Here's a thought. Surround the soviet empire with bases, forcing them to do the same. Pursue a system of defensive missile bases capable of shooting down incoming ICBMs. Pursue development of a string of offensive and defensive satellites. Contest soviet expansion and soviet backed communist dictatorships world wide. Finely, wage a war of words in the court of public opinion, by openly calling the soviets, the evil immoral empire that they are.
This idea will force the Soviets into a economic and moral corner, which will cause their collapse. Oh wait, all this was already done. Thank God for Ronald Reagan.
Obviously, we can't contend for world domination. I have no interest in attacking every country that is an evil socialist dictatorship. That said, when we have just cause, we should act. We had more than enough reason to go into Iraq, and it was the right thing to do.
No... there is a massive difference between the people of China, and the government of China. We respect their people. Chinese people are wonderful awesome people. Their government still sucks. Most of the Chinese people here, are here because they had a second child, and their government requires them to murder additional children.
Absolutely. If a country does something that requires our attention, and demonstrates the need to deal with it militarily, then we shouldn't just contain it, or put in a no fly zone, or have some sort of conditional surrender with a tyrannical dictator who gasses his own people.
We should wipe out that entire government, and rebuild the country with a domestically elected government, such as what Iraq has now. Imagine if we had followed that in 91. This wouldn't even be an issue today.
Are you still speaking of "non democratic" governments, as Libsmasher was advocating above, or is there some other criteria for "doing something that requires our attention?"
If you're referencing non democratic governments, which one would you depose to start? How about Saudi Arabia?
If they have to "do something to get our attention", does that something have to be a threat to our national security, or simply somethig we find mildly offensive?
Just how do we decide when to go in and bomb and/or invade another nation?