Here's a question: is there a way in which the world can be effectively policed without losing the basic priniciples that the United States supposedly stands for?

The theoretical status quo is that each nation handles its own defenses. In practice, a few superpowers take other nations under their wing, and we have the Cold War and the rest of the history of the twentieth century, or with the failure of all superpowers but one, our current situation.

If American unilaterally becomes the world policeman, which is what it looks like now, we stand to lose a lot of our civil liberties as we essentially move into a seige mentality. We become Fort America, and our lives become those of the inhabitants of a fort under attack. Not good.

If some multinational police force is somehow developed, other nations, including the United States, would by definition need to defer to it. Unfortunately, the only multinational organization right now the even remotely fills the bill is the United Nations, currently a corrupt socialist hog wallow. If this organization was given vast police powers, it would be a matter of days until the UN used its powers to loot the wealthy nations and impose its socialist "ideals." Think of putting a cop on the beat, and then having him immediately start shaking down storeowners and eating apples off the carts.

All the answers look like they suck right now. What does everyone else think?

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I remember the movie "The Day The Earth Stood Still." The premise was that galactic civilization had placed the moral imperative of self-defense into the hands of a race of indestructible, incorruptible robots, which then ignored everyone unless an act of aggression was seen, in which case they immediately retaliated on the aggressor. When I first saw this movie, many years ago before I had refined my libertarian philosophy, this sounded eminently sensible to me. In some ways it still does. Too bad it's impossible.

Klaatu's speech from the end of the movie, as he is about to leave Earth:

"I am leaving soon and you will forgive me if I speak bluntly. The Universe grows smaller every day -- and the threat of aggression by any group -- anywhere -- can no longer be tolerated.



There must be security for all -- or no one is secure . . . This does not mean giving up any freedom except the freedom to act irresponsibly.

Your ancestors knew this when they made laws to govern themselves -- and hired policemen to enforce them.

We of the other planets have long accepted this principle. We have an organization for the mutual protection of all planets -- and for the complete elimination of aggression. A sort of United Nations on the Planetary level . . . The test of any such higher authority, of course, is the police force that supports it. For our policemen, we created a race of robots.

Their function is to patrol the planets -- in space ships like this one -- and preserve the peace. In matters of aggression we have given them absolute power over us.

At the first sign of violence they act automatically against the aggressor. And the penalty for provoking their action is too terrible to risk.

The result is that we live in peace, without arms or armies, secure in the knowledge that we are free from aggression and war -- free to pursue more profitable enterprises.

We do not pretend to have achieved perfection -- but we do have a system -- and it works.

I came here to give you the facts. It is no concern of ours how you run your own planet - but if you threaten to extend your violence, this Earth of yours will be reduced to a burned-out cinder.

Your choice is simple. Join us and live in peace. Or pursue your present course -- and face obliteration. We will be waiting for your answer. The decision rests with you."