Berkeley City Council Doing Its Anti-Democracy Bit

[Radar]

Originally Posted by Flint

I propose that this execution of an isolationist stance is not relevant to our times, because of the way the economy works. Resources, which represent our interests, aren't geographically located within our borders, so therefore protecting our own interests within our borders means doing some work outside our borders.

Something like "lining our troops up around our borders" would now be more like "lining up our troops around the oil fields in the middle east" which is...what we're doing isn't it? More accurately, establishing a military presence in the region.

Except we would never admit that. Instead we talk about "spreading freedom" and other such nonsense that we really don't give a crap about, or else we'd be doing it in the places where it's really needed most. Instead, we're doing it where our own interests lie, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Except we're too dishonest to admit it, and prefer to lie to ourselves about the reasons for war.

People don't support the war because they don't like being lied to, and they're not stupid.

This is not an isolationist stance. It's a military non-interventionist stance, and they are not the same thing. We defend ourselves, and we trade freely with other nations. We do not get involved in their political affairs or disputes with other nations.

This works in real life. Switzerland has been surrounded by war for hundreds of years and hasn't been in one for 150. It remains neutral in all disputes. It has a very strong defense. It doesn't go around sticking its nose where it doesn't belong. They are very happy and successful for this stance. This was also America's stance until WWI.

[Undertoad]

This works in real life. Switzerland has been surrounded by war for hundreds of years and hasn't been in one for 150.

All one needs to avoid military conflict is to become a mountainous nation with few natural resources (that's the hard part), and give the entire nation high-powered rifles and train them to be snipers (the easy part).

[deadbeater]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

All one needs to avoid military conflict is to become a mountainous nation with few natural resources (that's the hard part), and give the entire nation high-powered rifles and train them to be snipers (the easy part).

Or...bankroll the Nazis and Fascists.

[Radar]

Originally Posted by deadbeater

Or...bankroll the Nazis and Fascists.

Which Switzerland did not do. They were neutral in the disputes surrounding them and allowed the Germans to put the art and valuables they had (from whatever source) to be stored in the bank.

Also, America is harder to attack than Switzerland. They are surrounded by other nations and America has an ocean on either side and only 2 nations bordering ours.