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Finding A Guiding Star in Times of War
By anitamckay on 2008-08-06 20:00:51
"We have met the enemy, and he is us." Walt Kelly
The United States would be better served using the insight of Walt Kelly’s cartoon marsupial to determine foreign policy
than the perspective of any government official in decades - probably longer! The difficulties we face at home are of our
own making and are interrelated. If we haven’t taken things too far, we can still choose a path of peace.
One way we show our determination to choose a path of chaos and war is the inconsistent way we choose sides, making it
clear to everyone but ourselves that we are acting from self interest rather than from principle. I'll give two examples.
One of the reasons the United States gave for invading Iraq and overthrowing Saddam Hussein was that he persecuted the
Kurds. Our allies, Turkey persecute the Kurds. The United States continues to support Turkey. They’re the same Kurds, but
we protest their persecution only when it benefits us.
The other example is the failure of the United States to support the democratically elected government of Nepal. The history
is long and events are still unfolding, but this is a brief summary: In the early 1990's, a pro-democracy movement began in
the country. It was dealt with harshly by the government. An armed movement began, organized by the Maoists, as they
called themselves. The group was put on the US list of terrorist organizations. If I sent a birthday gift to a friend there, and it
turns out he is a member of the party, I could be fined or go to jail as a supporter of terrorists.
Since the early 1990's, there has been a new, more repressive king, recently deposed. A democratic election was held earlier
this year, and the Maoists won 220 out of 575 seats. Yet the party stays on the US list of terrorist organizations.
Are we really just trying to export democracy? Can we really think that the only reason they hate us is because we’re free?
