should the united states help?
No
Some people argue that the United States should focus on itself only and should leave foreign conflicts to the countries themselves to deal with. Even when it comes to events as horrible as genocide the government needs to focus on American needs first. The nation is in tremendous amounts of debt and not only that but is also involved in a war with Iraq. The unemployment rate continues to rise and more and more Americans are ending up homeless.
The recession as well has taken its toll on American families and if something isn’t done the unemployment rates are only going to increase and more and more Americans are going to find themselves homeless.
Many Americans fear that if the United States helps with the conflicts over seas that the national debt will only increase and that the problems on the home front will only worsen. Although genocide and violence overseas in third world countries are awful it is not the United States job to step in and fix everything.
The recession as well has taken its toll on American families and if something isn’t done the unemployment rates are only going to increase and more and more Americans are going to find themselves homeless.
Many Americans fear that if the United States helps with the conflicts over seas that the national debt will only increase and that the problems on the home front will only worsen. Although genocide and violence overseas in third world countries are awful it is not the United States job to step in and fix everything.
yes
On the other side of the spectrum people argue that it is a country’s responsibility to protect its own citizens but when a country is no longer able to the responsibility is then shifted on to other countries. Mass atrocities around the world are unforgivable and turning away from them is shameful. In cases such as the Rwanda genocide in 1994 if the UN troops hadn’t left the country to let the country “deal with it themselves” then all the violence and genocidal acts may have been prevented (Munyampenda). It is in cases like this when a powerful force leaves the country to let them sort it out themselves that the killers really come out and take advantage of the defenseless victims.
There have been other events throughout history where violence occurs and no other countries intervene to put an end to it. Without the threat from another country the killings and conflict continues and in most cases only gets more severe.
There have been other events throughout history where violence occurs and no other countries intervene to put an end to it. Without the threat from another country the killings and conflict continues and in most cases only gets more severe.
Overall opinion
After researching and looking into the conflicts overseas it was shocking to read about some of the horrific stories from survivors and victims of this violence. It is hard to sit here in a comfy chair while thousands of innocent people are murdered, raped, and forced to leave their homes.
Although all countries have their own problems to deal with it is essential in cases as severe as genocide that other countries step in and protect the helpless. If other countries responded fast enough to the crimes instead of waiting a couple of years while the violence progresses then thousands of lives would be saved. It would also be easier to resolve the conflict when it is just beginning and hasn’t developed into something much larger than another country can handle.
Many countries fall victim to the bystander effect and when violence erupts in other countries it is easier to just look away. Every country has a responsibility to protect its own citizens but when that country fails to do so it is the responsibility of other countries to step in. People may argue that it is best to just let things fall as they may and the conflict will resolve itself. However when a country’s own government turns on its citizens, there is no one left in the country to protect them. Without another country intervening the civilians of that country are left helpless and they will eventually all be killed off if that is what the government wants to do.
Yes the United States is in a lot of debt and there are a lot of Americans that are unemployed, but nothing is happening in America that can even be compared to the violence that happens in countries like Darfur, Burma, and the Congo daily. There are about 636,017 people that are homeless in the United States according to a statistic from 2012. This is nowhere close in comparison to the over 2.5 million people that have been displaced from their homes in Darfur alone. People homeless in Darfur are also homeless due to the fact that they were forced out of their homes in fear of otherwise being killed. The reasons behind the homelessness in America and the homelessness in conflict areas are very different.
All in all what it really boils down to is the decision between becoming more in debt or standing by while thousands of innocent humans are slaughtered. It doesn’t matter what it will cost but a human life is more important than the national debt and if there is anything at all that America can do to stop people from being killed, raped, and forced out of there homes then as a nation the United States has the responsibility to act and do everything it can to stop the violence.
Although all countries have their own problems to deal with it is essential in cases as severe as genocide that other countries step in and protect the helpless. If other countries responded fast enough to the crimes instead of waiting a couple of years while the violence progresses then thousands of lives would be saved. It would also be easier to resolve the conflict when it is just beginning and hasn’t developed into something much larger than another country can handle.
Many countries fall victim to the bystander effect and when violence erupts in other countries it is easier to just look away. Every country has a responsibility to protect its own citizens but when that country fails to do so it is the responsibility of other countries to step in. People may argue that it is best to just let things fall as they may and the conflict will resolve itself. However when a country’s own government turns on its citizens, there is no one left in the country to protect them. Without another country intervening the civilians of that country are left helpless and they will eventually all be killed off if that is what the government wants to do.
Yes the United States is in a lot of debt and there are a lot of Americans that are unemployed, but nothing is happening in America that can even be compared to the violence that happens in countries like Darfur, Burma, and the Congo daily. There are about 636,017 people that are homeless in the United States according to a statistic from 2012. This is nowhere close in comparison to the over 2.5 million people that have been displaced from their homes in Darfur alone. People homeless in Darfur are also homeless due to the fact that they were forced out of their homes in fear of otherwise being killed. The reasons behind the homelessness in America and the homelessness in conflict areas are very different.
All in all what it really boils down to is the decision between becoming more in debt or standing by while thousands of innocent humans are slaughtered. It doesn’t matter what it will cost but a human life is more important than the national debt and if there is anything at all that America can do to stop people from being killed, raped, and forced out of there homes then as a nation the United States has the responsibility to act and do everything it can to stop the violence.