America's involvement in the affairs of the World

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2012.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 90-99).Does America have an obligation, whether through foreign aid, military involvement, or by spreading democracy, to change the world? This thesis answers these above questions in intimate detail through the moral framework of the teachings and life of Jesus. It is not a paper designed to evangelize or convert; rather, it is designed to assess whether America' s current involvement on the international stage is done with respect to Jesus' primary teachings of compassion and love. Ultimately, we discover that the US has a lot of work to do, and that this country does not fully follow Jesus' word. The foreign aid America provides has many negative consequences, our military involvement is often unneeded and leads to failure, and our efforts to spread democracy have often been marred by violence. This is not a thesis decrying America and all it stands for. Instead, it is a thesis that analyzes America's past, present, and future involvement in the world, and recommends how America can better follow the moral framework of love and compassion laid down by Jesus Christ.by Leif Francel.M.C.P