Isolationist Policies and the War on Terror

Politicians on the left and Republican Ron Paul share one thing in common: they believe that the War on Terror is our (the U.S.'s) fault. Essentially, they believe that the war is the result of bad foreign policy: we stuck our noses in the Middle East and as a result tens of thousands or perhaps even hundreds of thousands of people have died. They prefer an isolationist policy in which our troops should be withdrawn from Iraq and brought home.

Isolationism, though, is the wrong path to take. The problem is, of course, that the global jihadists won't leave us alone if we back down. They are intent on destroying us and Western civilization with us. They have attacked dozens of other countries from Great Britain to Australia. I find it hard to fathom why, if it is all the fault of the United States and George Bush, they are attacking Australia and other such countries, particularly when the contributions of these countries to the war is miniscule compared to that of the United States. The fact is that this is a "global" jihad. No one is safe, no matter what kind of losing deal they might strike with the jihadists. Islamists have carried out over 10,000 deadly terrorists attacks since September 11, 2001 (http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/). That is in the neighborhood of three a day, every day for the past seven years-a horrifying and disturbing figure by any stretch of the imagination.

And if we adopt an isolationist stance in the face of this onslaught, we will only embolden our enemies. If we run from the battlefield with our tail between our legs, they will follow us, and all too soon suicide bombers will be striking on American soil.