Global Times
December 9, 2013
Exhausted by war, US public increasingly opting for multilateralism
By Charles Gray
A recently released Pew Research Center poll about the American people’s foreign policies leanings has important implications for the future policy of the Democratic Party and GOP alike.
Essentially, the American people appear to be increasingly open to a fundamental change in the US approach to international relations, one that may not be reflected in either party’s current political platform.
Among those responding to the poll, 52 percent felt that the US should “mind its own business internationally and let other countries get along the best they can on their own.” Interestingly, this view appears to be the majority among both Democrat and Republican respondents.
Equally, 77 percent of Americans feel that the US should work with its major allies, rather than acting alone.
Younger Americans appear to be more focused on Asia, with 52 percent of individuals aged 18 to 29 feeling Asia is currently the most important region for the US, compared to just 26 percent for those aged 50 to 64 years old and 21 percent for individuals 65 years old and over.
The vast majority of Americans responding to the poll argue that the US should seek further engagement in the global economy, seeing it as an excellent way to improve the US domestic economy.
This stands in stark contrast to the poll’s results regarding the US’ political place on the planet.
What we can draw from this poll is that the American people have not become isolationist, but they are suffering from what has been described as “war fatigue.”
Since the September 11 attacks, the American people have faced what often seems like a never-ending series of conflicts, few of which have come to an unambiguous resolution.
In fact, both the Afghanistan and Iraqi campaigns have lasted longer than US involvement in WWII.
This presents a serious threat to the right wing of the GOP, as many Republican politicians have tried to frame themselves as foreign policy hawks.
They may find that the aggressive foreign policy that has been a traditional strength for the Republican Party may prove to be an unexpected weakness.
However, these findings do not provide cause for unlimited rejoicing among the Democratic Party.
The poll reveals that while most Americans agree with President Barack Obama’s policies regarding terrorism, the picture is more mixed when it comes to his overall foreign policy.
Perhaps the most important finding of the poll is that 72 percent of the poll’s respondents believe that the US should have a shared, rather than unilateral leadership role in the international world.
This does not contradict the finding that the US should “mind its own business.” Rather, it lends strength to the argument that the US should no longer focus on being the single dominant force in international politics.
While the poll does not address the source of this question, it is likely that the outcome of the Iraqi conflict, perhaps one of the greatest examples of unilateral US action in recent history, helped to play a major role in molding current US attitudes.
In one respect, this poll should not surprise observers. The current US position in the world was born of unique circumstances which arose after WWII.
Indeed, it is likely that the generations born before the rise of the Cold War would find nothing unusual with a US that was a powerful but not dominant force in the world.
In fact, rather than seeing this poll as an indication of the US’ international decline, it might be wiser to see it as an example of the rest of the world’s increasingly powerful influence.
If so, this poll may indicate that the American people are becoming open to a world governed and based on multilateral agreements and negotiation, rather than having order imposed upon it by a single superpower.
Not only will this reduce the chance of a serious military confrontation, but such an attitude also makes the development of a closely knit international world order, functioning on the basis of compromise and mutual interest all the more likely.
Rather than indicating isolationist attitudes on the part of the American people, this poll may indicate a move toward a more positive US foreign policy.
The author is a freelance writer based in Corona, California. charlesgray109@gmail.com
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