Foreign Policy Handbook Issue IV

Issue IV | July 2010
Redefining the National Interest
YALIBERTY.ORG/FPH ForeignPolicyHandbook.com
r d s
W o
h e d e n ura
ci
In T in La han Huq
ie l S
Dan
o f B Ji
All That
Glitters
Is Not
Gold
Brian Beyer
YOUNG AMERICANS for LIBERTY

The Young Americans for Liberty’s
Foreign Policy
Handbook
July 2010
FEATURED | Young Americans for Liberty | The Foreign Policy Handbook | Issue IV | July 2010
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Home of the Foreign Policy Handbook | Redefining the “National Interest” One Issue at a Time
Contents Executive Director
Jeff Frazee
3 Foreign Aid or „Forced Charity‟? Editor in Chief

By Brendon DeMeo Roy Antoun
4 In the Words of Bin Laden

By Jihan Huq
Contributors
8 Spreading Democracy. Again.
By Jeremy Davis Jihan Huq
10 All That Glitters Is Not Gold Brian Beyer

By Brian Beyer
Jeremy Davis
12 Ron Paul‟s Warning
By Daniel Suraci Daniel Suraci
Brendon DeMeo
14 On Pakistan
By Elliot Engstrom Elliot Engstrom
15 Prohibition: Part II Marissa Yturralde-Giannotta
By Marissa Yturralde-Giannotta
16 A Desperate Maneuver
By Roy Antoun
YAL MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) is to train, educate, and mobilize youth activists committed to
"winning on principle." Our goal is to cast the leaders of tomorrow and reclaim the policies, candidates, and direction
of our government.
YAL STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES

We are the Young Americans for Liberty (YAL). As Americans we recognize the God-given natural rights of life, liberty,
and property set forth by our Founding Fathers. Our country was created to protect the freedoms of the individual
and directed by we the people.
We recognize that freedom deserves responsibility and therefore we hold ourselves to a high moral character and con-
duct. Integrity emphasizes our stance towards action. Principle defines our outlook towards government. Peace and
prosperity drives our ambitions towards our countrymen.
We inherit a corrupt, coercive world that has lost respect for voluntary action. Our government has failed and
dragged our country into moral decay. The political class dominates the agenda with a violent, callous, controlling
Young Americans for Liberty | http://www.yaliberty.org | July 2010 1 roy.antoun@yaliberty.org | P.O. Box 2751 Arlington, VA 22202
Letter From the Editor
Dear Reader,
With the Obama Administration‟s weak han-
dle of foreign policy, one couldn't think that it could
possibly get worse. After the “firing” of General
McChrystal, not only was the Executive exposed for
bad management, but it showed us something else,
something bigger.
Primarily, it shows that the simple task the
Executive is supposed to have, control over the
armed forces, was fragile and feeble. The State De-
partment‟s internal disputes and dysfunctions were
exposed to Obama‟s distaste. And rightfully so; it was
just sad to see the transparency coming from a maga-
zine like Rolling Stone. Military command aside, McChrystal‟s firing and ex-
posé also showed the uselessness of our ambassadors abroad, like Richard
Holbrooke.
Another element McChrystal‟s firing shows us is the mismanagement
of an already broken and defunct foreign policy. Considering that I lost count
of how many generals have commanded the forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, it
goes to show how poorly managed the war truly is, let alone our diplomatic
efforts to make friends. There are various similarities between the abstract
strategy of the American Civil War and our current wars abroad. From the
glorification of Obama as the second coming of Lincoln to the constant firing
of generals, down to the mission creep strategy of changing the objective of the
wars, history does love to repeat itself.
“Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
- George Santayana
Roy M. Antoun
“Of the Youth, by the Youth, for the Youth” Want to write for the
Foreign Policy Handbook?
The objective of the Foreign Policy Handbook is to rationally discuss the faults in American Contact roy.antoun@yaliberty.org
foreign policy and offer practical, liberty-minded solutions. Over the past century, our elected
http://www.yaliberty.org/FPH
leaders have collectively corrupted U.S. foreign relations into a hotbed of backfiring interven-
tionism. It is the job of the youth to mobilize and inform, because it is we who will be paying
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Commentary | Young Americans for Liberty | The Foreign Policy Handbook | Issue IV | July 2010
you will be thrown in a dark, lonely hole in the mid-

dle of the jungle, but, if you speak out against it, the
chief and his cohorts call you greedy and selfish.
Furthermore, the foreign aid often goes to tribes
who do horrible things to their own people and
other tribes. They kill their own in weekly ritual sac-
rifices, and are constantly at pointless religious wars
with neighboring islands. The evil men and women
who run some of the other islands often take the aid
your chief sends to their islands and keep it for
themselves, and the chief knows this full well, but
Foreign Aid or he keeps on taking his own tribes wealth and send-
ing it to other islands. It boosts his popularity, for
“Forced Charity?” some of your fellow tribesmen and other island
chiefs think more highly of him because he is willing
to take his tribe‟s money, by force, and send it else-
Imagine that you live on a lush tropical island where.
with a couple thousand fellow tribesmen, which is You would surely be outraged with the chief.
surrounded by a few other is- You would hate paying your taxes because your
lands. You‟re a good person, you Brendon DeMeo money would often be going to people you do not
work all day during the week selling fish at your support, and causes you disagree with and often
small shop in the center of the island village, and find quite deplorable, all while many of your own
give some of your profits away to the elders on the tribesmen suffer. But in the United States, this is the
island who can no longer work for a living, and the reality. You can think of the federal government as
village healer, so that he can continue to help the the chief and the spearmen as the Internal Revenue
sick and wounded islanders who cannot offer him Service (IRS). The federal government takes Ameri-
anything in return. Imagine that can‟s money and sends it over-
doing so is rather hard, because You would hate paying your seas, where it often winds up sup-
the chief of the island confiscates taxes because your money would porting causes Americans often
about half of your wealth through often be going to people you do do not believe in. The federal gov-
taxes. If you don‟t pay them, a not support, and causes you dis- ernment believes it knows better
band of spearmen will show up at agree with and often find quite than its own citizens where to
your house and demand payment, deplorable, all while many of give charitably, and how much
or will haul you off to a deep hole your own tribesmen suffer. should be given, even though
in the ground and feed you noth- many Americans are underfed,
ing but coconut shells for a few years, until you die, undereducated, and underprivileged in general.
or are set free to start working again and paying This aid often hurts developing nations who
more taxes. receive it. According to the Global Issues website,
Now imagine that this chief is taking your “large projects or massive grand strategies often fail
money, and giving it away to tribes on other islands. to help the vulnerable; money can often be embez-
He calls it “foreign aid,” a form of “charity” that ex- zled away,” and “aid amounts are dwarfed by rich
presses your tribe‟s “national character.” You may country protectionism that denies market access for
think that such a thing is not charity, for if you do poor country products, while rich nations use aid as
not pay the taxes the chief uses to pay for foreign aid
a lever to open poor country markets to their prod-

ucts.” The latter is very troubling when we learn that
the US government even uses tax dollars to adver-
tise certain private businesses abroad.
The US government funds both sides of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Millions of American tax
dollars flow into Gaza and often winds up in the
hands of Hamas, while, simultaneously, millions of
American tax dollars go to the Israeli government.
Note that Hamas is a terrorist organization, and the
US government recognizes this fact. Even if you
support Israel, you have to wonder why one of the In The Words of Bin Laden
strongest and relatively wealthy countries in the
world needs the aid of the American taxpayer, while
the value of the dollar plummets, the American
Who Is Osama bin Laden?
economy is in turmoil, and many Americans strug-
gle with day to day expenses.
Up until now, the whole world assumes they
America, and much of the third world, would
have the jihadist/terrorist master-mind Osama bin
be much better off if America simply stopped send-
Laden figured out. However, who
ing tax dollars overseas and let the citizens practice Jihan Huq
is the real Osama bin Laden? Not
actual charity, which must be voluntary or it is not
the Osama bin Laden we see on television but the
charity at all. Looking at the leadership in both par-
man himself, his philosophy, his accomplishments,
ties, this is not likely to happen anytime soon. But
his ambitions and of course, his mission? Apart
let us not kid ourselves into thinking the US govern-
from the already depicted view we have of the Saudi
ment, or any other government, is charitable when
royalty, there are many aspects of OBL that are
it gives away money taken by force, and let us not let
common misconceptions.
our fellow countrymen think the charlatans who run
Today, all we witness in the media is how
this nation are saints for giving away money taken
OBL and his insurgent/terrorist fighters loath de-
by force.
mocracy, freedom, women in the work force and
strip clubs. Although, OBL is extremely vocal about
his opposition to such things, the fact of the matter
Want to write is it is not the driving force behind his radical jihad
against the United States.
for the Foreign Policy Handbook? Bin Laden was born in March 10, 1957 in Ri-
yadh, Saudi Arabia. He was raised in a strict Wa-
Be a Patriot. Join the Liberty Movement. habbi Muslim family. He was born into the Saudi
royalty with the silver spoon in his mouth. Accord-
Email the Editor: ing to several sources, Bin Laden is also college edu-
roy.antoun@yaliberty.org cated. However, what he has a degree on is dis-
puted. He is also currently married to four women
Find us on the web: and is estimated to have 19-25 children.
http://www.yaliberty.org/FPH
What Is Osama bin Laden's Philosophy? OBL], he decided to turn his animosity to the West-
ern powers. He started to emphasize more on the
“After our victory in Afghanistan and the defeat of U.S government's interventionist policies in the
the oppressors who had killed millions of Muslims, Middle East, (esp. in countries like Egypt, Iraq,
the legend about the invincibility of the superpow- Saudi Arabia, Israel, etc).This is when bin Laden
ers vanished. Our boys no officially turned his Jihad
longer viewed America as a against the West. He viewed
superpower. So, when they many of the modern Middle
left Afghanistan, they went to East governments as pup-
Somalia and prepared them- pets of the United States, as
selves carefully for a long well as oppressors of the
war. They had thought that Muslims. He stated, “If incit-
the Americans were like the ing people to do that is ter-
Russians, so they trained and rorism, and if killing those
prepared. They were stunned who kill our sons is terror-
when they discovered how ism, then let history be wit-
low was the morale of the ness that we are terrorists.”
American soldier. America He also mentions his vocal
had entered with 30,000 sol- anger toward U.S policy in
diers in addition to thou- Israel, stating: “We say our
sands of soldiers from differ- terror against America is
ent countries in the world. ... blessed terror in order to put
As I said, our boys were an end to suppression, in
shocked by the low morale of order for the United States
the American soldier and to stop its support to Israel.”
they realized that the Ameri- Thus, not only does Ji-
can soldier was just a paper tiger.” ---Osama bin hadists despise U.S meddling in the Muslims coun-
Laden (1998) tries, but they are also vehemently opposed to the
strong U.S/Israel alliance and policies towards the
It is speculated that Osama bin Laden's radi- Palestinians.
cal Wahabbi philosophy became much more mili-
tant during and after his participation of the Soviet- What are Osama bin Laden's Accomplish-
Afghan War in the 1980s. In fact, during this time, ments?
bin Laden was not only a religious zealot but a tena-
cious Jihadist. During this time during the 1980s, “Just like you kill us, we will kill you.” ---Osama
bin Laden created the group [Maktab al Khidamat], bin Laden (2002)
eventually leaving it and creating the modern al-
Qaida. However, though his anger was fully enraged It is no secret that Osama bin Laden's biggest
upon the Communist Soviets, it was no later than accomplishments are the attacks that occurred on
the early 1990s that bin Laden became more agi- September 11, 2001 (which he and his al-Qaida min-
tated with the United States—especially during the ions call “Victory Day”). However, his accomplish-
first Gulf War. After the Saudis permitted the U.S ment list may not be too long, but it is significant.
military in Saudi Arabia [holy land according to Earlier attacks included the USS Cole bombings,
early attempt to assassinate Egyptian Dictator the Islamic world as well as imperialist activities. He
Hosni Mubarrak, the attack of the Golden Mihor mentions how him and his brethren will attack the
Hotel, possible connections to attacks on U.S troops heart of every country---it's economy. Thus, accord-
ing to many experts, including Philip Giraldi, Mi-
chael Scheuer, etc, bin Laden is getting exactly what
we wants (more political adventures in the Islamic
world as well as more wars). This is not the first
time bin Laden mentions his ambitions. According
to bin Laden:
 America has vocally opposed political/military

opposition to any of the “heretic” governments of
the Islamic world, this includes opposition to defen-
sive Jihad against these tyrannical regimes.
 America has demanded that Muslim govern-
ments limit, control charitable activity to other
needy, oppressed Muslim countries (Palestine,
Lebanon, Egypt, etc).
 America has demanded that Muslims abandon
God' religion and to become much more secular and
in Somalia in around 1994. There are also some progressive (Western culture, secularization).
speculation that he was involved in other unnamed  United States policies support many oppressive,
attacks in Africa and the Middle East. anti-Muslim aggression in countries such as China,
Bin Laden's accomplishments are a symbol India, the Philippines, in Uzbekistan, in Israel,
and a reminder of his dangerous capability to at- Egypt and many other countries.
tack. All his motivations are based upon anti Ameri-  America supports “apostate” governments such
canism, anti Western imperialism, his religious te- as in Kuwait, Iraq, the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi
nacity of fighting the enemy for the sake of the Um- Arabia, Syria, etc.
mah or the Muslim nation.
 America (often using the UN) imposes several,
economically hazardous sanctions in the Muslims
What are Osama bin Laden's Ambitions?
countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan, Syria,
Iran, etc.
“...Therefore I am telling you, and God is my wit-
ness, whether America escalates or de-escalates the
The U.S government purposely is in the Mid-
conflict, we will reply to it in kind, God willing. God
dle East to not only be an imperialist power but to
is my witness, the youth of Islam are preparing
take tremendous advantage of Middle East oil and
things that will fill your hearts with fear. They will
energy resources.
target key sectors of your economy until you stop
These primary examples are all thanks to Mi-
your injustice and aggression or until the more
chael Scheuer's book, Imperial Hubris. Either way,
short lived of us die.” ---Osama bin Laden (2002)
bin Laden's ambitions are quite clear. Over all, he
wants:
The above quote depicts a clear image of bin
Laden's global ambitions to stop U.S meddling in
 The United States and other Western/non-
Muslim governments to cease meddling in the Mid- terrorist but rather an insurgent in the ever ex-
dle East. panded American empire. To bin Laden and his
 To have his view of Sharia-based Islamic govern- minions, he sees the oppression in escalating levels,
ment. especially in recent years after the U.S invasion of
 To weaken or annihilate the state of Israel. Afghanistan and Iraq. Mass casualties, destroyed
 To stop Western governments, primarily the homes of civilians, infrastructure and economies are
United States, from imposing harmful sanctions in also relevant factors. He sees the world as a battle-
Muslim countries. field. Therefore, he will do whatever it takes to bring
 For the United States and other Western powers back the Muslim world pre World War I (Ottoman
to stop exploiting Middle Eastern natural resources Caliphate). To bin Laden, this is the only way be-
such as oil. cause all the established powers will no longer have
 To stop using the United Nations to create political/ideological influence upon the Islamic
“Christian” nations from under Muslim ruled coun- world.
tries, such as East Timor.
Conclusion
And ultimately, to stop the United States
from using it's military, CIA, etc, to overthrow, ma- “These men understood that jihad for the sake of
nipulate Middle Eastern governance as well as to God is the way to establish right and defeat false-
stop oppressive actions in the Islamic countries, hood. They understand that jihad for the sake of
such as Israel. God is the way to deter the tyranny of the infi-
dels...These men sought to prepare a response for
What is bin Laden's Mission? the Day of Reckoning. Faith in God and the Hereaf-
ter and emulating the traditions of Mohammed,
“Acquiring weapons for the defense of Muslims is a may God's peace be upon him, is what prompted
religious duty. If I have indeed acquired these them to leave their homes...” ---Osama bin Laden
weapons, then I thank God for enabling me to do (after 9/11)
so. And if I seek to acquire these weapons, I am
carrying out a duty. It would be a sin for Muslims “If you wish to conduct offensive war you must
not to try to possess the weapons that would pre- know the men employed by the enemy. Are they
vent the infidels from inflicting harm on Muslims.” wise or stupid, clever or clumsy? Having assessed
---Osama bin Laden (1998) their qualities, you prepare appropriate meas-
ures.” --- Sun Tzu
“In today's wars, there are no morals. We believe
the worst thieves in the world today and the worst Osama bin Laden is an extremely high pro-
terrorists are the Americans. We do not have to dif- filed, controversial figure. Though many deem him
ferentiate between military or civilian. As far as we as violent and dangerous, some deem him as a free-
are concerned, they are all targets.” ---Osama bin dom fighter against the notorious American empire.
Laden (2001) For us to completely understand the “War on Ter-
ror”, we must examine, analyze and evaluate our
We can clearly conclude that bin Laden's enemies, their beliefs, ambitions and most impor-
main mission is to free his Muslim brethren under tantly (in this case)---motivations. With the war in
U.S, Western and Apostate Islamic governance. In Afghanistan in chaos and Iraq with no significant
many aspects, bin Laden does not see himself as a political/economic improvement, it is obvious that
we need to re-analyze the strategies in that region.

The best thing to do at all times of war is to truly pay
deep attention to the heart of the enemy.
Spreading Democracy.
Again.
For those who have accepted the role of the
United States in the world as a builder of nations,
our current involvement in Iraq
to help establish a functioning
Jeremy Davis
democracy is a justifiable reason for us being there.
The old Wilsonian tradition of making the world
safe for democracy is alive and well in fueling our
interventionist foreign policy in the Middle East.
Our government leaders would have us be-
lieve that it is our noble duty as Americans to spread
the good fortunes of democracy around the world in
order to bring freedom by force to oppressed peo-
ples whilst battling the threat of terrorism world-
wide.
The neo-conservatives that drive our foreign
policy would point to the recent parliamentary elec-
tions in Iraq as being a significant indicator that our
cause is worth pursuing. After all, the elections in
Iraq, America‟s little project in democracy in action,
is helping to bring democratic stability to a region
scarred with a dictatorial past, right?
The 2010 elections in Iraq have been marred
ballot recounts, interventions by the Supreme Court
of Iraq, and challenged by a Prime Minister who be-
lieves his authority is being circumvented and that
an Iraq without himself at the helm will fall apart.
Iraq‟s fledgling democracy brought to you by the
hands of the United States is represented as a genu-
ine investment in the betterment of the lives of the
Iraqi people, providing them with liberty and free- ter the overthrow of Ferdinand Marcos in the Phil-
dom previously unknown. ippines in 1986; after the ouster of General Chun
But if we simply take a glance at the track re- Doo-Hwan in South Korea in 1987; and after the
cord of the United States in supporting democracy ending of thirty-eight years of martial law on the is-
abroad, the genuine ambitions of the democratic do- land of Taiwan in the same year.”
gooders in government don‟t seem quite so genuine. Being skeptical when politicians claim that
For instance, it was in 1953 that our CIA as- we must wage preventive wars against oppressed
sisted in overthrowing Mohamed Mossedech, the third world nations in order to promote democracy
democratically elected leader of Iran and replaced so that we may root out terrorists becomes relatively
him with the Shah and enabled his authoritarian easy when events and actions such as those men-
rule for nearly thirty years. The United States didn‟t tioned here are taken into account. Promoting de-
seem all that concerned with Sad- mocracy essentially becomes code
dam Hussein‟s rule back in the But if we simply take a for continual war while we claimed
1980‟s when we actually supported glance at the track record of to uphold the values of a free and
the United States in support-
him and his efforts against Iran. democratic society and make friends
ing democracy abroad, the
U.S. interventions abroad have also genuine ambitions of the de- with authoritarian dictators and
lead to the propping up of and sup- mocratic do-gooders in gov- strive to overthrow other democrati-
port for many dictators such as In- ernment don’t seem quite so cally elected regimes at the same
donesia‟s General Suharto, Augusto genuine. time.
Pinochet in Chile, Fulgencio Batista Congressman Ron Paul also points
in Cuba, and Anastasio Somoza of Nicaragua to out this two-faced hypocrisy in his 2003 “State of
name a few. the Republic address” delivered before the U.S.
The creditability of our foreign policy in car- House of Representatives. Paul states that “Our
rying through the liberation of the Iraqi people from policymakers promote democracy as a cure-all for
an un-free society is lacking when considering our the various complex problems of the world. Unfor-
continued associations and alliances with other re- tunately, the propaganda machine is able to hide the
gimes less than friendly to democracy like Pakistan real reasons for our empire building. „Promoting de-
or Saudi Arabia. In fact, as in most cases of our for- mocracy‟ overseas merely becomes a slogan for do-
eign interventionism, democracy has taken hold in ing things that the powerful and influential strive to
direct opposition to our meddling on behalf of do for their own benefit.”
spreading our ideals through force. In that same speech, Paul also noted that
In his book, Nemesis: The Last Days of the “There is abundant evidence that the pretense of
American Republic, Chalmers Johnson explains spreading democracy contradicts the very policies
that “It should be noted that since 1947, while we we are pursuing. We preach about democratic elec-
have used our military power for political and mili- tions, but we are only too willing to accept some for-
tary gain in a long list of countries, in no instance the-moment friendly dictator who actually over-
has democratic government come about as a direct threw a democratically elected leader or to interfere
result. In some important cases, on the other hand, in some foreign election.”
democracy has developed in opposition to our inter- Do the Iraqi people themselves honestly be-
ference.” Chalmers goes on to cite that this occurred lieve that the U.S. is bringing them freedom through
“after the collapse of the regime of the CIA installed the barrel of a gun? In another address to the U.S.
Greek colonels in 1974; after the U.S. supported fas- House of Representatives, Congressman Paul said
cist dictatorships in Portugal and Spain in 1975; af- that “The Muslim world is not fooled by our talk
about spreading democracy and values. The evi-

dence is too overwhelming that we do not hesitate
to support dictators and install puppet governments
when it serves our interests. When democratic elec-
tions result in the elevation of a leader or party not
to our liking, we do not hesitate for a minute to un-
dermine that government.”
Although he‟s been fervent to deny it, there‟s
no doubt that Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-
Maliki is nothing more than America‟s man in an
All That Glitters
American backed regime. Since the results of the
Iraqi parliamentary elections earlier this year possi-
bly hint at a jobless al-Maliki, the Iraqi Prime Minis-
Is Not Gold
ter has been quick to speculate that his power as
leader is being significantly reduced and under- After President Obama‟s escalation of the war
mined, leaving him with relatively little authority or in Afghanistan, remarks that it is the “just war,” and
unable to fulfill his duty as a strong leader. recent dismissal of General Stanley McChrystal,
Is sacrificing untold amounts of our own Obama has now come to own
the war in Afghanistan. He has,
Brian Beyer
blood, treasure, or freedom worth dictating to other
countries how their governments should be more in fact, owned the war since he took his inaugural
like ours? Is undermining our own system of de- oath, but only now is the mainstream media decid-
mocracy worth the price of making sure Iraq being to hold him accountable. However, even they
comes a democratic beacon of the Middle East? Per- have failed at that.
haps if it was our actual role (which it isn‟t) and our In order to drum up support of the war-
intentions were more genuine then it could appear weary American public, James Risen of the New
more believable. York Times “broke” a 25 year old news story: Af-
But since our misguided interventionist for- ghanistan is full of precious metals, many of them
eign policy makes its living off of gross double stan- being vital for our high tech world. In reality, the
dards of saying we support democracy here while Soviets, during their lengthy and disastrous occupa-
wanting to topple some other democratic govern- tion of Afghanistan, wrote a report on the country‟s
ment we don‟t like over there, our government has mining potential in 1985. The narrative remained
no room to talk in terms of supporting freedom or largely the same: plenty of minerals and plenty of
liberty. money to be made. However, before the Soviets
could spend the time and money to deplete Afghani-
stan of its resources, their socialist empire col-
lapsed.
The importance of this mineral find has been
both largely exaggerated and grossly underesti-
mated. Sadly, this will not be the magic bullet that
reignites Afghanistan‟s failing economy. It also will
Want to write for our FPH website? not shoot Afghanistan to the status of regional pow-
erhouse overnight. However, this discovery could be
Contact us at:
a threat to American hegemony in the Middle East
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rather than augmenting it, something that many are
saying will happen. validly obtained in accordance with this Law.

As the American public is well aware, the (3) A Person may conduct Mineral Activities, ac-
United States is waging a bloody war in Afghani- quire control or possession over Minerals and
stan. With a July 2011 deadline for that has now Mineral Substances extracted [in Afghanistan]
been disavowed by Nobel Peace Prize winner Presi- pursuant to a Mineral Right [validly obtained in
dent Barack Obama, “the Graveyard of Empires” accordance with this Law].
will remain a war zone for the foreseeable future. (4) The Ministry of Mines and Industries is hereby
Even in the highly unlikely case that western troops authorized to grant Mineral Rights in accor-
will be removed in a timely fashion, the Taliban in- dance with the provisions of this Law.
surgency will continue to grow stronger. Pakistan‟s (5) A surface right to land does not confer
Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has been trying to upon its holder any claim or right whatso-
ever over the Deposits of Mineral Substances
which may be found/detected on or under such
land without a Mineral Right validly obtained in
accordance with this Law. The provisions of
Paragraphs (1) and (2) of this article shall prevail
facilitate talks between the Afghan government and in any case.
the Haqqani network, an insurgent group with close
ties to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. In Pakistan‟s Swat So, even if a mining company was to discover
Valley, the Taliban recently took over an emerald and extract minerals, they would first have to seek
mine and demanded to be paid permission from the govern-
a third of all earnings. These A huge obstacle towards any promis- ment as the minerals are its
are just a few of the hindrances ing development in the country is its “exclusive property.” And ex-
towards any meaningful eco- new, vague, and downright socialist tracting minerals on land that
nomic development in Afghani- mining laws. is yours is void as it “does not
stan. confer upon its holder any
The problems with Afghanistan‟s economic claim or right.” Frequently cited as one of the most
climate do not end there, however. A huge obstacle corrupt states in the world, mining companies could
towards any promising development in the country easily be deterred from doing business there be-
is its new, vague, and downright socialist mining cause of its all-encompassing mining laws and
laws. These laws, passed in 2005, are sure to leave crooked politicians. Uncertainty is business‟ worst
many investors very skeptical of even mining there enemy.
in the first place [emphasis mine]: With constant warfare, dangerous religious
fanatics, a corrupt government, and even worse
Article four: Ownership of Minerals laws, Afghanistan is no enticing place to do busi-
(1) All naturally occurring Mineral Substances and ness. As such, there is no reason to believe that Af-
all Artificial Deposits of Mineral Substances on ghanistan‟s mineral reserves have the possibility of
or under the territory of Afghanistan or in its wa- fundamentally altering its economy.
ter courses (rivers and streams) are the exclu- Many people think that as a result of this
sive property of the State. find, Afghanistan will become another “colony,” aka
(2) Mineral Activities may be conducted in Afghani- “Saudi Arabia of lithium,” of the United States.
stan [only] by the State, unless a Person [other While this would have been more accurate during
than the state] is the Holder of a Mineral Right the Cold War, the same does not hold true for today.
The US is drowning in red ink (to the tune of $13.1 the US has. They are willing to deal with leaders of
trillion) and is about to experience an economic all stripes, from Karzai to Ahmadinejad. And most
freefall that will make the “Great Recession of importantly, they are eager to spend in order to feed
2008” look like a joke. The American public is be- their monstrous economy. If Afghanistan is ever to
coming increasingly skeptical of the war in Afghani- become a satellite state, it could very well be of
stan. Therefore, it is unfeasible both economically China rather than the United States.
(the printing press can only do so much) and politi-
cally to maintain another Saudi Arabia.
Photo courtesy of the Associated Press

Instead, it looks as though if China is slowly
building s strategic foothold in Afghanistan. It was
only a few years ago that state run China Metallurgi-
cal Group Corporation (CMGC) outbid all of its
competitors by an incredible $1billion for mining
rights near the village of Aynak. The project was
grand on all levels. A railroad, power plant (that fu-
els both the mining site and Kabul), coalmine, and
smelter were all included in the $3.4 billion pack-
age. Middle East expert S. Frederick Starr has suc-
cinctly described the Chinese way of doing business:
“We do the heavy lifting. And they pick the fruit.”
Ron Paul‟s
What he meant to say was that Americans do the
fighting and securing, and the Chinese profit over
Warning
the “stable” environment.
However, even if all of the troops in Afghani-
Years after Dr. Ron Paul warned us of the
stan were to be quickly pulled out, it is quite possi-
danger of perpetual war, the wars in Afghanistan
ble that the Chinese would continue to extract. Since
and Iraq have recently spread like a disease to Paki-
CMGC is a state run corporation, it can take many
stan, Yemen, and Somalia.
risks that a private company would be unwilling or Daniel Suraci
On top of our traditional sol-
unable to take. Also, China is notorious for working
diers, President Obama has deployed Secret Opera-
in some of the most inhospitable and dangerous
tions in over 70 countries. While the media is calling
places in the world, all to feed its rapidly growing
Afghanistan “Obama‟s War”, the ongoing conflict in
economy. In fact, China is more heavily invested in
Pakistan deserves that moniker more so. Today,
Iraqi oil than other country (including the US), has
Americans fight a war against soldiers that cannot
signed long term contracts for gasoline from Iran,
be located or named. Even which country the ene-
and has many investments in Pakistan and some of
mies are in remains a mystery, but yet, American
the most turbulent parts of Africa. Where private
politicians persevere on, throwing soldier after sol-
companies see danger, China sees opportunity.
dier, civilian after civilian, in order to achieve
If China continues their strategy of “picking
„victory‟.
the fruit,” it is quite possible that they could become
Since coming into office, President Obama
a powerful influence in the Middle East just as the
has used drone attacks in Pakistan frequently: “In
United States‟ influence is diminishing. China is
2008, there were reportedly between 27 and 36 U.S.
currently not engaged in any military conflict in the
drone attacks as part of the CIA‟s covert war in Paki-
region, which gives them none of the baggage that
stan. In 2009, there were 45 to 53 such strikes. In
the first 18 days of January 2010, there had already cently released a report stating that the Pakistani
been 11 of them.” These strikes have stayed primar- government is giving great amounts of aid to the
ily out of the media, since the media focuses on the Taliban in Pakistan. This only makes sense as the
number of American lives lost. Pakistanis view the Taliban as a
Considering these drones are pi- Obama though is having a hard great ally in their war efforts
loted out of Dayton, Ohio, it‟s hard time finding support within the against India. The people of Paki-
CIA for these drone strikes as
to imagine them making the front stan itself see themselves caught
the CIA has relentlessly stated
page. The use of drones also pre- that the blowback effect of a up in a fight that they have no de-
vents a war weary nation to keep civilian war in Pakistan will far sire to be in and entirely for politi-
pushing on in a hopeless war effort. outweigh the benefits. cal reasons (thus far about $5 bil-
Not only do we not see Americans lion USD worth of political rea-
killed, but the cost of drone fighters is significantly sons to the government of Pakistan). Indeed, the
lower than traditional soldiers. Effectively, Obama‟s first suicide attack in Pakistan did not occur until
war could go on forever. 2004 when the Pakistani army joined the Ameri-
Also avoiding the front page is that Blackwa- cans in „fighting terrorism‟. Moreover, new militant
ter (now known as Xe Services) is guarding drone groups are popping up in Pakistan constantly in
outposts for the CIA in “Afghanistan and elsewhere” protest of Pakistan‟s role in the war and American
So while politicians condemn the actions of involvement in the Middle East. All of these prob-
„Blackwater‟ vehemently, the CIA hires „Xe Services‟ lems should have been foreseen by US officials.
to protect their bases to the tune of $120,123,293 of Politicians and generals both constantly pay
taxpayer money. Not only is the war spreading, but lip service to „staying in the fight to win it‟. But
the commanders are using strategies known to fail, none of them seem to be able to answer what that
and especially to cause blowback. America is not victory would look like. Certainly, a typical military
only perpetuating war, but perpetuating the same victory will not occur; that much should be obvious.
There will be no treaty, and it will be anticlimactic.
In this way, a political victory can never be
achieved. If the objective is to eradicate the Al
Qaeda, current estimates place only about 100
members in Afghanistan. And the 94,000 American
soldiers cannot kill them. Many have moved into
Pakistan, and American forces have followed. But
how will generals ever know they killed them all,
failed strategies and the same actions that created a when new militants are being created perpetually by
quagmire in Afghanistan and Iraq. the violence American soldiers create. It perpetu-
Obama though is having a hard time finding ates a cycle of violence, in which there is no possible
support within the CIA for these drone strikes as the victory, other than withdraw, and all this under the
CIA has relentlessly stated that the blowback effect pretense of „peace‟. As Dr. Ron Paul stated, “We are
of a civilian war in Pakistan will far outweigh the following this precept of perpetual war for perpetual
benefits. The evidence for this is overwhelming. peace . . . .” All the while, we hemorrhage money,
Pakistan recently signed an agreement to run an oil only to increase our national threats, as American
pipeline with Iran, from Tehran. Despite receiving strategies cause more and more blowback.
billions in aid from America, and offering their alle-
giance to us, the London School of Economics re-
ever existed before in the history of the region.

Consider the analogy of Humpty Dumpty.
When Humpty Dumpty falls off of the wall and all
the king‟s men have to put him back together, it is
quite a difficult task in and of itself. However, what
the United States is attempting to do in Afghanistan
and western Pakistan is to put Humpty Dumpty
“back together” despite the fact that he has never
On Pakistan existed. In other words, they‟re trying to create
Humpty Dumpty out of thin air.
Even a mild analysis of the demographics of
One of the most frequent mistakes made in western Pakistan makes it fairly obvious why there
the realm of foreign policy is the forgetfulness that is such hostility to American attempts to radically
when dealing with other na- alter their culture. The Federal Administered Tribal
tions, we are at the base Elliot Engstrom Area (FATA), located along the Pakistan-
level dealing with human Afghanistan border, is only recognized as such by
beings very similar to ourselves. While different hu- outsiders. The inhabitants of this region do not
man beings may manifest their base desires and consider themselves people who live along the Af-
motivations in different ways, we all share the gen- ghanistan-Pakistan border, rather they think of
eral characteristic of looking out for the well being themselves as people who occupy their own home-
of ourselves and those close to us above all others. land, just like everyone else in the world. They do
It has been characteristic of the United States not see the area they occupy through western eyes,
to forget this basic fact throughout our involvement but rather through their own.
in the Middle East, as we often reduce the actions of This fact by itself makes it hard enough for
the people of such regions as the Middle East to the United States to accomplish any of their goals in
simply describing them as “terrorists” without any the region, such as hunting down enemies hidden in
attempt to understand why they react in such a way
to our presence. However, it seems that this base
mistake on the part of the United States continues
as we spread our war into Pakistan with little regard
for the likely consequences. An analysis of the
flawed idea of nation building in the region will help
shed light on why its people continue to become
more hostile to an American presence.
Nation building is an impossible enough task
in the case of a country like Iraq where the infra- the tumultuous terrain of the region and making the
structure has been decimated due to war and now is people of the area more sympathetic to an American
being rebuilt. In the case of Afghanistan and west- presence. However, the tactics being used by the
ern Pakistan, where the United States effort is now United States military in Pakistan not only hinder
appearing more and more like a nation building ef- accomplishment of American objectives, but directly
fort, the task is made even more difficult, and nearer antagonize them.
to impossibility, by the fact that no infrastructure of One example of this is drone policy along the
the kind the United States is trying to create has Afghanistan-Pakistan border, which has in recent
years been a problematic issue for the United States

military. By using drones to attack what are consid-
ered key targets in this region, the United States has
undermined the strength of the Pakistani authori-
ties, and in fact has increased the kind of political
instability so feared in the region. Even if the drone
attacks are now being reduced, the damage is al-
ready done. For example, not only have drone at-
tacks increased resistance to an American presence,
they also have increased recruiting levels for anti-
American organizations such as the Pakistani Tali-
Prohibition:
ban. Baitullah Mehsud, founder of the Pakistani
Taliban, said in an interview, “I spent three months
Part II
trying to recruit and only got 10-15 persons. One
Iraq and Afghanistan are not the only wars
U.S. [drone] attack and I got 150 volunteers!”
that the United States is currently waging. There is a
This reverts back to the statement at the off-
third major war that the United States has resumed
set of this effort that human beings are motivated by
responsibility for. In many cases it takes form in
concern for themselves and those close to them, and
green leaves or
thus it should be no surprise that this method of at- Marissa Yturralde-Giannotta
white powder.
tack has bred hostility against the U.S.
For several years the United States has invested bil-
A final, and arguably the largest, issue at
lions in a no-win war that seems to be quietly
hand in the expansion of America‟s war into Paki-
tucked away in the President‟s budget: The War on
stan is the simple fact that historically, the United
Drugs. The War on Drugs takes on an interesting
States does not quickly withdraw forces from areas
history that still continues up to this day. As the
where they have been committed. If the American
black-market increases its revenue in the street drug
war continues to escalate into Pakistan, it will be
cartels, America‟s skepticism is increasing as well.
nearly impossible to have any significant drawdown
Recent news of drug violence in our neighboring
of forces in the near future. By continuing to con-
Mexico is leading many Americans to believe that
duct operations in this turbulent region, the United
our War on Drugs is becoming more and more ap-
States is creating what is becoming less and less an-
parent of its extreme inefficiencies and waste. How-
other theater of the war in Afghanistan, and more
ever, more importantly it‟s revealing questionable
and more an entirely new theater of war in itself,
actions that the War implements. The War on
stretching an overworked United States military
Drugs has become another negative US foreign pol-
over three theaters of the Middle East. It can be
icy that has affected our diplomatic ties with many
predicted that as this continues, any natives of this
countries; including our neighbors and the country
region that fight back in concern for their own
we are concentrating military intervention, Afghani-
autonomy will be dubbed terrorists by the United
stan.
States, and end up serving as yet another pretext for
The government‟s assumed responsibility of
a continued expansion into the region.
regulating human behavior in regards to the con-
If a massive increase in the war in the Middle
sumption of drugs could be notoriously seen in the
East is to be avoided, then to time to end expansion
1920s during Prohibition. During this time, the gov-
into Pakistan is now.
ernment took on the alcohol binge. For predomi-
nantly moral reasons, government was pushed into
prohibiting the sale and use of alcohol deeming it a supporters in the region. Poor farmers whose poppy
drug whose effects were seen as negative to the fields are destroyed by the United States look for
overall society. Prohibition became notoriously un- support from the Taliban who can provide them
popular as violence within mobs increased and costs economic and physical security that the United
to ban the product soared (sound familiar?). As a States could not. This has become a major problem
result prohibition did not do what it intended and for our plans in the region and how the United
was lifted. Today the War on Drugs takes not only
domestic problems but now has shifted it into the
hands of violent non-state actors in other countries.
Mexico‟s recent violence in neighboring bor-
der towns is in direct correlation to the War on
Drugs. Because drugs are illegal and the black mar-
ket is in such high demand, drug cartels compete for
top spots in supplying drugs. This leads to illegal
activity and violence between each group. As seen
in Mexico, drug cartels have been waging a war with
each other to drive the other out of the competition
in supplying America with its drugs. Therefore, the
War on Drugs in its intention to stop violence actu-
ally increases it. While Mexico is experiencing insta-
bility in their northern region, the violence is threat- States is perceived by other countries. Many prob-
ening to cross the border into the United States. The lems we also face in South America take this form as
threatening violence is just another example how well. The War on Drugs is simply another reason to
the War on Drugs has failed in its implementation create anti-Americanism that can one day have an
of reducing drug use and drug crime. effect on our national security.
On the other side of the world, Afghanistan And instead of focusing our interests in the
also seems to be under the War on Drugs spell. In supply side of the problem, all our efforts go to-
Afghanistan, poppy fields are being questioned by wards the demand side. The United States com-
the US military. Eradication is taking root in Af- pletely bypasses our contribution to the problem by
ghanistan to prevent heroine to be supplied to the becoming the consumers of these cartels that create
United States. This might seem like the right thing instability in their respective countries (as also seen
to do however, poppy fields are essential to the sur- in Colombia).
vival of many poor farmers in Afghanistan. Many The War on Drugs is a needless $40 billion
farmers do not have other methods of income ex- (per year) waste that produces nothing but worsen-
cept for the cultivation of poppy. This poses a sig- ing results. Its affect on diplomacy in Latin America
nificant problem to the US: should the US eradicate (with certification laws) and other parts of the world
poppy fields in facing civilian retaliation? The Tali- can lead to consequences in the future and already
ban also seems to use this an excuse to gain more have. Not only does it affect our diplomatic ties but
also seriously affects urban populations and minori-
ties. This government sponsored war is only gener-
ating more jail time to those who are neither violent
nor a danger to society. It‟s time for the US to end
political morality and the War on Drugs.
have to exist. Second, he immediately loses touch

with non-Muslims living in what he deems as the
“Muslim world.” Christians, Jews, Copts, Hindus,
and Buddhists live in the Middle East and steppes
as well. Third, it isn‟t the job of NASA, of all admini-
strations, to help a group of people “feel good”
about anything. If anything , NASA makes us feel
really small and tiny in the grander scheme of
things.
According to NASA Administrator Charles
Bolden, “NASA is not only a space exploration
agency… but also an Earth improvement agency.”
Essentially, foreign policy has been lucratively
dubbed as “Earth improvement” and a “Space Ad-
ministration” is now an Earth management agency
A Desperate that has to differentiate people by their associative

religions and then make them feel good about it.
Maneuver That‟s what your tax dollars do: they make religious
people half way across the world “feel good.”
However, in saying this, Mr. Bolden and
President Obama have applied the mission creep
With the United States engaged in a perpet- tactics of the war on terror to a Federal agency. As
ual war across the scope of the entire globe, a for- of this publication, NASA‟s website definitively
merly useful and intrinsically scientific agency is ex- states that its “mission is to pioneer the future in
periencing a severe case of mis- space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronau-
sion creep. The National Aeronau- Roy Antoun tics research.” Nevertheless, the new direction that
tics and Space Administration used to have a steady Bolden and Obama are taking NASA is a farfetched
mission or goal. It was to “pioneer the future in understanding of what NASA‟s original intentions
space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronau- were. On paper, science and research constitute
tics research.” But now NASA is being used as a for- NASA‟s goals. In practice, there‟s an unprincipled
eign policy mechanism to “reach out to the Muslim deviation from its roots; the manipulation of words
world and engage more with dominantly Muslim to describe an otherwise well-intentioned agency is
nations.” One little caveat: “…to help them feel malicious and irresponsible.
good about their historic contribution to science, Obama‟s petty NASA plan has former astro-
math, and engineering.” nauts up in arms over the future of NASA, let alone
The Obama administration‟s utilization of the future in space exploration. According to the
NASA in this respect is quite degrading. In the San Francisco Examiner, “the moon program will be
words he used, he does several things. First, he scrapped, replaced by a hazy hope to visit Mars. The
separates the “Muslim world” from the rest of the space shuttle will die, leaving America with no way
world; he is compartmentalizing and creating an to put a man in orbit.” That task will be left to the
otherwise untrue accusation that the Middle East is Russians who will supply our astronauts with a
detached from the world. In essence, Mr. Obama is venue into space. It seems that the Obama Admini-
purposefully creating a rift that otherwise does not stration and State Department have run out of ideas
to fix what they see as broken and are resorting to ment of Defense has become a nation-building
space exploration to fix a sickly foreign policy. mechanism designed to export a neoconservative
Similar to the changed roles that the National foreign policy. Congress used to be an institution
Guard, Department of Defense, and Congress play, that defended the Constitution.
NASA will soon fall victim to mission creep and Ex- It‟s disheartening to see a weak Obama ad-
ecutive extortion. The National Guard used to be a ministration resorting to NASA for foreign policy
force and power delegated to states only and for na- advice and even more disheartening to see a Federal
tional defense. However, that quickly changed into a agency change its primary role from scientific re-
“peacekeeping” force that would see action in Saudi search to Earth “improvement,” which in and of it-
Arabia, Kuwait, Bosnia, and Kosovo. The Depart- self is a debatable term.
Suggested Reading By the FPH Team
Foreign
Policy Handbook
“Anyone who has ever looked into
the glazed eyes of a soldier dying
on the battlefield will think hard
before starting a war.”
- Otto von Bismarck

Foreign Policy Handbook Issue IV

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Foreign Policy Handbook Issue IV

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Issue IV | July 2010

Redefining the National Interest

YOUNG AMERICANS for LIBERTY

3 Foreign Aid or „Forced Charity‟? Editor in Chief

4 In the Words of Bin Laden

10 All That Glitters Is Not Gold Brian Beyer

YAL MISSION STATEMENT

YAL STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES

you will be thrown in a dark, lonely hole in the mid-

a lever to open poor country markets to their prod-

 America has vocally opposed political/military

we need to re-analyze the strategies in that region.

about spreading democracy and values. The evi-

saying will happen. validly obtained in accordance with this Law.

Photo courtesy of the Associated Press

ever existed before in the history of the region.

years been a problematic issue for the United States

have to exist. Second, he immediately loses touch

A Desperate that has to differentiate people by their associative

Suggested Reading By the FPH Team

- Otto von Bismarck

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