Maybe its a little idealistic of me, but I think spreading representative government and putting down genocidal maniacs is a worthy reason to fight in and of itself. Flags come and go, but the philosophy that we are founded on, that is embodied by the constitution, will be around long we're gone, long after the actual document fades and long after the monuments rust away. If we're going to accept this role of a post WWII world hegemony, planting the seeds of our way of life wherever they can grow should be the long term strategic goal instead of just "national interest" or our nation is going live just long enough to become the very thing we took an oath to fight against: an enemy of our own constitution.
It was a huge influx of conquered Athenian currency that destroyed Sparta, and the post Punic War's "national interest" of the Roman Republic that set the stage for Caesar, and his line of successors that eventually led to guys like Caligula appointing his horses to positions of power just to humiliate the consuls, and shit on the last vestiges of democracy left in what had become the Roman Empire. Even with all the advances we've made, I don't think we are an exception to that historical trend.
There is an Olympic Afghan Women's boxing team training in Kabul right now, risking everything in order to practice their basic rights. I'd take a bullet for any one of those women with a smile on my face before I lift a finger (any higher than I'm required to by law at least) for some of my neighbors that don't come close to deserving the title of citizen that they enjoy, much less its benefits.
It's more than a little idealistic of you, it's very idealistic.
But that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's good to be idealistic when you're young. I was. But then you get out in the world... you see things... you learn things... and you find out that what you thought you knew about the world, isn't quite as black and white as you thought it was when you were young. And that's not necessarily a bad thing either. With experience comes wisdom, and sometimes clarity. Maybe you realize that you can't right every wrong in the world, and that what you think it the right way to live, isn't what's best for everyone. Maybe you realize that even your own country sometimes does things you think only other countries do. Maybe then you realize that the best you can do is something different than what you thought it would be when you were young.
There are several issues you bring up that I'm going to need you to either clarify or to provide some evidence to support. To begin with, how, exactly, are we going to become "an enemy of our Constitution" by seeking to adhere to the Constitution? I don't get it. And where in the Constitution does it say that we are required to be the conscience of the world, or to impose our way of life or impart our rights to anyone else? Have you ever read the Constitution, or taken a class on it? If not, then you really should. Additionally, spreading democracy *is* in our national interest. But do you think democracy is what is going to result from the revolt in Syria? I don't. I forsee a regime less democratic, less stable, and more of a threat to us than the current one.
I'm not really sure what your references to Sparta and Rome contribute to the current discussion, and I think it's a gross oversimplification to attribute any single cause to a nation's collapse. Also, we began this discussion with you urging an attack against another sovereign nation (Syria). Would you not agree that another major contributor to the downfall of both Sparta and Rome was the constant warfare in which both engaged? So how does that help your argument that we should go in against Syria?
If you want to go give your life for the Olympic Afghan Women's boxing team... fine. Just don't presume to commit the rest of us to it.
I'm prepared to give my life in the defense of my country and my way of life, not someone else's. I don't think there is anything stopping you from buying a one-way ticket to Afghanistan, but are you sure that the Afghans even want your help? Don't you think that it's a little presumptuous of you?
I admire your motivation and I hope that is something that you never lose. But there are plenty of people here in the US who need your help, and they should come first. Then our allies, then everyone else, in support of our national interests and when the benefits outweigh the costs. There are times when it's worth committing our nation to war, but I think those times happen a lot less often than the number of times our troops are put in harm's way.
That's about all I have on this subject, I don't want to beat it to death. I will just close by re-iterating that I don't think attacking Syria is in our country's long term national interests, and I hope we get smarter as a nation about when and where we should wage war in the future.
