Who Cares About Foreign Policy?

Freddie deBoer writes an outstanding blog at L’Hôte in which he discusses politics, education, and a smattering of other topics.  I recommend you follow him on a regular basis (it’s easy to do, as, sadly, he doesn’t update too frequently), but at the very least, be sure to check out his most recent post: “It’s not about Ron Paul.  It’s about you.”  It’s a complex essay, but central to his argument is the contention that in a democracy like America, it’s not just politicians or elites who are responsible for American foreign policy (including some unsavory policies that Freddie critiques in the post).  Every American, including you and me, bears some responsibility for these policies, and Americans who disagree with them are obligated to express their dissent and do something about it.

It’s a powerful claim, but what can the average American do?  How does the average American even come to care?  Foreign policy can often seem distant and abstract and much less pressing than more proximate concerns like employment or health care policy.  Though it can be difficult for us to be well informed about US foreign policy, and even more so to understand why it matters, it’s important to remember Freddie’s simple concern: “I want my country to stop killing innocent people.”  Theoretically, at least, sovereignty in the United States lies with the people, and it’s ultimately their responsibility to evaluate American foreign policy and attempt to change policies they decide are unfair or immoral.

Perhaps the most obvious step a dissatisfied American can take is to vote. The 2006 Congressional elections, for instance, brought many anti-Iraq War Democrats to power.  These candidates ran on platforms that tapped into many voters’ dissatisfaction with that conflict.  But elected officials don’t always enact their constituents’ wishes or stick to their campaign promises, so Americans must also have recourse to other means of making their voices heard.  There are various forms of protest that can fill this role: anti-Vietnam War protestors sometimes burned their own draft cards (and those of others), for instance, and the US sanctuary movement of the 1980s very publicly aided Central Americans refugees in the US to protest Washington’s policy in the region.  And Americans can always adopt the simple but powerful approach Freddie takes: joining the conversation.  Talking and writing about US foreign policy, getting this information and these views out in the open, can be an effective first step in challenging unpopular or problematic policies and turning opinion (both popular and elite) against them.

But there are lots of other ways to attempt to influence foreign policy, some of which I’m familiar with but many of which I’m not.  If you know of any other interesting or instructive examples from history and contemporary life, Consider readers, feel free to list them in the comments.

By: Aaron Bekemeyer

(Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)