy. This political move made sense but later proved that this move would be impossible for America to do. The United States is so greatly dependent on Europe that participating in WWII was necessary for the success of the US and the rest of world. The isolationism in the early 1900s failed because globalism is the key for America.

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America in the Middle East

Hassan, Oz. Constructing America's Freedom Agenda for the Middle East : Democracy and Domination. Abingdon, Oxon : New York: Routledge, 2013. Print. Routledge Studies in US Foreign Policy .<http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/research/researchcentres/irs/publications/hassanpreview.pdf>

Warrant: America should be making war decisions through a global court.

Backing: America’s most recent war in the Middle East is disputed as America inflicting imperialism to the various countries as a means spreading democracy, retaliation for 9/11, and securing oil reserves. Again, America has lost the support of allies for the war by acting stubbornly and erratically when many of the decisions of war should have been made on a global scale to possible come up with a solution that would not cause so much money, death, and destruction.

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The Parallels between Vietnam and Iraq

Hess, Gary R. Contesting the Past Ser. : Vietnam : Explaining America's Lost War;. New York, US: Wiley-Blackwell, 2015. Print.

Background: American foreign policy got skewed after WWII. America entered both Vietnam and Iraq as a response to extremism is the form of communism and terrorism. This book compares the United States’ approach to these foreign conflicts with little support from other allies. The United States’ success rate will act as isolationist was small.

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America: Isolation >>> Global

Powaski, Ronald E. Toward an Entangling Alliance. 1. publ. ed. 22 Vol. New York u.a: Greenwood Press, 1991. Contributions to the Study of World History Web.

Grounds: This book addresses the United States’ early isolationism, which soon turned into the most globally involved country following the World Wars.

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Bay of Pigs

"PRESIDENTIAL SHAKE-UP:; Kennedy and the Bay of Pigs." The CIA and American Democracy. Ed. Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones.Yale University Press, 1989. 118-138. Print. Third Edition .

Warrant: America needs to be acting as a global citizen.

Backing: The Bay of Pigs is yet another instance where the US acts alone to combat communism. Led by the CIA, who almost add another layer of isolation by acting independently of the government, tried to fight against Castro. This would be another example of the United States’ failure to act as an international nation, instead choosing to act without the support of the international community.

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Vietnam Continued

Raico, Ralph. "American Foreign Policy--the Turning Point, 1898-1919." The Failure of America's Foreign Wars. 1996, Pp. 53-79., 1995. 53-79. Print.

Background: This article is a combination of many of the others which connect America’s involvement in Vietnam to the World Wars. The article proves that America would have had more success dropping out of the war along with the other international countries instead of staying to fight a war that could not be won.

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Giving Up Citizen Rights

Vidal, Gore. Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press / Nation Books, 2002. Web.<http://vho.org/aaargh/fran/livres7/Barnespwpp.pdf>

Warrant: America actions in response to terrorist attacks did more harm than good.

Backing: This book by Gore Vidal is a way for the American to look at the way that the American government takes advantage of its citizens. With a main focus on the Oklahoma Bombing and September 11th attacks, Gore questions how the government goes about taking way citizens rights to fight wars. The book raises flags about the power of the government when the US declares a war. 

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Vine, David. "Where in the World Is the U.S. Military?" Politico. August 2015. Web. <http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/06/us-military-bases-around-the-world-119321>.

Grounds: This infographic depicts the different United States bases, Lily pads, and unconfirmed lily pads. This source is a very interesting way to learn about how much of the world the US has control over. These bases are important to maintain trade, peace, and supply help to countries in need. Foreign countries can take this incredible amount of bases as a threat to their culture, and other countries could deeply rely on the United States’ support. If American policies turn more isolated, some of these bases could be closed or moved. This action would be good for some countries who do not want to be controlled by the US but could also be devastating for other countries that rely on America. 

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Nothing that you do in science is guaranteed to result in benefits for mankind. Any discovery, I believe, is morally neutral and it can be turned either to constructive ends or destructive ends. That’s not the fault of science.

Arthur W. Galston

(argumentation)Ethical choices depend on the person, nothing else. How a person wants to impact the people around them is their choice. The technology available to them has to ethical purpose on it own, it what the user gives it. Therefore, regulation of technology should focus more on the user than the technology itself. People need to make the right choices. technology doesn’t have that option.