StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Republican and Democratic Differences on National Security - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The paper "Republican and Democratic Differences on National Security" asserts that the policies on national security are controversial issues between both parties. A balance between both policies would most likely be the best policy to adopt for US security…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER91.9% of users find it useful
Republican and Democratic Differences on National Security
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Republican and Democratic Differences on National Security"

Over the last few years, there has emerged a great debate between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party concerning the national security policies, which would best guarantee the security of the United States. Some believe that the policies, which have been put in place so far, have gone too far and are in fact eroding the freedoms that have been guaranteed to all the citizens and foreigners on American soil. On the other hand, others believe that what has been done so far is not enough and that more needs to be done to ensure that the nation is in a state of the highest security. The two political parties both have very different approaches to national security and each tends to attempt to block the policies that their rivals attempt to put in place simply because they do not agree with them. The Democrats’ approach to national security is based on the belief that guaranteeing the freedoms of the people is the best way to ensure their security because if they feel secure in their own country and in their government’s ability to protect them, then the security risk to them would be greatly diminished (Mehta and Smith, 2012). The Republicans believe that the best way to deal with matters concerning national security is by taking away some of the freedoms, which people enjoy so that the government can have more room to ensure that they are protected in every way. In other words, it can be considered the loss of a few freedoms for the good of everyone. The security posture of the United States before the September 11 attacks was very different from the one that came after these attacks. Before September 11, the federal government played a very restricted role in the internal security of the nation and most of the security matters were left in the hands of the state and local governments. Furthermore, most of the security agencies were not on a very high alert for any foreign attacks on the United States because such threats were considered nonexistent. Instead, security agencies concentrated on the potential from within and this was a huge flaw on their part. The American military had bases all over the world in allied countries and these had been put in place to protect American interests in these respective regions. The military had not seen much active service since the 1991 Gulf war and its presence in allied countries functioned as a deterrent to those who would wish to harm American interests. All these, however, changed after the attacks and this sparked a new debate between the Democrats and the Republicans on how to handle the issue. The war on terror which came as a result brought a large number of suspected al Qaeda members in to the Guantanamo Bay facility in Cuba and the matter of how to have them prosecuted raised a lot of debate (Encyclopædia Britannica, 2012). The Democrats have been in favor of having these detainees prosecuted according to the federal law of the United States within the country. The Republicans on the other hand have supported the prosecution of these detainees according to military law because prosecuting them on American soil would be a security threat to the nation. There are many policies, which were enacted immediately after the September 11 attacks and during the wars in Afghanistan and in Iraq in relation antiterrorism. Most of these laws we put in place to ensure that no other attack of the scale of the September 11 attacks ever took place on American soil again. Some of the laws that were enacted by Congress and signed into law by former president Bush include the following: the President’s Surveillance Program; the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 2008; Intelligence Reform and Terrorist Prevention Act; and finally, the Patriot Act. Most of these legislations were controversial at the time of their passing and remain so today with both sides of the debate having a large number of supporters. The majority of the Democrats from the onset opposed these pieces of legislation stating that they went against the spirit of the American constitution, which guaranteed freedom to all (Cauley, 2006). They further stated that these laws interfered in the private lives of the American people because they gave the government the power to get information concerning their lives without a warrant. The Republican stance has been that these laws were necessary to guarantee the security of the nation and that personal interests such as the right to privacy had to be set aside for the good of the entire nation. The Republicans argue that these laws have been put in place as a strong measure to ensure the domestic security of the United States while the military defended it externally. Both the Democrats and the Republicans have very different visions concerning the future national security policy of the United States and this has been clearly stated in the ongoing presidential contest by their respective nominees (Lane, 2012). One of the most contentious points on matters of national security is the one on defense funding. The Democrats have pledged to go for a reduction of funding for the military in favor of more funding for the public service if they are reelected. They have stated that the defense budget of the United States is too large and that its reduction would not hurt the national security of the United States in any way. This is in complete contrast to the Republican point of view that the spending on the defense of the nation is very low and that it should be increased to strengthen further its security. Moreover, the Republicans are pledging that a significant part of the American GDP will be set aside for the purposes of defense because they feel that enough is not being currently done to ensure its funding (American exceptionalism, 2012). Changes to the existing national security legislation has also become a point of contention between these two parties with the Democrats opting for the removal of certain clauses from these laws to protect the privacy of Americans while the Republicans are advocating for even tougher clauses to be included in these laws as a security measure. These two parties are not always in opposite directions in matters of national security and they at times even come together for the sake of the welfare of the American people (Kaplan, 2010). These parties have repeatedly put aside their differences in ideology to protect the citizens of the United States and this was seen when decisions were being made in response to the September 11 attacks and its aftermath. Recently, there has been some agreement between Democrats and Republicans on the matter concerning the prosecution of Guantanamo Bay detainees with the President approving their prosecution under military laws because of the risk they pose it they were to be prosecuted under the federal laws. In conclusion, it can be said that these two parties have the best interests of the American people at heart, only that they have very different approaches to achieving them. The policies on national security have been a controversial issue between them but both of these parties have ideas, which could work very well for the security of the nation. A balance between the policies of the two would most likely be the best policies to adopt for the United States’ security to be guaranteed because in truth, no national security policy is always watertight. Cooperation is the key towards securing the security of the nation from forces within and without. References Cauley, L. (2006, May 10). Nsa has massive database of americans phone calls .USATODAY. Retrieved from http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-10-nsa_x.htm Encyclopædia Britannica. (2012). Guantanamo Bay detention camp. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1503067/Guantanamo-Bay-detention- camp/1503067yblinks/Year-in-Review-Links Kaplan, M. (2010). Us defense Politics/arsenal of Democracy/clausewitz and America/national security and core values in american history. International Journal, 65(3), 788-792. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/853000475?accountid=1331 Lane, C. (2012). The candidates and foreign policy. World Affairs, Retrieved from http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/article/candidates-and-foreign-policy Mehta, A., & Smith, R. J. (2012, September 6). Is the democratic platform in synch with the public on national defense?. Retrieved from http://www.publicintegrity.org/2012/09/06/10806/democratic-platform-synch-public- national-defense American exceptionalism. Republican Party. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.gop.com/2012-republican-platform_exceptionalism/ Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(Republican and Democratic Differences on National Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words, n.d.)
Republican and Democratic Differences on National Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words. https://studentshare.org/politics/1784101-republican-and-democratic-differences-on-national-security
(Republican and Democratic Differences on National Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 Words)
Republican and Democratic Differences on National Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 Words. https://studentshare.org/politics/1784101-republican-and-democratic-differences-on-national-security.
“Republican and Democratic Differences on National Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 Words”. https://studentshare.org/politics/1784101-republican-and-democratic-differences-on-national-security.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Republican and Democratic Differences on National Security

The change in the Democratic coalition from Pre-Reconstruction to the New Deal coalition

This paper examines the historical development of the democratic Party in the United States.... … The paper tells that currently the democratic Party enjoys the most diverse support from the various groups in the United States.... The liberal and populist ideologies that characterize the current democratic Party policies began under Andrew Jackson.... In this respect, the foundation of democratic Party and its subsequent win in 1828 election was a triumph of democracy over elitism if the issues of slavery, massacre and mass displacement of native communities are not considered....
13 Pages (3250 words) Research Paper

Republican and Democratic Parties

republican and democratic Parties Name University republican and democratic Parties The two primary political parties functioning in the United States for over centuries now are the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.... Consequently, the two main political parties utilized in the US government system are the republican and the Democratic parties (Vile, 2007).... The Democratic Party believes in a big national level government which looks after the overall welfare of the people, regardless of personal interests....
6 Pages (1500 words) Research Paper

Republicans vs. Democrats: Differences

They believe that our security comes from partnerships and alliances with foreign nations even if they appear connected with terrorist groups.... “Asking other nations before we act to protect our security,” is their belief.... The Republican Party supports a strong national defense and believes that we must have a well-trained and well-equipped military in order to be effective in the world.... Democrats: differences and why They Remain Dominant Core Beliefs: Republicans: The Republican philosophy is based on as little intervention by government as possible to promote individual prosperity....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

The Balance of Power between the Executive and Legislature

For example, the president is both the commander in chief of the armed forces and the chair to the security Council.... Name Institution Course Date The Balance of Power between the Executive and Legislature In democratic governments, the functions of government are carried out by the three arms of government....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Sociology - Democratic and Republican Views on Social Problems

In order to enhance security, democrats believe that disarmed citizens are safer from criminals who are armed (democrats, n.... Both the republicans and democrats view crime as a national problem that needs immediate solution and have a high opposition towards it.... democratic and republican views on social problems Insert name Grade course Date Introduction Like any other developed economy, the United States suffers from myriad social problems inherent in the present world....
5 Pages (1250 words) Research Paper

Comparison of Democratic and Republican Ideals

Most of the surviving political parties are thumping their chests over flamboyant political figures that have revolutionized today's democratic and Republic parties.... nbsp;  … According to the paper the differing Americans living in differing regions of the country jointly appear divided evenly between the conservative Republic ideology and the more liberal democratic principles.... nbsp; This essay outlines that in 1792, over 200 years ago, Thomas Jefferson founded the democratic Party....
5 Pages (1250 words) Research Paper

Critique of a Speech or Presentation (or editorial

On September 6, 2012, President Barack Obama delivered his speech at the Democratic national Convention (DNC), where he is nominated as the presidential candidate of the party.... Obama effectively uses logos to help voters understand the difference between his vision and the republican vision.... He is saying that the republican vision does not offer a tangible road to the protection of the middle class and economic development.... He argues that republican policies are unclear: “They want your vote, but they don't want you to know their plan” (2)....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Parties and Elections in Foreign Public Policy

The platform advocates for the use of taxes to fund essential and constitutionally legit projects such as national security.... This report "Parties and Elections in Foreign Public Policy" compares and contrasts the 2012 Republican Party platform with the democratic Party platform in the run-up to the 2012 elections.... On the other hand, the democratic Party unequivocally and strongly supports women's rights to make decisions on matters of pregnancy including legal and safe abortion, irrespective of the ability to pay....
5 Pages (1250 words) Report
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us