By Jennifer Nagorka, KERA 90.1 Commentator
Dallas, TX –
My first reaction to President Bush's speech on Iraq was "So you finally get it? The war isn't going well? Why did it take midterm election losses to make you realize that Americans weren't happy, and that our strategy needs to change?"
But to be fair to Mr. Bush, there's often a disconnection between public opinion and foreign policy. We have lived, until recent years, in lovely isolation, separated by oceans from our enemies. Those of us who vote tend to cast ballots based on domestic concerns. We leave international affairs to the professionals - politicians and party operatives, academics and lobbyists. Because of that, official foreign policy can wind up seriously out of synch with Americans' true concerns and priorities.
The Chicago Council on Foreign Relations regularly studies the general public's attitudes on international issues. Their most recent "Global Views" study, released in October, showed that 72 percent of respondents saw fighting terrorism as a very important foreign policy goal. But a slightly higher figure, 76 percent, thought that protecting American workers' jobs should be a very important goal. 74 percent of respondents said that preventing the spread of nuclear weapons was very important.
In other words, Americans view these three goals as almost equally critical to our national welfare. But our current foreign policy focuses almost exclusively on one: combating terrorism.
Americans also strongly support participation in international institutions and initiatives, according to the Chicago council's study. For instance, the 2006 survey found that 71 percent of Americans want the U.S. to participate in the International Criminal Court. It's a court of last resort that would try individuals for crimes against humanity if their own countries can't or won't. But President Clinton signed the governing treaty reluctantly, and President George W. Bush later "unsigned" it.
The list goes on. 70 percent of respondents said that the U.S. should sign the Kyoto agreement on climate change. 86 percent want the U.S. to participate in a ban on nuclear weapons test explosions. 73 percent said our country should generally comply with World Trade Organization rulings, even if they're unfavorable to the U.S. In theory at least, Americans accept an international rule of law in these and other areas.
With the turnover in Congress, and the list of self-declared presidential candidates growing daily, the United States has a chance to re-evaluate our entire approach to foreign policy. Politicians and their advisors need to review nonpartisan polls like those of the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations and The Pew Global Attitudes Project. They need to listen to a variety of viewpoints. When they take unpopular positions, they should be ready to offer facts and moral and political arguments to justify those stances.
Average Americans also need to make their views known; with the Internet and cheap long distance calls, it's easier than ever. Take five minutes and send a polite but firm email to your representative or senator.
Our foreign policy needs a balance among priorities, more positive interactions with international institutions, and fewer threats of military intervention. That shouldn't be such a hard sell during campaign season, considering that's what the public says it wants.
Jennifer Nagorka is a writer from Dallas.
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