Andrew G.

Foreign Policy

Making foreign policy less foreign


Dear Mr. President,

Being a member of my school’s Junior Model United Nations class and a fourth-generation member of a military family who prides itself on foreign policy, I try to learn as much as I can on how the world works and the way I view it. After doing research, it has come to my attention the world stage is currently being controlled by nations who do not have our interests in the best of heart. Countries who have driven The United States into a stance where we cannot act without leading to war. Therefore, there is now a need for a president with a smart, strong, diplomatic foreign policy. A president who knows what he should do and when he should do it.

Foreign policy is an issue that many countries struggle with. Knowing when to sign treaties, or when military presence is necessary, it takes a smart practical leader to acknowledge all possibilities of what will happen along with the outcomes for his actions. Other nations like Russia and China have slowly started showing an interest in power on the world stage and therefore, it is necessary for us to have a leader that can keep us a strong nation. We as a nation have always been a bright star guiding others through foreign affairs, with the longest constitution of any country, we are an example for the world, however I feel as though that star that has guided the way for so long has faded, it will take a smart, practical leader to reignite this star and make the United States once again a power above all others.

Since the End of the Iraqi war, our nation has been hesitant to act in the region of the middle east due to the large tolls the war had on our country. Since then, nations such as Syria and Iran have started doing things that go against what are country believes to be right: they have developed a dictatorship harming the human rights of their people, and iran has gained the ability to have nuclear weapons, increasing the odds of a nuclear war. Not to mention some of these countries are being backed by foreign powers like Russia, that we can not be at odds with, for fear of war or economic sanctions that would cripple the country.

Since the start of our new foreign policy, or should I say lack thereof, the world has changed dramatically without America's best intentions. Terrorists now fill a war-torn region on the map, killing all of those who believe in western education and it does not appear if they will be stopped. Mr. President there are some countries in this world who are rapidly gaining leverage over us on the world stage, Russia has completely put the Syrian Regime back into power, not to mention they are slowing gaining support in Europe and other nations throughout the world. Meanwhile, we have let China protect the creation of nuclear weapons in North Korea that will surely be used to strike allies of our proud nation such as South Korea or Japan. What has our nation done about this? Nothing, we have been to scared to act in fear that not all members of our country will support it leaving the previous president under a tarnished reputation. Now the time has passed for our nation to take action without being called warmongering.

Some people believe that it is necessary for the United States to become an isolationist country and not worry about the problems in the other regions of the world, they believe that if we stay out of it we can develop more as a nation. However, if we separate ourselves from the rest of the world, what will that world turn into. It will become, a world filled with dictatorships similar to those in China or Syria. The people of the world will live in fear of their governments, afraid to do something wrong for they will be persecuted. Do we not as a nation have the responsibility to uphold the ideal of liberty and individual rights not only in our own nation, but throughout the world?

We as a country have dug ourselves into a trench with the lack of our actions. We need to start negotiating with Russia and China, as so these nations know they will no longer be able to enforce their will on the world without action from the United States to follow. It will take a president to know what is the best way he should act, a president who is not afraid to put boots on the ground, a president who at the same times knows when it would be best to be peaceful and negotiate with the rest of the countries in the world. So, can you, Mr. President, do what your people need you to do, can you be the president to put the United States back atop the world stage and lead the world to the liberty that we founded our nation upon?

Future Voter,

 Andrew Gordon