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Foreign Policy for Sale
Exploring the role of lobbyists in privatizing US foreign policy Foreign Policy Inc. Privatizing America's National Interest by Lawrence Davidson. ISBN: 978-0-8131-2524-4
by Vic Chapman
This is one of the better books to come down the trail in a long while that describes Real Politics 101; How Things Actually Get Done; Why and By Whom in Government—and Elsewhere.
Author Davidson is a professor of history at West Chester University who has some similar titles to his credit. Foreign is a description of how the system of determining US foreign policy works; unfortunately, it is not pleasant reading.
Most of us believe that determining policy at every level of government has something to do with the electoral process and the committees in both houses. The glitch is that too often, the process by which this country is guided is subverted by well-organized private interests that rely on a compliant media and ignorant public to shape policy to suit private needs. Though “localism” is a natural bent for most people, focusing on what’s near means ignoring what’s over the horizon; Davidson says this is the start of many problems that are “adopted” by special interests with axes to grind. Coupled with reinforced stereotypes of people and places presented by government, media and interest groups, the public is conditioned to think and act in sync with those who want to call the shots. Complacency is complicity and statistically, too few people are well enough informed on any issue to matter to those in power.
The Gulf War, the War on Terror, the US approach to Israel, our embargo against Cuba; all of these things have devolved into the hands of private interests that deeply and effectively rob elected representatives of their ability to think and act freely. Davidson illustrates these patterns effectively in Foreign and argues that Americans can no longer isolate themselves from the world around us. We have to become better informed in order to understand not only what is going on, but how and when to raise hell against the lobbyists that have pocketed the pieces that work in our name. Re-education and awareness can and should begin with Foreign Policy. Gain its advantages soon.
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