[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 24 (Tuesday, March 10, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H932-H933]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        U.S. OBSESSION WITH WORLDWIDE MILITARY OCCUPATION POLICY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Paul) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, last week it was Saddam Hussein and the 
Iraqis. This week's Hitler is Slobodon Milosevic and the Serbs. Next 
week, who knows? Kim Chong-il and the North Koreans? Next year, who 
will it be, the Ayatollah and the Iranians? Every week we must find a 
foreign infidel to slay; and, of course, keep the military-industrial 
complex humming.
  Once our ally, Saddam Hussein, with encouragement from us, invaded 
Iran. Was it not logical that he might believe that we condone border 
crossings and invasions even into what Iraqis believe rightfully 
theirs, Kuwait, especially after getting tacit approval from U.S. 
Ambassador Glaspie?
  Last week U.S. Special Envoy to the Balkans Robert Gelbard, while 
visiting Belgrade, praised Milosevic for his cooperation in Bosnia and 
called the separatists in Kosova ``without question a

[[Page H933]]

terrorist group.'' So how should we expect a national government to 
treat its terrorists?
  Likewise, our Secretary of State in 1991 gave a signal to Milosevic 
by saying, ``All Yugoslavia should remain a monolithic state.'' What 
followed was to be expected: Serb oppression of the Croats and the 
Muslims.
  All our wise counsel so freely given to so many in this region fails 
to recognize that the country of Yugoslavia was an artificial country 
created by the Soviet masters, just as the borders of most Middle 
Eastern countries were concocted by the British and U.N. resolutions.
  The centuries old ethnic rivalries inherent in this region, and 
aggravated by persistent Western influence as far back as the Crusades, 
will never be resolved by arbitrary threats and use of force from the 
United States or the United Nations. All that is being accomplished is 
to further alienate the factions, festering hate and pushing the region 
into a war of which we need no part.
  Planning any military involvement in Kosova is senseless. Our 
security is not threatened, and no one has the foggiest notion of 
whether Kofi Annan or Bill Clinton is in charge of our foreign policy. 
The two certainly do not speak in unison on Iraq.
  But we cannot maintain two loyalties, one to a world government under 
the United Nations and the other to U.S. sovereignty protected by an 
American Congress. If we try, only chaos can result and we are moving 
rapidly in that direction.
  Instead of bringing our troops home from Bosnia, as many Members of 
Congress have expressed an interest in doing, over the President's 
objection, we are rapidly preparing for sending more troops into 
Kosova. This obsession with worldwide military occupation by U.S. 
troops is occurring at the very time our troops lack adequate training 
and preparation.

                              {time}  1830

  This is not a result of too little money by a misdirected role for 
our military, a role that contradicts the policy of neutrality, 
friendship, trade and nonintervention in the affairs of other nations. 
The question we should ask is: are we entitled to, wealthy enough, or 
even wise enough to assume the role of world policemen and protector of 
the world's natural resources?
  Under the Constitution, there is no such authority. Under rules of 
morality, we have no authority to force others to behave as we believe 
they should, and force American citizens to pay for it not only with 
dollars, but with life and limb as well. And by the rules of common 
sense, the role of world policemen is a dangerous game and not worth 
playing.
  Acting as an honest broker, the U.S. may help bring warring factions 
to the peace table, but never with threats of war or bribes paid for by 
the American taxpayers. We should stop sending money and weapons to all 
factions. Too often our support finds its way into the hands of both 
warring factions and we never know how long it will be for our friends 
and allies of today to become our enemy and targets of tomorrow.
  Concern for American security is a proper and necessary function of 
the U.S. Congress. The current policy, and one pursued for decades, 
threatens our security, drains our wallets, and worst of all, threatens 
the lives of young Americans to stand tall for Americans' defense, but 
not for Kofi Annan and the United Nations.

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