INSPIRED INTERNATIONALISM

INSPIRED INTERNATIONALISM

_{It is change, continuing change, inevitable change, that is the dominant factor in society today. No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be}.

Isaac asimov

Lead With Liberty

The Case for A Diplomatic Reset

Over the last few years, it’s been easy to forget our place in the world. Decades of diplomatic disasters seem to have led Americans to question our role as a leader on the international stage. Are we some sort of global police force? Do we support corrupt regimes? Have we been taken of advantage of by other countries? Are we taking advantage of them? Is it our job to promote democracy? To what end?  

The Right, perhaps disappointed in its own foreign policy failures, turned to the siren-song of nationalism; bowing down to an egomaniacal demagogue whose infantile America First rhetoric betrayed long-cherished friendships while embracing vile dictatorships in true un-American fashion. For their part, the Left grew weak-kneed and weary in their promotion of liberty, seemingly determined to approach every diplomatic challenge with the mostly feckless and often reckless strategy of Blame America First. 

We have a unique history with each of the 195 countries of the world; and what’s more, we have a unique relationship with each of the 7 billion individuals who live in those countries. We are a product of generations of foreign policy decisions made by American leaders before us. Many of those decisions saved lives, and promoted a better world. Some did not. We must take care not to become overly defensive of our nation’s past mistakes out of blind patriotism, just as we must not attempt to transport ourselves into history to sanctimoniously cast judgement on decisions made in another time and another place. Neither approach is helpful. We live in a present world with dire problems that require not retreat from the global system that our forefathers created – but renewal of the structures that were built for a global order that has long passed.

We are more connected to our international neighbors than at any point in human history. If a global pandemic, an intercontinental migration crisis, a supply chain bottleneck, or a Russian invasion have not already made abundantly clear, what happens around the world affects us all. There is no “safe-space” that America can retreat to when times are tough. There is no arm-chair quarterbacking in a twenty-first century world. America must lead. Not just in words. Not just in cash. But by example. We must create the world that we want to share with our neighbors. And lucky for us, we’re Americans. We can do it. 

IMPROVING INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

“The World is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion.”

– Thomas Paine

Global League of Democracy

Theorized by international relations experts for years, now is the time to finally make the dream of a united force for global freedom a reality.

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A Global League of Democracy would have the ability to speak out and defend human rights and personal liberty in a way that more universal institutions such as the United Nations, often do not. This is not to say that those institutions are irrelevant, for they are certainly essential. They are invaluable for providing the forum necessary for all nations to come together and must therefore be significantly updated to better represent them. The problem however, is that because the UN is so easily dominated by just two freedom-hating countries (Russia and China), there is often very little that can be practically accomplished. As democracy continues to slip around the world, there can be no equivocating: It is the only legitimate form of government. Any system that takes the will of the people out of the hands of the people, is a betrayal of the human conscience.  

NATO has been an indispensable mechanism for the defense of Europe for decades. Without it, who knows how the Cold War might have ended. A Global League of Democracy could be modeled somewhat after the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, but with two key differences:

1) This new organization would maintain a global focus on standing up for peace and freedom throughout the world – not just in Europe. This would rightly spread the responsibility of democracy to nations in Latin America, Africa and Asia, and enlist all nations in the fight to protect human freedom.
 
2) Unlike NATO, which was constructed primarily as a military deterrent to prevent Soviet expansion, a Global League of Democracy would not bind members to armed defense of one another. Rather, this group, committed in its founding to freedom, would be the primary means for enacting sanctions, and deploying resources to protect and grow liberty in regions where it finds itself under attack.

The GLD would be open to all democracies that adhere to certain rules, with acceptance to the organization dependent on strict criteria in upholding the democratic process. The group should also put out an annual report on democracy in the world, and offer election observers to ensure free elections in nations that ask for assistance. The nations of GLD should commit to convening at least once a year to discuss the democratic landscape, and be available to address popup crisis in special session. The ancient fight for freedom knows no geographical boundaries. We must expand the alliances to protect it, and allow the free nations of the world to speak in one, powerful voice in an organized and systematic way. 

Overhauling Outdated Organizations

The establishment of the United Nations, an effort spearheaded, hosted, and largely funded by the United States, remains one of the greatest achievements in human history. The very first organization to include every person on earth is powerful enough in its own right, and its achievements in working towards a more peaceful, prosperous world have been undeniable. But it is an aging institution, built from and for a world much different than exists today. It, as well as other major intergovernmental organizations that the US has worked so hard to build, are in need of a major update. 

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The political realities of 1945, the year of the establishment of the United Nations system, are barely recognizable. The UN was created for one primary purpose, and lest any of its detractors claim its inutility, let it be said that there has been no worldwide war since its creation, a near unthinkable triumph for a founding generation who had just waged its second in 20 years. Today however, there is no threat of a Fourth Reich. Natural shifts in power, population and policy have left the UN with badly outdated rules and structures, most of all in its ridiculously behind-the-times Security Council. There are many proposals to restructure the UN Security Council, too many to address here. But the current system where Russia, China, France, the UK and the US can veto any proposal, essentially wielding absolute rejection power is massively out of step with today’s world.

It is unfortunate that the last several years have seen a growing nationalistic rise in the West, precisely at a unique time in history when global coordination against a pandemic would have been so helpful. We will get through the coronavirus, but future crises may not be so forgiving. A more capable international system may have been able reduce the spread, empower scientists, and gotten real answers from China. Increased commitment and investment to intergovernmental institutions like WHO, the World Bank and the WTO could instead unite the world in achievement and goodwill rather than acquiescing to the destructive nature of nationalism that has consistently led the world down a very dark path. America must immediately restore and enhance commitments to the institutions that our parents and grandparents believed in and worked so hard to create. At the same time, America should seek to rebalance the internal structures of these organizations that still favor Western interests if it wants to maintain legitimacy in the face of mounting criticisms and growing alternatives.

Forging ahead with new joint scientific ventures facilitated by global cooperation could lead to advancements that any one single nation cannot achieve on its own. Even here in the US, there often isn’t the appetite for billions of dollars to be spent on Big Science. For this reason, projects like the International Space Station, the ITER Fusion Reactor and CERN Large Hadron Collider took advantage of the power of pooled talent and resources to achieve some of the biggest breakthroughs of our time. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the fact that we live in a world where so many of our fellow humans in other countries struggle to meet basic needs of sustenance is a horror that we should not shy from. America will not solve global hunger alone. It must work with institutions to alleviate suffering around the world. That is a moral duty, not a cute notion. A concrete push by the US towards the achievement of the World Bank’s Twin Goals of 1) ending extreme poverty and 2) Promoting shared prosperity would go a long way in fulfilling this duty. 

Fantastic Neighbors Policy

The Fusion Party believes that creating a better global neighborhood starts with those who share our same block. For us, that would be the 35 nation-states of the Western Hemisphere: AKA The Americas. 

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We share a lot with these countries. We share geography, history, culture, even a name. We also share a raft of interconnected problems, so it would behoove us all to foster better cooperation on the critical issues that vex our region; starting with the twisted intersection of drugs, violence, poverty and migration. For this we must recommit ourselves to the organizations specifically created to address such regional issues, particularly the Organization of American States and the Inter-American Development Bank. These institutions have historically lacked the necessary focus and resources required to accomplish what they were created for, but they hold the keys to better relations between the US and the region, and their full potential must be realized.

The OAS organizes the Summit of the Americas every few years, where leaders from each country on our shared continent haphazardly meet to discuss arenas for cooperation. This is not good enough. The US should commit to annual, or at the least, biannual meetings that are given proper diplomatic weight such as occurs during the annual G7 meetings. Additionally, the US State Department should begin exploring more avenues for cultural exchange programs, chiefly in education and science, but also in our shared areas of interest, where sporting events such as the Pan American games, the Gold Cup and the World Baseball Classic can serve as unifying regional competitions akin to the UEFA Euro Championships or Africa Games.

Because of, or perhaps despite decades of Cold War engagements, the United States’ reputation in the region could certainly use a boost. Previous government support for undemocratic regimes, corporate exploitation and military intervention has left a bad taste in the mouth of some of our neighbors. While the United States has arguably been a force for good in the hemisphere, our government has often been accused of manipulating less-powerful countries for political and economic gain. A focus that shifts the US role to more of a partner than a director, and which seeks to listen to the issues and desires of our closest friends will help set cooperation on a new path and invigorate a prosperous alliance. We have so much in common, most of all the millions of United States citizens that have ancestral ties to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. We can use these incredible assets to build the bridges within our region that promise to help solve our exceptionally interdependent problems. With regional alliances like the European Union, the African Union and ASEAN rising to promote regional interests in global affairs, we should seek to assert a stronger, more united regional block of our own for the 1 billion Americans in our hemisphere. Greater collaboration and understanding is the way to do that. 

 

REFOCUSING NATIONAL DEFENSE STRATEGY

“In order to change the world, you have to get your head together first.”

– Jimi Hendrix 

The Grand Bargain: Immigration and the Border

There is perhaps no more hypocritical issue in America today than border politics. Democrats, who make racialized politics central to their electoral playbook, gladly look the other way when it comes to the border until it becomes an overwhelming liability with fed-up voters. And when they do finally attempt to take action, the legistlation dies because cynical Republicans realize that if the border situation improves, their ability to use it as a blunt-force weapon with their base goes down the drain.

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Our two disingenous parties have muddled immigration policy for far too long, which has lead to the full blown (and expensive) crisis at the border that we currently face. We need legislation that improves the legal immigration process so that we don’t have millions of migrants entering the country only to wait years to get any formal answers to their applications. Walls work, in some cases, and where they dont make sense, technology exists now that can do the job at a much cheaper cost. A wall, no matter how tall, wide, or intimidating it looks, is no match for human ingenuity. A dual approach with physical and technological barriers, along with sensible policy that reduces incentive and wait times is needed.

Equally disingenuous as Trump’s promise that Mexico was going to pay for a wall, is Democratic opposition to stronger measures to secure the border. Worse, are the consequences to society in the never-ending battle for border security. The demonization of immigrants, and the demonization of the men and women who patrol our borders must stop. That isn’t likely to happen without a solution. A big part of the solution, is a true “virtual fence” – AI enabled cameras that can pick out human trespassers from great distances, allowing for drone intercepts or border patrol intervention if necessary. 
While this type of technology is currently being be rolled out across the vast swaths of empty terrain that make up most of the US-Mexico border, it won’t have the same effect in addressing the real problems associated with illegal immigration: drugs, crime and human trafficking that come through legal ports of entry. These serve as the main conduits for traffickers. Using new technologies that can easily and quickly detect anomalies in vehicles that hide drugs, weapons or people, border patrol can get a much better handle on their illegal flow in the US. The thousands of lives saved from dangerous drugs like fentanyl that arrive at US border checkpoints as well as our sea and airports, would be well worth the investment in technological upgrades.

The motivation for securing the border is not only to protect Americans from drugs, crime and the potential for catastrophic terrorism. It is also so that we can finally, at long last, deal with the fact that we already have millions of undocumented immigrants living in the US. Perhaps, that one Grand Bargain may be struck once we have established means to prevent more illegal immigration from occurring. At that point, a path to establish legal residency for undocumented immigrants who have been in the country for more than 10 years should be considered. A convenient fact that border diehards usually forget to mention is that the vast majority of undocumented immigrants in the US did not make the perilous overland trek across the border. In fact, most of them entered with explicit permission from the US government. They just chose not to go back when their visa expired. To address this issue, GPS enabled visas, collateral or sponsorships from residents could potentially allow the US to track visa overstays in the future, and prevent the tragedy of “shadow” societies spawning from a lack of legal status.

Lastly, we must address the utter failure of our asylum system to handle the tired, weary and hungry migrants who come to our border. A legal push to resolve the backlog of asylum cases should take place immediately, but we must also come up with new definitions of what asylum is, or we will forever struggle with an inconsistent framework that is not fair to American citizens or potential refugees. Asylum cannot simply be economic distress or dangers in your home country. This would essentially grant billions around the world the right to enter the United States on account of poverty and crime. A more classic definition of asylum related to political or religious persecution should be combined with a more generous general immigration policy that invites more of our global cousins to join us in this great American Experiment.

Modernizing Our Military for 21st Century Conflict

Just as Democrats need to recognize their tendency to jump emotionally at an issue like immigration, without seeing the whole picture objectively, Republicans must try to avoid using base emotion and think critically about military expenditures and operations. To do so, they need to look no further than the two greatest American Generals of all time. 

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General George Washington: “Hence, likewise, they will avoid the necessity of those overgrown military establishments, which, under any form of government, are inauspicious to liberty, and which are to be regarded as particularly hostile to Republican Liberty.
 
General Dwight Eisenhower: “In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.”

In order to honor the men and women of the US military we must strive to equip each one of them with the best tools, know-how and strategy to accomplish their mission of keeping their nation safe from external threats. Issues arise however, when a lumbering giant of an institution like the US military, more beholden to custom and precedent perhaps than even the most entrenched bureaucracy, needs a 21^st century makeover. For this, Congress should authorize and equip the Pentagon, in conjunction with civil society organizations, to undergo CROMEO – a Comprehensive Review of Military Expenditures and Operations.

Every single soldier, sailor, airman or marine today knows there are enormous amounts of waste and redundancy in today’s military. At the same time, areas critical areas to our national defense are left underfunded, exposing major holes in our national security. Cybersecurity, satellite protection, and naval superiority are just a few areas where America should redirect funds that still go to the weapons of the 20^th and even 19^th centuries. This in no way means that we should take foreign military threats lightly, but we are already falling behind in the ways of modern warfare, as we see other nations spend a fraction of the dollars we spend on traditional military, and instead put it to use in emerging tech, particularly in cyber warfare.

A Citizen Commission (People’s panel) should conduct the research on CROMEO necessary to supplement internal findings from the Pentagon, and give lawmakers and the American public a full view of how their tax dollars are funding American national security. It should take into account all costs and benefits to military spending and operations, including the costs in lives and dollars of American operations over the last fifty years.

We all know that the military must grow leaner and more technologically adept at handling the battles of this century. We also know that veterans struggle to reintegrate to American society. The nature of military service makes for a hard adjustment for some back to a life without the structure and discipline found in the military, particularly if they are dealing with injuries or illness related to their services. The military should be doing a better job of preparing veterans to re-enter the workforce by offering an “exit bootcamp” where they are offered several weeks to debrief from their service time, meeting with counselors who can help them find employment, housing, health services and meaning outside of military service. With a reimagined military geared towards the handling of modern threats, we should also ensure that job equivalency certifications exist for military training, allowing for an easier transition into the workforce. Employment with the proposed ABC Corps would be a fantastic way for veterans to transition to civilian life. With smaller numbers of personnel required for future military operations, it is proposed that 10% of the reduced costs of military funding due to personnel be funneled towards the creation and operations of the ABC Corps, where veterans who have signed on to defend the nation overseas can continue to serve by literally building up their own communities at home.

Safeguarding Our Security: Internal Controls

America white-knuckled it through the Cold War, dealing with nuclear fallout drills and several crises that nearly ended civilization as we know it. Thankfully those kinds of fears are behind us. But did we forget about them too quickly? 

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That’s the question many asked when a clearly mentally unbalanced individual took control of the nuclear launch codes, and again when an obviously mentally fading individual did so right after. Should any one person actually have the sole authority to launch nuclear weapons that could result in the deaths of millions of Americans? In light of the ultimate catastrophe that nuclear war would bring, we need a full review of all nuclear launch procedures, ensuring that the decision must be made in consensus, perhaps involving the Speaker of the House and the Senate Majority Leader. The Legislative branch was granted the power to declare war in the Constitution, they should at the very least be consulted in the most serious decision any one person could ever make, with ramifications too horrific to comprehend. Frankly, in an age where nuclear Armageddon has been a distinct possibility, we’ve been lucky. Let’s not push it.

It’s not just in nuclear war that Congress must be included, but in conventional warfare as well. After 9/11 Congress handed over much of its authority to the Executive Branch in the form of Continuing Resolutions. Instead of Declaring War, the Legislature offered over the keys to the greatest military force on earth to the Executive branch and then sat back and watched. Use of Force Authorizations should be curtailed and the seriousness of military excursion should make Congress active participants, not sideline cheerleaders. Congress hasn’t just mishandled its Constitutional duty to protect the nation from external threats, they’ve also been derelict of duty when it comes to safeguarding citizens from their own government – perhaps the greatest fear that our Founding Fathers held for future generations. We must balance however, the need to keep Americans safe in a complex digitally-driven world with constitutional rights to privacy. Funding should be diverted from traditional military operations to America’s intelligence agencies that have more flexibility in investigating foreign threats of mass-casualty incidents, with particular attention paid to how technology is being used to threaten Americans. It’s not just the increased threat from new-age weapons such as bioterrorism and hypersonic missiles, but the “soft” weapons such as the disinformation campaigns used by our adversaries to divide and conquer our nation from within.

In short, full reviews should be taken to 

1. Return constitutional war powers from the Executive to Legislative Branch
2. Return constitutional privacy rights from Government to Citizen
3. Better equip US intelligence agencies to handle modern threats

COLLABORATIVE DIPLOMACY

“Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.”

– Helen Keller

New Era Treaties

One of the greatest shames, shams and shouldn’ts of the last decade is the infantile slogan “America First”. If we take away a single lesson in war and peace from the entirety of human history it’s that unchecked nationalism leads to wide-scale conflict, and unwise protectionism results in devastating economic stagnation. Our ancestors did more to build the current global order than any other country. We cannot let their efforts be overturned by a mob blinded by their own phony “patriotism”. 

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If the American Family are siblings, then our Global Extended Family are cousins. And we must work with them to address the challenges of the 21^st century, as our interconnected world does not lend itself to sectionalization, as two plus years of a global pandemic have taught us. A new era of cooperation should yield significant treaties on the major issues that are too large for any one country to address. Climate Change being the most glaring among them, but also protection of our natural resources, cleanup of our oceans, reductions in arms, frameworks for space, and regulation of the dangerous technology that knows no borders. Bringing the world together through bold leadership and consistent commitment is the only way we are going to remain safe and prosperous in this one world that all nations share. 

Global Trade 2.0

Free trade used to be the wheelhouse of the right. Then it was championed by the left. And since both have displayed protectionist sentiments to appease populist bases, let the Fusion Party be the new face of free trade. But whatever your views on NAFTA, TPP or the WTO, one thing is apparent: Trade just isn’t what it used to be. 

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The last several decades have indeed seen the outsourcing and offshoring of great swaths of the American economy, resulting in lower costs for consumers and the beginnings of our transition from a global manufacturing hub to a largely services based economy. But the next great economic change is already upon us. 3D printing will allow manufacturing and construction closer to where it is ultimately delivered. Services will be ripe ground for outsourcing for a time, but will ultimately be replaced in large part by Artificial Intelligence. The need for new Trade Pacts to address these challenges is already past due, but they are also needed to counter the vast diplomacy of dependence that China employs with many countries that then feel beholden to the economic behemoth that is the CCP.

In free, fair and democratic contrast, we should seek to build on trade policies like the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act, that promotes economic development through preferential trade status. Not only is this a better means of aid than handouts to often corrupt governments, but it builds relations with the nations that American needs to work with on other global issues, from terrorism to climate change. Lastly, greater cooperation economically also means that we can get a better handle on tax havens that cost America trillions in lost income. Creating unified rules of the road for taxation in foreign locations will result in less tax evasion, and greater investment right here at home. This will only be achieved through greater integration, not deadly isolation.

Forging Friendships: Cultural Exchanges

The Fusion party seeks to enter into a new age of strong bilateral relations between countries, both traditional allies and those nations that we have historically had frostly relations with. Friends make for the best defense when it comes to confronting adversaries, and the best way to connect governments is through connecting the people they represent.

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Cultural exchange programs should be fully supported and expanded through the State Department, where the world’s best and brightest can not only come study, visit and found business in America, but can detail to their counterparts back home the benefits of closer relations with the US. At the same time, we should send America’s brightest abroad to bring back new ideas and to forge bonds with our global cousins.

While it may seem that these exchanges should be based among friendly countries, we believe it is even more important that these exchanges take place between those who we might consider adversaries. Forging understanding and relationships between Americans and Russians, Chinese, Cubans or even North Koreans could open doors to diplomatic channels that previously had not existed. Participants in these cultural exchanges should be tasked with presenting their experiences in an interactive session with government officials of both countries, where they can display the commonality that our nations share in celebration of friendship. Ideally, if delegations of government officials themselves participated in exchange programs, or even dedicated weekend retreats, they may form personal connections and a cultural understanding that eases tensions and forms the basis for finding solutions.

As an aside, the Fusion Party believes that America should do a better job of helping future generations succeed in an interconnected world by doing a better job of teaching them global standards in science, in language, and in geography, so as to better understand our own nation and its place in the world. Implementation of the metric system should be phased in over time.