Ron Paul: Free Trade, Not Sanctions, Will Solve Iran Nuclear Crisis

Taking a page straight out of the libertarian book, Rep. Ron Paul is sticking to his (nonviolent) guns on Iran.

Free trade and diplomacy, not sanctions, are the answer to U.S. concern over the Middle Eastern nation's developing nuclear weapons, Paul writes on his congressional website Monday afternoon.

And continuing the current sanctions or imposing new ones will lead the United States closer to war with Iran, according to Paul. "Sanctions were the first step in our wars against Iraq and Libya," he writes, "and now more sanctions planned against Syria and Iran are leading down the same destructive path."

Paul also writes that, based on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran should be allowed to develop nuclear energy, as long as it is for peaceful purposes. Besides, Paul adds, U.S. sanctions simply allow regimes to blame problems on the U.S., maintaining power for themselves.

His libertarian ideas—especially on foreign policy—are considered far out of the Republican mainstream. But Paul's campaign so far has gotten the most donations from military personnel of all the 2012 candidates, something his team touts as a signal his foreign policy ideas are the right ones.

[Read: Why Ron Paul's Foreign Policy Makes Sense (or not).]

And positive poll numbers continue to buoy Paul at least to the second tier, if not the top tier. Recent polls pegged Paul at third place among New Hampshire and Iowa Republicans.

Here's more from Paul on Iran:

Unfortunately, U.S. foreign policy has boxed Iran into a corner where they may view development of a nuclear weapon as the only way to maintain sovereignty. They are surrounded by unfriendly nuclear powers and history has shown that having a nuclear weapon is the best way to avoid being bombed or invaded. The unintended consequences of our confrontational policies toward Iran may be to actually encourage them to seek nuclear weapons capabilities. We should be using diplomacy rather than threats and hostility.

Fortunately there is another way. Nothing promotes peace better than free trade. Countries that trade with each other generally do not make war on each other, as both countries gain economic benefits they do not want to jeopardize. China is a massive nuclear power yet it does not seek military confrontation with the United States. Trade is much more profitable. Also trade and friendship applies much more effective persuasion to encourage better behavior, as does leading by example.

…

We must change our foreign policy to one of economic freedom and diplomacy. That is the only way to promote peace and prosperity.

• Read: Why Ron Paul's Foreign Policy Makes Sense (or not).
• Ron Paul's $1 trillion spending-cut plan targets five cabinet departments.
• Check out Ron Paul's secret to energy in a grueling 2012 campaign.

Reader Comments Read all comments (28)

Add Your Thoughts

Comment Name State Select One AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE DC FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY International Email

Please enter the two words below into the text field underneath the image.

Incorrect please try again

Enter the words above: Enter the numbers you hear:

Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.