Michael Medved’s article Foreign Policy Lessons from Fighting Muslim Pirates is an excellent piece of information as well as a lesson in the history of America. As he writes, many people are unaware that the very first foreign war fought by Americans occurred in the region called the Barbary States, [Barbary Coast] and thus the Barbary War, of which there were actually two of them. Most importantly, Mr. Medved directly addresses and examines the common rhetoric coming from the politically Left camp, where they take advantage of those who are not familiar with this particular point in history, and for some no clue at all about American history.
I had intention to add the story of this part of history concerning pirates (under the subcategory of the same name concerning History), so this article will be included in that listed subcategory, despite not just being an historical article.
Michael Medved addresses the following comments made by Americans and others concerning the war against Islamic fascism, America, its history and its leadership, which is protested by the American political left as well as Libertarian idealists like Rep. Ron Paul (who belongs to the Republican Party):
1. The U.S. often goes to war when it is not directly attacked. One of the dumbest lines about the Iraq War claims that “this was the first time we ever attacked a nation that hadn’t attacked us.” Obviously, Barbary raids against private shipping hardly constituted a direct invasion of the American homeland, but founding fathers Jefferson and Madison nonetheless felt the need to strike back. Of more than 140 conflicts in which American troops have fought on foreign soil, only one (World War II, obviously) represented a response to an unambiguous attack on America itself. Iraq and Afghanistan are part of a long-standing tradition of fighting for U.S. interests, and not just to defend the homeland. 2. Most conflicts unfold without a Declaration of War. Jefferson informed...