They Hate Us For Our Freedom?

Ron Paul, The Last of the Truth Tellers

Virtually every politician tells the electorate what they want to hear, not what needs to be heard. No where is this more obvious than in the realm of foreign policy. The popular narrative that we were attacked on 9/11 because the jihadists "hate our freedom" does not stand up to critical analysis. I (unlike most of my progressive compatriots) fully acknowledge that the primary force behind the growth in radical Islamic movements is the violent, retrograde elements in Islamic Culture. Such movements emerged as a response to the failures of Arab Socialism and Nationalism to improve the lives of its citizenry and more importantly to redeem their honor by vanquishing Israel. Yet, clearly if the United States were not perpetually involved in the political affairs of the middle east, we would not be the target of their ire, or more specifically the convenient excuse for their continued economic, political and social failures. While our intentions may be beneficent, in  the world of foreign affairs, perception is reality and we are perceived by much of the Arab-Islamic world as crusaders and supporters of despots such as Hosni Mubarak and the House of Saud. One can despise us from afar for our differences, but will almost never actively engage in conflict unless we are foolish enough to meddle in their affairs. In other words, a major cause of the terrorist threat that we face is our imperial foreign policy. Dr. Ron Paul is one of the few politicians brave enough to acknowledge this highly unpopular position. The wisest course of action would be to trade with all and meddle with none. Listen to and learn from this short and very informative video.