What arguments have critics of American wars and interventions put forward, and what arguments do they currently employ? Thomas Jefferson, Henry Thoreau, John Calhoun, the Anti-Imperialist League, Herbert Hoover, Charles Lindbergh, Martin Luther King Jr., and Ron Paul (among others) have criticized proposals to intervene in other countries, enter wars, acquire foreign territory, and engage in a forward defense posture. Despite cogent objections, they have also generally lost the argument. Why do they lose? This book provides answers to these questions through a survey of oppositional arguments over time, augmented by the views of contemporary critics, including those of Ron Paul, Chalmers Johnson and Noam Chomsky. Author David J. Lorenzo demonstrates how and why a significant number of arguments are dismissed as irrelevant, unpatriotic, overly pessimistic, or radically out of the mainstream. Other lines of reasoning might provide a compelling critique of wars and interventions from a wide variety of perspectives – and still lose. Evaluating oppositional arguments in detail allows the reader to understand problems likely to be faced in the context of policy discussions, to grasp important political differences and the potential for alliances among critics, and ultimately to influence decision-making and America’s place in the international power structure. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Table of Contents 6 List of Illustrations 7 Acknowledgments 8 1. Opposition to Wars and Interventions 10 Introduction 10 The Literature 13 Analyzing Arguments 20 Explanations for Why Oppositional Arguments Fail 23 Chapter Outline 25 Notes 26 2. From the Early Republic to the Spanish–American War 30 Early Exemplars: Washington and Jefferson 30 Critics of the War of 1812 38 Critics of the Mexican–American War 44 The Spanish–American War and the Struggle to Subduethe Philippines 53 Summary Observations 61 Notes 63 3. The Great War and World War II 67 Critics of American Participation in the Great War 67 Critics of Participating in WWII 79 Summary Observations 92 Notes 93 4. Arguments in the Cold War and Post-Cold War Eras 95 Critics of the Early Cold War 95 The Vietnam War 104 The Post-Cold War Era 116 Summary Observations 128 Notes 128 5. Ron Paul: The Importance of Natural Order 133 Paul’s Foreign Policy Positions 134 Paul’s Arguments 137 The Foundations of Paul’s Views 143 Comparisons 147 Notes 150 6. Noam Chomsky: Hegemony and manufactured consent 154 Chomsky’s Policy Positions 155 Chomsky’s Arguments 156 The Foundations of Chomsky’s Views 162 Comparisons 169 Notes 170 7. Chalmers Johnson: The military empire 173 Johnson’s Foreign Policy Positions 174 Johnson’s Arguments 175 Johnson’s Fundamental Understanding 182 Comparisons 185 Conclusion 186 Notes 188 8. Comparisons, Analysis and Conclusions 190 Survey and Comparisons of Arguments 190 Comparisons 194 Comparisons of Foundations and Goals 197 General Groupings of Critics 199 The Logic and Utility of Oppositional Arguments 205 Problems and Reasons for Lack of Success 212 Possible Generalizations 221 Conclusion 225 Notes 226 Bibliography 230 Index 239
