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Harry Browne on Foreign Policy

2000 Libertarian Nominee for President

 


Non-interference should be basis principle

    America’s foreign policy should rest on four principles:
  1. Non-interference:Our government should express good will and a desire for peace toward all-threatening no foreign country, arming or aiding no foreign governments, and giving terrorists no motivation to influence our government.
  2. No foreign aid or military assistance:Little of the money reaches the average citizen in the target country. Most of it enriches the rulers-and it helps them stay in power and continue the policies that keep their countries poor.
  3. Security against attack: America should have a protection against missile attacks, since that is the means by which an invader would conquer America.
  4. Target the aggressors, not the innocent: Suppose that, even with a missile defense, America truly were threatened by a foreign ruler. A Libertarian President would target the ruler himself. He wouldn’t order bombers to kill the ruler’s innocent subjects.
Source: The Great Libertarian Offer, p.116-119 , Sep 9, 2000

End foreign aid to individual countries as well as agencies

Browne says, “Eliminate all foreign aid by government.”
Source: 2000 National Political Awareness Test , Jan 13, 2000

Mideast: End meddling with embargoes & peace negotiations

Source: 2000 National Political Awareness Test , Jan 13, 2000

Exit UN; extend diplomatic relations to all countries

Source: 2000 National Political Awareness Test , Jan 13, 2000

Bring US troops home from 100 countries overseas

Q: What would you do as President on Day One?
    On day one, they would all be cancellations of Executive Orders.
  1. Pardon every non-violent drug offender, non-violent gun offender, and non-violent tax evader
  2. Take steps to bring home troops from overseas, in 100 countries around the world.
None of these require Congress to give permission, because they were all done by Presidents without the consent of Congress.
Source: The Alan Colmes Show, WEBD NY 1050 AM , Aug 26, 1999

Military involvement often fails even when US “wins”.

North Korea remains an apparent threat almost 50 years after Truman’s involving America there. North Vietnam today controls all of Vietnam- despite the death and destruction unleashed by Johnson & Nixon. And in spite of America’s great “victory” in Iraq, Saddam remains on the throne. So what did all those interventions achieve? And what will the destruction of Yugoslavia achieve? Peace is always promised, but never arrives, no matter how much killing is justified by the search for peace.
Source: WorldNetDaily “Murdering for morality” , Jun 3, 1999

Illegal war actions set precedents for more future wars

NATO has violated its own charter by waging war when none of its member nations has been attacked. How will this war set a precedent for future wars? When Truman illegally committed American troops to fight the Korean War, that made it easier for Johnson to illegally commit troops to Vietnam -- which made it easier yet for Nixon to illegally bomb Cambodia.These precedents removed all possible restraints on Clinton. How easy it will be now for the next president to bomb presumed drug fields in Mexico?
Source: WorldNetDaily “Murdering for morality” , Jun 3, 1999

Moral responsibility implies constant war.

If we have a moral responsibility to fight every evil in the world, you’d better kiss your children goodbye and prepare for wars in Rwanda, Zaire, China, Russia, Croatia, Northern Ireland, South Africa, Turkey, the Sudan, Algeria, Kashmir, Angola, Sierra Leone and many other countries. Our volunteer military can’t handle them all, encouraging a return of the draft -- and your children and your grandchildren probably won’t be exempt next time.
Source: http://www.harrybrowne2000.org/ “Top Ten” 5/15/99 , May 15, 1999

Russia: No aid; no meddling; just free trade.

Browne does not support increasing nor continuing economic aid to Russia & the former Republics. Browne would offer “no government aid whatsoever. We can do more for Russia by providing free trade, by refusing to meddle in Russian affairs, and by providing the example of a free country.”
Source: 1996 National Political Awareness Test , May 1, 1996

Replace all government aid with free trade

Browne does not support foreign aid to close allies; to countries which support US security interests; nor under extraordinary circumstances or disasters. Browne supports “no government aid to any country,” instead “providing free trade.”
Source: 1996 National Political Awareness Test , May 1, 1996

Avoid arms trade; promote peace by free trade

We can do more for world peace by providing free trade, by refusing to meddle in other countries’ affairs, and by not arming the participants in disputes. And if we reduce our federal government dramatically, the resulting prosperity will inspire other countries to do the same -- and the smaller their governments, the less likely that they will threaten world peace.
Source: 1996 National Political Awareness Test , May 1, 1996

Govt’s role is to discourage attacks; not police the world

Government’s role isn’t to win wars, to assure that the right people run foreign countries, or to make the world safe for democracy - or even a safer place at all. If government has a role, it can be only to keep us out of wars. The only reason for military power is to discourage attackers, and - if they come anyway - to repel them at our borders. Such things as stationing troops in far-off lands, meddling in foreign disputes, and sending “peacekeepers” only encourage war.
Source: Excerpts from Why Govt Doesn’t Work: “What is War?” , Jul 2, 1995


Harry Browne on China

Low wages abroad are no reason to restrict imports

Are low wages and poor working conditions in foreign countries a reason to restrict imports? How can Americans compete with countries whose workers make only $1 a day?

In fact, American workers compete quite well with low-wage countries because Americans are far more productive. Our two largest trade deficits are with China and Japan. Chinese wages are much lower than American wages, while Japanese wages are higher than American wages. So which way does it work? Actually, it doesn’t work either way. Extremely low wages reflect primitive production methods. American workers earn so much more than workers in, say, Malaysia because they are more skilled and have better machines and tools to work with. With these tools, each American worker produces far more each day than his Malaysian counterpart.

Source: The Great Libertarian Offer, p.140 , Sep 9, 2000

Nuclear espionage results from over-large bureaucracy

Q: What should be done about Chinese nuclear espionage? A: The problem is a bureaucracy much too large to manage. Today we have a strong national offense (the ability to blow any country to smithereens) & a weak national defense (the inability to defend against any two-bit dictator). We should have just the opposite. When we do, we will have a much more efficient defense-with a much smaller cost & a much less complex system. Protection against espionage will be much easier to achieve.
Source: Email correspondence from the candidate with OnTheIssues.org , Jan 27, 2000

No import tariffs, regardless of human rights

Browne does not support imposing tariffs on products imported from nations that maintain trade barriers against American products, and disagrees that the US should consider the human rights record of each nation before granting most favored nation trading status.
Source: 1996 National Political Awareness Test , May 1, 1996

Other candidates on Foreign Policy: Harry Browne on other issues:
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Lyndon Johnson (D,1963-1969)
John F. Kennedy (D,1961-1963)
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Harry_S_TrumanHarry S Truman(D,1945-1953)

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Page last updated: Jul 04, 2014