Domestic Politics Does Affect Foreign Policy

Over at Dan Drezner’s site there was an interesting discussion concerning what, if any, impact domestic politics, in the context of a US government shutdown over the budget, has on foreign policy. It is not as narrow as the post suggests. The budget issue in the US is only one political piece of the puzzle – a big one, but in general it forms only one component over the struggle for political dominance in the US. The question posed is thus what effect do domestic political decisions have on foreign policy in any country. In the context of the budget issues in the US, the professor takes the position that it has no effect.


I can’t agree. In the US, this battle is only one skirmish in the larger war being waged by Republicans on behalf of their contributors and right wing core supporters. It has implications for the wider war and domestic politics almost always impacts foreign policy because it affects the players even if the policy does not extend beyond the borders.

Take a look at France. France has often intervened in its former African colonies – in Chad against Qadaffi’s invasion, in Gabon (twice) and the Central African Republic (an incredible 5 times, the last in 2006). They have been in Cote d”Ivoire since 2003 – so the current cooperation with the UN peacekeeping forces to remove Gbagbo from power after his defeat in the election is simply a continuation of their involvement. However, the aggressive stance recently taken by Nicolas Sarkozy in Africa in Libya and Cote d’Ivoire may also be seen as a result of his low standing in the polls. It can’t hurt since the rise of the French right poses a serious threat to his incumbency. Sarkozy, despite being correct about Libya, is clearly attempting to boost France’s (aka, his image) to increase his standings for the elections next year.

Chancellor Merkel’s policies toward Russia are clearly influenced by domestic affairs. Like keeping the lights on and supporting domestic manufacturing. The German economy is heavily dependent on Russia and Russian energy. A faltering economy costs her politically.

Does anyone need a reminder about China’s internal monetary policies and their international impact?

In the US, domestic politics has a clear impact on foreign policy – and sometimes results in positions that are against US interests. One need look no further than Israel where any sign of slipping support draws the instant wrath of the evangelicals. The power of evangelicals over Republicans is clearly effective and has helped isolate the US while, in the case of the Middle East, actually act against its interests Fortunately they do not have overwhelming power, but should they ever succeed in taking over the domestic political reins completely, then US foreign policy will become a threat to peace.

One need only look at the positions that someone like Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), arguably the dumbest person in the Senate courtesy of the people of Oklahoma. He was on the floor of the Senate backing Laurent Gbagbo, who refused to step down after losing an internationally certified election in November in Cote d’Ivoire. Inhofe condemned the intervention of French and UN forces to install the internationally recognized elected president Alassane Ouattara. Want to know why? Domestic politics.

Can you say “C Street” the halfway house for fallen politico Christians, especially evangelical types who have been caught attending brothels, gaming houses etc? Right wing Christians support Gbagbo because he is Christian. Ouattara is Moslem. For evangelicals Muslim = bad, Christian = Good. That is, except if the Muslim is a dictator who supports and/or supplies oil to the US. The “C Street” gang and their nationwide followers support Gbagbo who has been on the US Christian right gravy train for a long time. Both he and his wife are evangelical Christians. They have attended the annual National Prayer Breakfast run by the Christian group called the Family. Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting supports him. Domestic politics can drive foreign policy.

Dig deeper and you find that the Christian right supported Charles Taylor and Michelle Bachmann was against the ouster of Mubarak. Christian evangelicals applauded the death penalty for gays in Uganda. The Christian right has never met a brutal Christian they didn’t like.

So I disagree. Domestic politics can have, and has had, a serious and sometimes adverse effect on foreign policy in the US at least. The budget debates in the US are only a small part of the struggle for control which, depending on the winner, will ultimately impact foreign policy. So, for all you progressives out there in the US who sat on your collective assess and pouted like 6 year olds in the last election, this is what will come to pass if you do it again. Inhofe, Michelle “I promise only one term, maybe” Bachmann, Huckabee and all their compatriots will be in control of domestic and foreign policy. Domestically, science will disappear and affect US international competiveness as children are taught the planet is around 5,000 years old and dinosaurs lived with humans; social programs for the poor and elderly will vanish; foreign policy will revert to military intervention first, middle and last and the income gap will only become worse.

Out of the US - Thankfully

The failure to blog has been because of my peripatetic nature and lack of time. I spent about two weeks in the US at my home in Virginia. I could not be happier to have left the US, although not my farm - a fortress of sanity and intelligence, frankly, in a sea of stupid.

I have encountered in the US the epitimization of angry, fundamentally obtuse (deliberate or not) white men - who also happen to be bigots and racists. It is not a small proportion, I fear.

I hope I am wrong, but what I see in the US is the grasping rise of immoral Catonians, corporatists and their sycophants - all of whom cleave to a false moralism for the sole purpose of stealing power. They, mostly old, white, male Republicans, are essentially hateful, stupid and bigoted and some are elected. Those who are not stupid are merely immoral bigots, flying the stars-and-bars symbolising support for treason-in-the defence-of-slavery on their trucks, cars, homes and lawns. They know nothing about the Constitution. They are all Republicans. These people live immoral lives, as frequently depicted in the media, and many profess to be Christians. But they are not. They are fundamentalists exactly like Muslim fundamentalists. They are anti-black, anti-brown, anti-poor, anti-science and anti-federalism. They are supported by the media because they make news and money for the corporations that own the media.

The media presents creationism as a legitimate debating point. The media reports the opening of creationist museums depicting humans living with dinosaurs and the earth being "created" about 6,000 years ago. Note to Christian fundamentalists - medical schools have rejected candidates for admission based on the fact that creationism is taught as a science in some places - so the intelligent students will leave you behind, thankfully. Ignorance is not bliss. It is a stage on the road to extinction - intolerable and it must be stopped. This ignorance is exemplified by the photo of the complete idiot holding a sign at a town hall meeting that demanded that the government keep its hands off medicare - a government program. Worse of course, are those who don't believe in any of this crap but still vote Republican. They are lower than the true believers and have no excuse. They should, but won't be, ashamed. It means they want power at the expense of everything else. Sad, maybe. Dangerous. Absolutely.

What struck me most are the outright lies shouted by the tea-baggers and their political supporters regarding health care - all dutifully reported by the media as legitimate positions. In that regard, we have now been treated to a moron and another angry, white, southern, bigot, Joe Wilson, who has extended the tactics of the great white ignorant unwashed into Congress. He needs to go. Now. Bush, despite all the evil he perpetrated on the people of the planet (and the US economy as an apparent afterthought) while mouthing support for the right wing fundamentalists never suffered that type of outburst in Congress. How dare Wilson?! The Romans would have had him flogged, at the least.

Then, we were treated to another hyprocritical fundamentalist who could not identify a hot from cold mike and broadcast his recent extra-marital escapades. Former state Rep. Michael Duvall (R-Yorba Linda) was kicked off his committee and forced to resign over his raunchy bragging about his sexual exploits at a committee hearing last week in Sacramento.

If that was not enough within the framework of failure perpetrated by the Sanctimonious Hypocrisy,Pro-Rich, Old White and Racist Know-Nothing Party (formally referred to as Republicans)good old Newt (and the organization he represents) awarded an Entrepreneur of the Year award to Allison Vivas - of producer of "Pink Visual". You get the picture. Don't get me wrong - the porn industry is huge and growing - but for those who represent the no-sex and treason-in-defence-of-slavery party, this is typical.

It is rarely reported that rape, abuse of women, underage pregnancy and crime are the highest in the states that vote Republican most consistently. And they are in the South. Guys, cut them out of the picture. If Texas wants to secede, let it. Then we can require visas, take away the Dallas Cowboys (no longer America's Team), remove all federal funding and the army, NASA, Medicare and every other federal program and, hopefully, allow Mexico to invade and take it back. Please.

The nihilistic Republicans need to be crushed, destroyed and thrown into the dust-bin. To those blue dogs who talk to me about Obama's failure - you are traitors to the Republic and part of the problem. You are supposed to lead - not follow. Teabaggers can be thrown under the bus. Stop being Catonian. You can only be that with a strict morality.

Republicans and Blue Dogs are Catonian corporatists without the requisite morality. That is fundamentally evil and one can only hope that what happened to the original Catonians happens to them.

All in all, I am glad to leave the US. When a huge proportion of the people don't get a simple concept like "public option"; when they think the planet was created6,000 years ago; when they think Obama's parents plotted almost 50 years ago to fake a birth certificate and elect him president; when they believe brain-dead people like Newt Gingrich, Senator Inhofe, Representative Bachmann and a little insignificant moron like Glenn Beck then, as Montesquieu said, they will get the government they deserve. They got it with 8 years of Bush and a Republican controlled Congress that gave short shrift to governance, rectitude, finance or compromise.

For the Democrats there can be no wavering, no compromise. The Republican Party in its present incarnation is against the principles of the Constitution and the Republic and needs to be finished off. It is evil.

I'm now in Tanzania. No further diatribes on the US. Oh - my home town - please secede before it is too late.

Reacting to Cairo in Tulsa

Despite the enormous temptation to do so, I rarely comment on what's reported in the American media - particularly when it include remarks made by the pitiful remains of what was once a national party and is now one of tired, old, racist white men from the South. However...and this will be quick...Senator Inhofe, arguably the dumbest person in the Senate in an unremarkably stupid speech...doesn't know "whose side he's on" when referring to his President. The fact that the speech was well received by everyone except extremists seems to be lost on the good Senator. But then, maybe not...

Anyway, the citizens of Oklahoma have elected this guy more than once, and they are not even embarrassed. Says something about Oklahoma. How many people have passports there, by the way. But then they need not visit a foreign country unless they accidentally wander north.

US Politics - Only once - I promise

I'm sorry. This is not what this blog is about, but I can't resist. From Talking Points Memo - two items...Rep. Bachmann and her newest campaign to glorify stupid with a constitutional amendment to protect the US Dollar from a non-existent threat and Sen Inhofe who believes because the Great State of Oklahoma bore the brunt of a heavy snowfall recently, global warming is false. To the people who voted for these moth-brains - are you embarrassed yet? What about the 30 co-sponsors to Bachmann's proposed constitutional amendment? On the other hand, it is April 1 - one can hope it's a joke. That's it. Just go read it.