Yes

No

1. Unstable regions can be havens for terrorists.
2. Nations cannot grow and develop with constant threat of warlords and terrorists trying to gain power.
3. Humanitarian aid often cannot reach its intended recipients.
4. Genocide and atrocities can be avoided or lessened.
5. Militant ideologies could expand without us, threatening the lives and resources of democratic countries.
6. Living with oppression and a constant state of terror throughout an entire population is worse than the risk of a few deaths.
7. It could eventually lead to a united, stable world.
8. No other country in the world has the power to play this role.

1. It could increase an already growing anti-American sentiment around the world.
2. We could make many wrong decisions (e.g. when we armed & financed Saddam Hussein).
3. U.S. soldiers would be put in harm's way.
4. Civilians would be killed on many of the missions.
5. Much of a country could be destroyed in a liberation attempt.
6. The financial cost of being a world policeman is extremely high.

Yes

No

1. Member countries act in their own interest rather than the common good, leading to bad decisions.
2. No one else is going to look out for the security and interests of the U.S.
3. Countries will disagree and obstruct just to thwart the U.S.
4. We often have intelligence that the U.N. doesn't that we can't release.
5. Debate takes too much time and leads to inaction.
6. The tough but necessary actions are often the most risky and unpopular.
7. The veto and chairmanship procedures of the U.N. administration has become somewhat of a joke.
8. We need to maintain a threat of acting alone to push the U.N. to not make anti-U.S. decisions.
9. There are some world problems that only the U.S. is willing to deal with (e.g. North Korea).
10. The U.N. is not a true democratic institution since many of the countries are communist or dictatorships.

1. Anti-Americanism will continue to grow.
2. It creates the impression that the U.N. is irrelevant, and other countries may feel they too can act alone.
3. Different perspectives of other nations can show us our actions may be wrong.
4. The U.N. process forces us to use diplomacy and enhance relationships.
5. Ignoring the U.N. makes us sound hypocritical since we condemn Saddam and others for the same reasons.

Yes

No

1. The risk of civilian deaths is reduced or eliminated.
2. Internal coups lead to a more credible and internationally-recognized government than a foreign overthrow.
3. Less damage is done to the infrastructure of the country.
4. Fewer lives of American troops are put on the line.
5. The financial costs are dramatically reduced.
6. Popular support for an all-out war is usually impossible to achieve.
7. Less resentment and anti-American sentiment is accumulated.
8. At a minimum, it prepares efforts for military action that may be needed in the future.
9. We can help counter anti-American propaganda from the inside.

1. These actions lead to wild conspiracy theories, whether or not the CIA has a hand in things.
2. The credibility of the U.S. and the intelligence community is damaged.
3. A lack of democratic decision making could lead to corruption and bad decisions.
4. Other countries could follow the same policies.
5. It could lead to Saddam/Stalin-like internal crackdowns on the population.