Ralph Nader on War & Peace

Wage peace and anticipate conflicts abroad

When to use American military power abroad? His would be a foreign policy that focused more energetically on preventing war, said Nader: “We’re not waging peace with rigorous energy, mediation, anticipating conflicts abroad.” Source: Scot Lehigh, Boston Globe, page D1 Oct 8, 2000

Should have anticipated Yugoslav breakup by “waging peace”

Q: Your views on the Balkans and the bombing of Serbia?

A: Our foreign policy is often too little too late, and then too brutal. Everyone could foresee Yugoslavia deteriorating after Tito. We need a policy of “waging peace” to anticipate problems. And we need a multilateral “peace force” ready to go.

Q: UN or NATO-US or what?

A: With heavy regional content depending on which continent.

Source: National Public Radio, “The Connection” Jul 11, 2000

Forget “hot spots”; ask “How did we get into this?”

What’s really amazing is that any discussion of foreign policy is usually about current hot spots, instead of asking, how did we get into this situation in the first place? What could we have done to avoid it? For example, how many years did we prop up the dictatorship of the former Belgian Congo? Now look how it’s all falling apart over there, right? Well, we had no preventive diplomacy, no preventive defense. It’s always, who’s in charge, and, go out and support then as long as they’re anticommunist. Source: VoteNader.com: A Conversation with Robert Kuttner Jun 25, 2000

Iraq: Trade sanctions strengthen Saddam

On trade sanctions against Iraq: “The way a dictator gets power is by convincing the people there is an enemy [as US trade sanctions have helped him do]. If Saddam Hussein were in charge of American foreign policy towards Iraq, he would do exactly the same thing as we have.” Source: Campaign Speech, Hartford Public Library, Hartford CT May 16, 2000

Bosnia: Force acceptable to help against mass slaughter

Q: Foreign policy, the Middle East, Bosnia: your general view in that area?

A: Well I think when there’s mass slaughter going on or about to go on, as in some countries, there should be a multinational expeditionary force to help those people. Burundi is an example.

And second, I think we should be very careful about getting into foreign difficulties, because we’re protecting big business, investments like oil in the Persian Gulf, which led us into that whole morass to begin with.

Source: Interview on “Larry King Live” Oct 6, 1996

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