GOP and U.S. Foreign Policy

So long as the Republican Party uses foreign policy as a domestic political device, the U.S. will fail to develop a viable policy in dealing with foreign nations. Current criticisms of the administration’s dealings with China, India and Pakistan and, earlier, with Latin America, Bosnia and Haiti, are invariably made with both eyes focused on the electorate rather than on the effect on our friends and foes in foreign lands.

Beginning with the “lost China” nonsense of the ‘40s and continuing with the “soft on Communism” of the ‘50s through the ‘80s, the GOP’s approach to foreign policy has been to frustrate and embarrass its political opponents--admittedly a vulnerable group--rather than attempting to construct a bipartisan foreign policy. No better example exists than the sudden about-face of Republicans when Richard Nixon opened the door to China.

A major cause of our ineptness in foreign relations is the lack of a professional diplomatic corps, which compels uninformed amateurs to run the ship of state. The other is the constant need to defend foreign policy from domestic political attack. We were able to overcome this in World War II. Must we have another major war to put an end to this irresponsible sniping?

LEE HAHN

Laguna Hills