written by Ryan Lee Stollar
An obligation is something we are compelled to do because we have a duty to do so. America, as the world's leading superpower, has many obligations both nationally and internationally. But, our national duties must always take precedence over our international duties. The United States of America must put the interests of its United States over the interests of foreign countries. What are the interests of the United States? The Preamble to our Constitution states that "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity." These are what our government is obliged to provide for American citizens, and these interests must be top priority for government to fulfill.
America is the world's leading superpower. And being the most powerful nation in the world comes with duties, such as setting standards of justice. It would be a shame for America to remain silent while defenseless foreigners are being cruelly attacked by larger countries. But, whatever policy America should choose to pursue, in order to promote the interests of these victims, must never hinder its ability to promote the interests of its own citizens. If the American government is attempting to get rid of corrupt leaders in governments such as China, it would hypocritical for them to not try equally as hard to get rid of their own corruption. It would be wrong for America to oppose governments that unfairly control their citizens while it treats its citizens no better. It would be ironic for America to say it is providing for our defense by stopping a conflict while it uses all of our strategic missiles of defense to do so.
The federal government of the United States is a national government, meaning it serves a specific nation. We are not the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, nor NATO. We are government of the American people, by the American people, and for the American people.
The obligations our government has to its people are clear, but do we, as the leading nation, have the duty to stop conflicts like that in Kosovo? Advocates of intervention in Kosovo state that we have a moral obligation to get involved because genocide is happening. There is no genocide. In Germany, there was once genocide: hundreds of thousands of defenseless and innocent Jews were being slaughtered. In Kosovo, that is not the case. There are two sides: the Serbs and Kosovars. The Kosovars are trying to break free from the larger nation of Serbia. It is a civil war. Ten years ago, the Kosovars were on the offensive and winning. Today, it is the opposite.
The crisis in Kosovo is not new: it is a civil war that has been raging for over five hundred years. We do not have an obligation to suddenly get involved and take sides, especially when both sides are just as cruel to each other. Ten years ago, the Kosovars were being vicious to the Serbs. Why did we not defend the Serbs then? Today, the Serbs are being vicious to the Kosovars. Why are we defending the Kosovars now? Our intervention in Kosovo is not justified by morality. If it was, why are we defending the side that is responsible for a large portion of drug trafficking and run by Communists? If we have such a strong urge to stop world-wide suffering, why did we not defend the Serbs ten years ago? Why do we not try to stop human rights abuses in China? Why are we not sending our army into Cuba to help their oppressed? Why are we not raiding Turkey for its cruel treatment of its people?
The answer is clear: our government is not in Kosovo for any moral reasons.
When we go back and look at the definition of an obligation, "something we are compelled to do because we have a duty to do so," the argument that there is some obligation for our military to intervene in a foreign country falls apart. The United States military is made for one purpose, and one purpose alone: to defend its country. The one and only reason that could possibly justify intervention of some sort would be the occurrence of genocide. Kosovo is, and has been for over five hundred years, in a civil war- there is no genocide.
If there is anything that justifies U.S. involvement in Kosovo, it is yet unknown. But what is known is something that does not justify U.S. involvement in Kosovo: morality. If we continue to support the Kosovars, we continue to support a vicious regime that promotes drug trafficking and Communism. If we join sides with the Serbs, we would be promoting another vicious regime. Either way, America would be taking an immoral stance. There is no moral obligation to intervene in Kosovo.
Ryan Lee Stollar is the President of the Center for American Freedom.
