Free Trade, A New National Security Policy for the 21st Century

摘要

For the past forty years, the United States has played a significant role inshaping the governmental, social, and economic values of the world. This influence has been supported by its various national security policies and military strategies. America has been the Free World's leader. Through this leadership, global warfare has been avoided and an acceptable level of security has been maintained. America's policy of containment has been successful. A spin off of that success is the international perception that democracy and free economies are the keys to domestic well being. During the period of containment, the United States focused its economic and military support on Europe and Japan. Throughout the rest of the world, it advanced the concepts of democracy and the free market system, but did little to spread the social and economic norms and values necessary for long-term support of democratic governments and free economies. If emerging democracies are to transition to successful and stable political and economic entities, the United States needs to initiate a new national policy with new goals. The future quest should be to build on present successes through use of the economic instrument of power. The goal should be to further international security through interdependence of national economies. The cornerstone of this strategy is a policy of unencumbered international free trade. (edc)