In a story on NPR about the U.S. selling military equipment to Bahrain, it is said that “officials at the State Department speaking only on background say the U.S. has a longstanding commitment to security in the Persian Gulf.” No one with any knowledge of U.S. foreign policy would dispute this statement. The $64,000 question is: “Why?” Why does the U.S. have a commitment to security in the Middle East, Europe, Japan, Korea, and the rest of the world? Why not a commitment to the security of the U.S., period?

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