This is both a question of ethics, and for me, morals. This is a question I had to come to face with in 2003 when the US invaded Iraq in violation of international treaty. Whether anyone likes it or not the US is what is known as a Hegemon and as a Hegemony it acts around the world with long reaching arms. Its actions effect people with no vote or say in the matter with long lasting effects. As a student studying with hopes to one day influence policy I had read a lot of books about other countries, failed state, foreign politics and how to go about them. I came to realize that unfortunately the people heading the reconstruction after toppling the Iraqi state had done little to no research into the sociopolitical background of its people and were using a cookie cutter method to build a democracy resembling that of the U.S. which would not and could not work.
For me morally I could not advise or give an opinion on how to handle conflicts amongst other countries without having talked to and gained understanding from the people of various parts of the world it would be effecting. Now having been to over 30 countries I feel it is something I can speak to better and the question is one of social ethics. I'm a patriot and I have a vote. I see it as my civic duty to know what my country is doing right and where we are wrong. I do my best to know who I'm voting for, not by the words they say at election time but by there experience and past behavior. The president and secretary of state have a tremendous impact on how the U.S. is viewed and the are our face and actors with the rest of the world. For me I will not put anyone in that seat that doesn't have a strong understanding and position with matters outside U.S. borders. I have that vote , I ask people in other countries what they think, for honest critique and I consider their concerns and who they think will partner best with our allies. If you're paying attention Cameron and Hollande aren't playing well together so going into the next election I ask myself which candidate might be able to make them hold hands. Even a powerful state like the U.S. needs friends and we can better act together than alone.
Lastly, because I know many of you have said if it doesn't directly affect you, you don't care. That it is too much work and you can't make a difference. Thanks to this feedback I will try to give you the long game answer to how this does effect you and will for some time after college. We are all concerned with the national deficit, much of which is owed to China. The manner in which the U.S. choses to go about inforcing its influence comes with widely varying price tags. As we saw with the Bush Regime a president that is quick to put boots on the ground is taking action that is extremely costly and once the boots are there it is hard to pull out. We still have boots on the ground in Korea over half a century later. Your pay check is funding that operation. You personally will pay thousands each year for those endeavors. So if not for others might you pay attention for yourself and your kids? Do you want to hand over the massive debt we inherited from our parents to your kids when you retire? I sure don't. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. A government that is not held accountable by its people, one without strong opposition from its foreign counterparts is one surely to run amok.
The good news is if you spend 15-20 minutes reading proper news papers or listening to news programs on the way to work you begin to understand the issues and then it isn't much work at all. It's like flossing your teeth, it doesn't hurt if you do it everyday.
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