Quick foreign policy facts for persuasion?

[The Magic Hoof]

I need a little of your help. I'm going to be debating/persuading someone soon (in person) about Paul's foreign policy. The person will most likely vote for Paul since I've persuaded him this far, so the next step is to tackle foreign policy. And if I'm successful with this, I've got promo material and yard signs to give them so they'll start promoting Paul to their friends as well.

I know that there are 1000000 threads here with stuff about it but if someone can link those here or better yet give me 'quick facts' to write down on a sheet of paper to hand to them I'd really appreciate it. Really busy over here with my job so don't have much time, so I'd really appreciate the help.

 

[hazek]

Show them this and tell them that all that would change under Ron's presidency regarding dealing with national security threats is that he wouldn't behave as if the U.S. Constitution allows him to act as if he was king:



And then you can follow up with this where he explains he wants to be friends with whoever, he wants to talk to nations, use the 12.000 diplomats the U.S. has and trade with people:



p.s.: the videos are excerpts of a 35min long interview and I posted them in reverse order

 

[CaptUSA]

Ron Paul will only go to war following constitutional methods.

Ron Paul is an anti-interventionist - not an isolationist. Like Jefferson said, "Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations; entangling alliances with none." Or Washington, "'Tis our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world."

We spend the more money on military than anybody in the world, and 6x as much as the second nation. Ron Paul argues it's making us less safe, not more so. Even if you think it's making us more safe, couldn't we do it for 3x as much?

We have 900 military bases around the world. The American taxpayer is paying for the defense of many other countries. Ron Paul will let them take care of their own defense.

The number one issue facing our country is the debt. America will crumble quickly if we don't fix things. What good will it do to police the world and nation-build if our own country falls apart? That's your real choice.

 

[Eric21ND]

Transcribe everything.

 

[fisharmor]

Every empire in the history of the world has ended for financial reasons.
They overextend, then they run out of money, then they debase the currency, then their economic welfare goes in the toilet, and finally, the people either revolt or withdraw consent to maintenance of the empire.
It has happened the same way every single time.

We very much are an empire, with some important distinctions:
-We got our initial shot of power through having the only sound money left on the planet
-We got into the official empire business by propping up the remains of other empires (largely the British and the French)
-We refuse to employ traditional empire-maintenance policies like committing atrocities and plundering resources
-We refuse to make our holdings official parts of the empire, choosing instead to keep the appearance of our holdings' sovereignty

Everything that makes our empire different is hastening its death - not prolonging it.
All it takes is a basic understanding that, despite the fact that we're not committing atrocities, our vassals do not appreciate being part of our empire.
This is why RP keeps saying ad nauseum "Imagine if China had troops stationed in America. People wouldn't appreciate it, they'd probably start shooting!"

The empire is going to end, whether we like it or not. We are 40 years into the serious currency debasement. We are at the end.
We are either going to end it voluntarily or involuntarily.

History also teaches what happens when a state ends involuntarily. When that happens, a dictator comes to power and tyranny takes open control.

It's here. Now. Our choices are between 8 Hitlers and one Claudius.
No, that's not a fair comparison... because this Claudius actually wants to be emperor - and for one, and only one reason.
To bring the empire to a controlled end, and return us to a Republic.

 

[The Magic Hoof]

Thanks guys, and keep'em coming if possible, I'm going to write all of this down as quick-facts so I'll be prepared

 

[CaptUSA]

If this person is a conservative, tell them:

Ron Paul wants a "conservative" foreign policy. Getting into every other country's business is not "conservative". "Conservative" means careful, cautious, restricted, humble, and limited. None of the big government types wants a "conservative" foreign policy.

 

[fisharmor]

Some other thought-provoking questions:

-Why was radical Islam not a problem before the 1970s?

-Is radical Islam a religious movement? If so, is it apostate, or is it in line with mainline Islam? If mainline Islam blesses it, how come the millions of Muslims in the US don't just overrun us while all our troops are away?

-If radical Islam is, as most scholars who have studied this conclude, a political movement, then doesn't it make sense to look into the political reasons for them committing violence? What purpose does it serve to attribute all their actions to religious motivations?

-If our foreign policy is also centered on the idea of stopping the next Hitler coming to power, how do you discount the fact that Hitler's rise to power directly coincided with mass inflation? How do you discount the fact that the communist takeover of Russia also directly coincided with mass inflation? If our stated goal is to stop the next Hitler getting into power, how does it make sense to stop this happening by engaging in... wait for it... mass inflation?

 

[johndeal]

I've talked with some of my Mormon friends about a benefit to non-interventionism that has worked wonders. Some of them, while against the intervention and wars and stuff, think they will somehow open up the middle east to christian missionary work. I've asked them if they know how many missions and missionaries the Mormon church has in the middle east now (the answer is zero). Then I ask them how many missions and missionaries the church had in the middle east prior to US interventions. The answer is 2 missions and 2-300 missionaries in present day Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Damascus, and Israel.

I've gotten about 6-8 friends to switch Ron Paul with this argument who had previously been thinking Romney or someone else.

I would guess that this is generally true of all Christian missionaries but I would love to see the actual numbers. Does anyone know how to get this information? I think it would play incredibly well with the evangelicals. Tell them that US foreign policy has stalled the missionary work that had previously been going on in the Middle East while we were practicing a non-interventionist foreign policy.

 

[PWright]

Foreign Policy info

This stuff is from the wiki entry on american interventionist policy.

Iran 1953
In 1953, the CIA worked with the United Kingdom to overthrow the democratically elected government of Iran led by Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh who had attempted to nationalize Iran's petroleum industry, threatening the profits of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company.
Declassified CIA documents show that Britain was fearful of Iran's plans to nationalize its oil industry and pressed the U.S. to mount a joint operation to depose the prime minister and install a puppet
regime.

Afghanistan 1978-1980s
One of the CIA's longest and most expensive covert operations was the supplying of billions of dollars in arms to the Afghan Mujahideen militants. The CIA provided assistance to the fundamentalist insurgents through the Pakistani secret services, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), in a program called Operation Cyclone. Somewhere between $2–$20 billion in U.S. funds were funneled into the country to train and equip troops with weapons. With US and other funding, the ISI armed and trained over 100,000 insurgents. The early foundations of al-Qaida were built in part on relationships and weaponry that came from the billions of dollars in U.S. support for the Afghan mujahidin during the war to expel Soviet forces from that country. The initial bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993, the attacks on the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, the attack on the USS Cole, and the attacks of September 11 were all allegedly linked to individuals and groups that at one time were armed and trained by the United States and/or its allies.

Iraq 1963
In February 1963, the United States backed a coup against the government of Iraq headed by General Abd al-Karim Qasim, who five years earlier had deposed the Western-allied Iraqi monarchy. Iraq 1968 In 1968, the CIA allegedly backed the coup by Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr of the Baath Party, bringing Saddam Hussein to the threshold of power.

Iraq 1973-75
The CIA colludes with the Shah of Iran to finance and arm Kurdish rebels in an attempt to overthrow al-Bakr. When Iran and Iraq sign a peace treaty in 1975, the support ceases. The Shah denies the Kurds refuge in Iran, even as many are slaughtered. The American betrayal of the Kurds was investigated by the Pike Committee, which described it as cynical and self-serving. It has been argued that it tarnished America's image with one of the most pro-Western groups in the Middle East.

 

[No Free Beer]

Ron Paul will only go to war following constitutional methods.

Ron Paul is an anti-interventionist - not an isolationist. Like Jefferson said, "Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations; entangling alliances with none." Or Washington, "'Tis our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world."

We spend the more money on military than anybody in the world, and 6x as much as the second nation. Ron Paul argues it's making us less safe, not more so. Even if you think it's making us more safe, couldn't we do it for 3x as much?

We have 900 military bases around the world. The American taxpayer is paying for the defense of many other countries. Ron Paul will let them take care of their own defense.

The number one issue facing our country is the debt. America will crumble quickly if we don't fix things. What good will it do to police the world and nation-build if our own country falls apart? That's your real choice.

Almost double the amount than the 3 other second-tier super powers COMBINED!

 

[MikeM39]

Ron Paul will only go to war following constitutional methods.

Ron Paul is an anti-interventionist - not an isolationist. Like Jefferson said, "Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations; entangling alliances with none." Or Washington, "'Tis our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world."

We spend the more money on military than anybody in the world, and 6x as much as the second nation. Ron Paul argues it's making us less safe, not more so. Even if you think it's making us more safe, couldn't we do it for 3x as much?

We have 900 military bases around the world. The American taxpayer is paying for the defense of many other countries. Ron Paul will let them take care of their own defense.

The number one issue facing our country is the debt. America will crumble quickly if we don't fix things. What good will it do to police the world and nation-build if our own country falls apart? That's your real choice.

What does "isolationist" mean? Who was ever an isolationist?