Once again I find myself in a position where I have to rag on a recent libertarian favorite. This time around it’s Ted Cruz. Mr. Cruz won a great deal of respect within libertarian circles for taking a stance against the Affordable Care Act (ACA). It is my firm belief that one cannot truly be a libertarian, that is to say somebody who abides by the non-aggression principle, and an advocate of foreign intervention. Mr. Cruz has decided that nonintervention doesn’t suite him because he feels that it is the place of the United States to be Israel’s personal defensive force:
“According to the interim agreement regarding Iran’s nuclear program that was reached this weekend in Geneva, not one centrifuge will be destroyed. Not one pound of enriched uranium will leave Iran. Not one American unjustly detained in Iran’s notorious prisons will be released. But Iran will start to receive, in a matter of days, $7 billion in relief from international economics sanctions.
“All the smiling embraces between diplomats after the interim deal was signed notwithstanding, the Iranian regime remains a brutal and oppressive dictatorship that pursues nuclear weapons for the purpose of dominating the Middle East and threatening America and our allies, notably Israel. President Obama and Secretary Kerry should reconsider their policy of rapprochement with Iran that is dismaying to Jerusalem and encouraging to Tehran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu predicted this agreement would be a ‘very, very bad deal’ and has now correctly identified it as an ‘historic mistake.’ Meanwhile, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani tweeted his satisfaction as the ‘breaking down the architecture for sanctions has begun.’ The administration has gotten it backwards and it is time to reverse course before any further damage is done.”
I actually find it rather laughable that many people in the United States think so lowly of Israel’s military capabilities as to believe that United States intervention is necessary for its survival. Furthermore, I’m left wondering how far their support for the United States’ involvement in Israel’s defense goes. Would Ted Cruz be willing to send his two children off to die for Israel? What about his nieces and nephews? A common thread I find with advocates of foreign intervention is an unwillingness to send their own family members off to die in a foreign land.
Rattling sabers is not an effective foreign relations strategy. It only muddles this country in the affairs of others, which serves no purpose other than to expand the empire. If Ted Cruz really considers himself a libertarian he should not be calling for stronger intervention in the Middle East. Instead he should be calling for no intervention in the Middle East.