The superpower pretext

Posted by admin on Nov 5, 2008 in Issues & Ideas | 0 comments

Nations usually go to war either to gain more territory or to exploit resources. There is no such thing as an ethical war. Of course, there are many subtle pretexts as to why a nation can go to war – for example, imposing democracy or fighting terrorists. Another shocking pretext I heard from a colleague is that, “As a superpower, we have the obligation to police and save people from tyrants like Saddam Hussein.” Of course, by “we,” she meant the United States.

I am pretty sure she was not aware of the many foreign policy faux pas that the U.S. government has committed and continues to commit. First, the U.S. supported Hussein and provided him with chemical weapons to use against Iran during the first Gulf War. They also made a deal with the Iranian regime and sold some weapons there. However, this did not go too well, and eventually became a scandal known as the “Iran-Contra Affair.” Moreover, the CIA trained the Mujahidin of Afghanistan to fight the former Soviet Union. Those Mujahedin evolved to become Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

The U.S. government still has political relations with many terrorist and oppressive regimes all over the world, including Saudi Arabia and Libya. Libya is a North African dictatorship ruled by Mu’ammar Al-Qadhafi since 1969. Al-Qadhafi was responsible for the explosion of the TWA plane in 1980 that killed 81 innocent people and has oppressed his own people for over thirty years. However, Al-Qadhafi is a good boy now: he allows oil companies to drill and sell. Poor Libyans are forgotten.

And then there’s Saudi Arabia. The Saudi regime does not allow women to drive; if you are a Saudi woman, you will need the permission of your father or husband before you travel. Furthermore, they cut the limbs off and behead people publicly under the name of Sharia Law. The Saudi regime also encourages radicalism: a very simple proof is that nine of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudi Arabians, Osama is Saudi, and each day you will hear a very horrific fatwa coming from Saudi Arabia.

Despite all this, the U.S. government remains very good friends with the Saudi regime. Thus, U.S. does not – and should not – have the ethical obligation to change the world or to impose “democracy.” Simply put, the U.S. government is a bit too unethical for my taste.