Just Security

Foreign Policy in Focus has published a very interesting piece on an alternative foreign policy. The policy is based on these principles:

The United States must advance rather than undermine international mechanisms and institutions. We should move from a unipolar system presided over by the United States to a secure, multipolar system that is held in place by a latticework of international institutions and laws.

We must support the rule of law, not the rule of the jungle. The United States should spend less time talking about the rule of law and more time practicing the rule of law—by upholding international agreements such as the Geneva Conventions, ratifying the core labor standards of the International Labor Organization, and supporting new international institutions such as the International Criminal Court.

We must lead by example, not by force. The United States is No. 1 in several dubious categories—most powerful nuclear arsenal, largest greenhouse gas emitter, leading arms exporter—so if we want to change the world we have to start by changing ourselves.

Global problems call for global solutions, but one size does not fit all. The world is a varied place and what works in one place for one problem may not work the same elsewhere.

We should support just policies abroad because they also encourage just policies at home. Global inequality, unregulated arms sales, and weakened international agreements and institutions are not just foreign policy issues. They have tremendous impact on the U.S. economy and the security of the population.

We need more public involvement in global affairs not less. We can't leave it to the experts to solve the world's problems because, in many cases, the experts got us into the jam in the first place. As those who live in this country, we must use democratic means to close the gap between what the polls say and what our leaders are doing.

Security is not just about the military. When we speak of security, we are talking about freedom from military conflicts and terrorist attacks. But we also believe that security involves access to sufficient food and shelter, good health care and good jobs, a clean environment and well-functioning, accountable political structures.

The policy calls for

• A reduction of $213 billion in U.S. military spending, or one-third of the total "defense" budget.
• Dramatic cuts in U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals as a first step toward nuclear disarmament.
• An international process under the auspices of the UN to secure a viable peace between Israel and Palestine.
• A global carbon fee to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and generate funds to help countries transition to sustainable sources of energy.
• A large-scale, global plan to train four million new health workers.