[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 38 (Wednesday, April 10, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H1188-H1189]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1445
                          ENTANGLING ALLIANCES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Simpson). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Paul) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, we were warned, and in the earlier years of 
our Republic, we heeded that warning. Today, though, we are entangled 
in everyone's affairs throughout the world and we are less safe as a 
result. The current Middle East crisis is one that we helped create, 
and it is typical of how foreign intervention fails to serve our 
interests. Now we find ourselves smack-dab in the middle of a fight 
that will not soon end. No matter what the outcome, we lose.
  By trying to support both sides we, in the end, will alienate both 
sides. We are forced, by domestic politics here at home, to support 
Israel at all costs, with billions of dollars of aid, sophisticated 
weapons, and a guarantee that America will do whatever is necessary for 
Israel's security.
  Political pressure compels us to support Israel, but it is oil that 
prompts us to guarantee security for the western puppet governments of 
the oil-rich Arab nations. Since the Israeli-Arab fight will not soon 
be resolved, our policy of involving ourselves in a conflict unrelated 
to our security guarantees that we will suffer the consequences. What a 
choice. We must choose between the character of Arafat versus that of 
Sharon.
  The information the average American gets from the major media 
outlets, with their obvious bias, only makes the problem worse. Who 
would ever guess that the side that loses seven people to every one on 
the other side is portrayed as a sole aggressor and condemned as 
terrorists? We should remember that the Palestinian deaths are seen by 
most Arabs as being American-inspired, since our weapons are being used 
against them and they are the ones whose land has been continuously 
taken from them. Yet there are still some in this country who cannot 
understand why many in the Arab Muslim world hate America.
  Is it any wonder that the grass-roots people in the Arab nations, 
even in Kuwait, threaten their own government that is totally dominated 
by American power and money?
  The arguments against foreign intervention are many. The chaos in the 
current Middle East crisis should be evidence enough for all Americans 
to reconsider our extensive role overseas and reaffirm the foreign 
policy of our early leaders, a policy that kept us out of the affairs 
of others.
  But here we are in the middle of a war that has no end and serves 
only to divide us here at home, while the unbalanced slaughter 
continues with tanks and aircraft, tearing up a country that does not 
even have an army. It is amazing that the clamor for support for Israel 
here at home comes from men of deep religious conviction in the 
Christian faith, who are convinced they are doing the Lord's work. 
That, quite frankly, is difficult for me as a Christian to comprehend.
  And, we need to remember the young people who will be on the front 
lines when the big war starts, which is something so many in this body 
seems intent on provoking.
  Ironically, the biggest frustration in Washington, for those who 
eagerly resort to war to resolve differences, is that the violence in 
the Middle East has delayed plans for starting another war against 
Iraq. Current policy prompts our government on one day to give the go-
ahead to Sharon to do what he needs to do to combat terrorism, a term 
that now has little meaning. On the next day, however, our government 
tells him to quit, for fear that we may overly aggravate our oil pals 
in the Arab nations and jeopardize our oil supplies. This is an 
impossible policy that will inevitably lead to chaos.
  Foreign interventionism is bad for America. Special interests control 
our policies, while true national security is ignored. Real defense 
needs, the defense of our borders, are ignored and the financial 
interests of corporations, bankers, and the military-industrial complex 
gain control, and the American people lose. It is costly, to say to 
least. Already, our military budget has sapped domestic spending and 
caused the deficit to explode. But the greatest danger is that one of 
these days, these contained conflicts will get out of control.
  Certainly, the stage is set for that to happen in the Middle East and 
in south central Asia. A world war is a possibility that should not be 
ignored. Our policy of subsidizing both sides is ludicrous. We support 
Arabs and Jews, Pakistanis and Indians, Chinese and Russians. We have 
troops in 140 countries around the world just looking for trouble. Our 
policies have led us to support the al Qaeda in Kosovo and bomb

[[Page H1189]]

their Serb adversaries. We have, in the past, allied ourselves with bin 
Laden as well as Saddam Hussein, only to find out later the seriousness 
of our mistake. Will this foolishness ever end?
  A noninterventionist foreign policy has a lot to say for itself, 
especially when one looks at the danger and inconsistency of our 
current policy in the Middle East.

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