One reason I'm a Conservatarian and not a Libertarian - Granite Grok

One reason I’m a Conservatarian and not a Libertarian

China man-made island fortressI have always been skeptical on the Libertarian stance that if the US just concentrated on Free Trade with all other countries, military incursions will be greatly reduced and maybe to zero as you don’t fight with your trade partners.  So for them (former Ron and to a less extent, Rand Paul supporters), we really could shrink our military and bring them all home.  However, one night during a political event I had a discussion with such a supporter and asked the very simple question: if you don’t like the US being the world’s policeman, tell me which country you trust to guard the ocean trade routes like the US has during “Pax America”? Cluelessness and then a mumbling of “er, perhaps you’re right”.  It has, since the middle of the Dark Age, the case that he who controls the seas controls the trade.

Now we see this from the other side of the spectrum – and Obama is abandoning that vital foreign policy fact: Behind Closed Doors, Top U.S. Commander Frustrated With Obama.

This isn’t the first we’ve heard of major disagreements between the White House and the Pentagon over U.S. Asia policy. Two weeks ago, the well-connected David Ignatius indicated that top Defense officials would like to see the U.S. take a tougher line in the South China Sea. But this Navy Times report is pretty remarkable. It’s difficult not to assume that although Harris’ office declined to comment on-the-record, someone close to the Admiral has been disclosing Defense’s frustrations off-the-record.

It’s easy to see why Defense officials would be exasperated. China is slowing but steadily taking control of one of the world’s critical shipping lanes, and the U.S. President doesn’t want to try harder to stop them because he’s focused on nuclear non-proliferation and non-binding climate agreements. Yes, the United States needs China’s cooperation on many issues. But America has, since the end of World War Two, defended freedom of the seas as a cornerstone of a peaceful world order that has largely benefited the world.

President Obama, the White House keeps saying, is focused on legacy-building in his final year. Well, a Beijing-controlled South China Sea and the embittering of America’s Asia Pacific allies and partners who asked the U.S. to intervene on their behalf would certainly be quite a legacy.

Yet another result of non-interventionism and isolation – and it will not turn out well.  It’s not like there hasn’t been any warnings – China has been building a number of ocean based fortresses by creating man-made islands complete with airstrips long enough for jet fighters and bombers (and their lagoons aren’t too shabby for good sized protected harbors either).

“From the shores of Tripoli” – a line from the US Marine Corp anthem, harkoning back to the early time when we paid the Muslim pirates of that corner of world to leave our sailing ships (and sailors) alone.  Are we going to see, due to Obama’s historical ignorance (and what is clear a tolerance for totalitarian governments – and he did say he wished he could be China’s President for a day) and penchant to “bring America to heel for its own good” become that “quite a legacy“?

(H/T: Instapundit)

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