Interview Conducted with a Current White House Official
Transcript of the conversation done on March 25, 2014
(The White House Official (WHO) requested to remain anonymous)
Jacob: What is your opinion on American intervention? Do you feel we have the obligation to intervene in order to protect the human, democratic, and economic rights of the world?
WHO: I don’t think we ourselves have an obligation to intervene anywhere to protect the rights of other people. I think that in working with the international community, when there is a clear need to intervene, and our allies are willing to support us, then we can intervene.
Jacob: Do you feel America’s foreign policy has changed after World War II?
WHO: Yeah, of course it has changed. Foreign policy changes with time. Our policy has changed considerably since WWII. The Cold War was another milestone which marked change in American foreign policy as did the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Foreign policy like domestic policy has to adapt with the new times.
Jacob: How important is the United States’ stance on intervention, in foreign nations today?
WHO: It’s very important. For example, in Syria, the policies the United States government sets up and chooses to follow greatly impacts both Syria and the United States. The decisions we make on Intervention greatly impact both the present and the future of nations we choose to, or not to, intervene in.
Jacob: How does the United States’ history of intervention impact its decision making process today?
WHO: The history of the wars in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan have created a legacy of significant expense of both lives and of money. As the President has said many times, “We need to concentrate on nation building first, before we consider foreign intervention steps.” These three interventions, and their outcomes, have had significant impact on our decision making process.
Jacob: Do you feel the issue of United States Intervention will be significant in the future?
WHO: Yes, I think it’s significant for the countries that the United States has already intervened in. The world will continue to be unstable, and as long as the world remains unstable we will always be tasked on whether we intervene or not.
(Interview by Jacob Kozhipatt).
