The world is shrinking, making foreign policy more important than ever before. President Bush and Congressman Kline have focused so much on Iraq that many of our responsibilities and opportunities elsewhere in the world have suffered neglect. We must transform our confrontational approach into one where mutual respect facilitates meaningful work with countries throughout the world.

I first enlisted in the U.S. military in 1982. In response to the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001, my unit was called to active duty and stationed at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to help with security. I served in the Army peacekeeping operation in Kosovo in 2003 and volunteered to go to Iraq in 2005 when my National Guard unit was sent there for reconstruction projects.

I have always been proud to serve, but in Iraq I was taken aback by the disillusionment many there feel toward the U.S. Our actions at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib demonstrated a capacity to compromise our values in order to achieve short-term goals. We’ve lost moral authority. We must reclaim liberty and justice as hallmarks of American values everywhere we are in the world. Our foreign policy must reflect these values, respect other cultures and involve dialogue with other nations, even those with whom we frequently disagree.

• Terrorism is a defining issue of the new millennium. We need to fight it with a stronger, more agile military – but we also need to eliminate the circumstances that give rise to it. Countries that frequently produce terrorists share common traits: deep economic disparities, a pervasive sense of hopelessness and a widespread belief that the West only values them for their natural resources. A Marshall Plan-style investment in these parts of the world, shifting from a focus on armies to a focus on people, would reduce poverty, fear and despair – leaving terror leaders’ radical messages to fall on deaf ears.
• As a strong middle class has long been the backbone of a strong United States, so is it a major part of bringing about peace where today there is violence. The United States must help remove obstacles to the creation of a global middle class, for example by ensuring trade agreements enable the citizens of all nations involved to be successful.

• There is hope for Iraq. It presents a legitimate opportunity for greater stability in the Middle East. However, our military families are carrying too great a burden. The Iraqi government must lead its people to overcome ethnic and religious differences, to recognize their common interests and to stand up together for their own freedom – just as Americans did in the early days of our nation.
  
  • I believe the only way to effect this change in political will is to begin withdrawing our troops right away. During my tour, I met with many village elders and sheiks who believe we’ll never leave. Leaving and surrendering are two very different things. Beginning troop withdrawls is a necessary step to showing the Iraqi people we’re not interested in occupying their country.
    
  • While we should begin withdrawing now, we must plan and act carefully. When Italian troops left suddenly in 2006, they created a security vacuum that effectively ended their reconstruction projects. We owe Iraqi families, who have suffered much, an orderly withdrawal, not more chaos.
    
  • We need to tie any future funding to an exit plan the Pentagon should provide immediately. Ultimately, if the Iraqi government would like us to maintain a small force of advisors in the country to train Iraqi forces, we should be open to that.