The United States has been regarded as one of the most powerful countries since World War II. This powerful world prowess has been held due to successful trading relationships and a prosperous economy.
But recently, with skyrocketing federal spending, more than $1 trillion spent on the Iraq War, and economic troubles, the United States’ world influence has been dwindling.
Currently, the United States accounts for 44 percent of the world total of military spending.
The military has been sent to all corners of the world trying to establish and keep democracy.
Dr. Lloyd J. Dumas, author of The Peacekeeping Economy, believes that America could become the most highly respected superpower once again by using the right foreign policy plans.
Dumas wants Americans to think about war differnetly.
He wants us to think about it as a last resort. The first resort, he says, should be building strong economic ties to other nations.
Since the beginning of time, national security has been synonymous with military strength.
This just shouldn’t be, he said.
“Military actions are very costly and often very ineffective in terms of building security for us,” Dumas said.
In short, protecting our country using peace methods is a better idea than using military force to ward away possible threats.
On one hand, having a powerful military is important in a world with so much destructive technology.  On the other, using all the manpower having too large a military makes a  country look hostile toward potential international relationships.
Unfortunately, we Americans have used our “last resorts” pretty regularly. After World War II, we fought battles with Korea, Russia, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq.
The use of force since the beginning of the first Desert Storm has taken an enormous chunk of stability from the United States, both relationship-wise and in regard to the economy.
The economy is in shambles, jobs are scarce and the federal government is sluggish when it comes tackling foreign policy issues.
Sometimes war is the solution. It sure was when Hitler was tromping through Europe with no one to stop him.
But it isn’t the solution right now, not for Pakistan, Afghanistan or anyone.