Jihad long gone

President Barack Obama has issued another major shakeup to the United States foreign policy by dropping threatening language.
The current administration is removing such terms like "jihad" and "Islamic extremism" from the United States National Security Strategy in an attempt to bring more Muslim countries into the good graces of the United States.
Basically, the United States government is no longer looking at Muslim nations solely through a counterterrorism lens. It definitely follows previous decisions by the president to repair America's image within the International community.
Developing solid relationships with Islamic states is actually the correct way to combat terrorism, not waging wars in distant lands.
The United States hands out roughly $26 billion dollars in foreign aid in 2008, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. About 150 countries receive money from the United States. The five leading countries are Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, Jordan and Kenya.
Much of the money goes to programs that are humanitarian in nature. The goal is to promote more goodwill.
Many Americans have no clue as to what the National Security Strategy is. It isn't just a simple initiative. The document is the framing the policy of protecting the United States.
Many who are against this policy shift equate removing the language with the United States ignoring terrorism. That isn't the case.
The policy shift signals to other nations that being allies with the United States has many benefits. After all, the United States does have an economy worth $14 trillion. America can move some serious weight in terms of products.
The only true weapon against terrorism is marginalizing the terrorists from safe havens. Many who join radical Islam movements have no education and certainly no opportunity for bettering their lot in life.
This policy shift also doesn't mean that the United States won't analyze threats against its interests and neighbors. The goal here is to give Muslim nations an opportunity to be viewed as members of the international community, rather than rogue nations that harbor terrorists.
Former National Security Adviser Anthony Lake believed in four processes to foster democracy and peace across the globe. First, strengthen the community of major market democracies. That means developing and nurturing relationships with the United States' major allies such as France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
Second, foster and consolidate new democracies with free market economies. New democracies like India and China are emerging democracies with huge economies.
Third, America should counter aggression by supporting the liberalization of states hostile to democracy and free markets. That isn't saying America should make regime changes against Islamic nations that are hostile. Take Iran – President Obama was in support of the Green movement when it protested the most recent elections.
Lastly, the United States must pursue a humanitarian agenda not only by providing aid, but also by working to help democracy and free markets take root in the regions with the most humanitarian concern.
These tenets are all good ideas. By promoting ideals that make this country the envy of the world, America would be able to marginalize radical movements across the globe.
Major wars have largely been averted with our allies who have significant economic ties with the United States. The reason is because it doesn't benefit either side because too much is at stake.
The goal of the new directive is to bring more countries into the fold and avoid alienating them.