Viewpoint: The ‘America First’ fallacy
Sneed Collard
During the 2020 election, several conservative acquaintances of mine expressed the view that America needed to look after its own before worrying about the rest of the world. Usually, this was presented as an argument for, say, blocking immigration or yanking our military and/or economic support for other democracies. I could see where these arguments were coming from. After all, isn’t it just plain common sense to look after American interests before worrying about the rest of the world?
The main problem with such an approach is not the basic idea. It is the simple-minded way in which Republican politicians promote and execute it. Their basic thinking is that if we withdraw into our own borders and act purely selfishly on everything from the military to the economy, American citizens will somehow enter a golden age of affluence and prosperity. Meanwhile, the truth is that keeping America safe, prosperous, and vibrant requires more, not less, engagement with the rest of the world.
The border crisis is a visible example of this. Since I can remember, millions of migrants have been streaming north (and from other directions), trying to find a better life in the United States. Really, who can blame them? Many live in horrible economic and environmental conditions while others face violence from gangs, police, and other threats where they live. The reaction of conservatives is a knee-jerk “Build a wall! Point more guns at them! Keep them out!” And while this sounds good to many, it is ultimately doomed to failure. Why? Because desperate people will keep trying to come here no matter what. Be honest, wouldn’t you?
Instead of this knee-jerk reaction, we should foremost be asking ourselves, “Why are people coming here in such numbers and what can we do to make it easier for them to remain where they are?” Myriad US policies can slow, and eventually reverse, the imperative to migrate. Fighting climate change is at the top of the list. Food security is becoming ever more fragile as global temperatures warm, and weather events become more unpredictable and extreme. By aggressively reducing our own production of greenhouse gases and providing support for less affluent countries to do the same, we are laying a long-term foundation for improving food and water security—and easing immigration pressures.
Supporting other democratic governments also is a key to tackling immigration. Many immigrants come from corrupt, oppressive regimes in which the average person has few rights—rights that can be taken away at whim by the powers that be. By working to support democratic movements in these countries, and providing disincentives to authoritarian regimes, we can make people feel safer and do better economically in their own homes.
Such deeper thinking may be beyond the intellect of FOX news pundits and the majority of GOP politicians, but I doubt it. More likely, they understand all this—but realize that whipping up the electorate with knee-jerk fallacies and misleading catch phrases is an easy way to get themselves elected—and make themselves rich in the process.
Democrats, for all their faults, are focused on both our immediate and long-term interests. Whether it is combating climate change or supporting democracies in the Ukraine, Taiwan, and elsewhere, Jon Tester and our other Democratic representatives are looking out not for the prosperity of the economic elite, but of all Americans, especially in Montana. Sure, Biden sucked in his debate, but so did Trump. Unlike the former Trump administration, however, the current administration is taking critical actions that will not only help us, but our children, grandchildren, and beyond.
Sneed Collard is a Missoula writer and author of the upcoming book Birding for Boomers—And Everyone Else Brave Enough to Embrace the World's Most Rewarding and Frustrating Activity.