And if so, how does that affect our country's foreign policy, and the nation's judgment? And how should it affect one's choice when it comes to be election day?
Figuratively, to me, the United States is the world police. Not by my choice, but from judging our foreign policy tactics, I believe we are the nation that is most involved in other nation's actions. I believe we put ourselves in that position because we've been taught to believe that we're morally superior to the rest of the world. When I think about it, I wouldn't want Russia or China doing what we do in the world. Our fight for world-wide freedom and the spread of democracy seems like the best thing for the world to have. And since we're in that position, of such great power, and such great resource, I think it should greatly affect one's judgment on election day. Our leaders should have a moral objective for this country, and perform just actions when dealing with foreign policy. We can no longer be a country who flexes its nuclear arms to put the world in fear, because we're no longer untouchable. One of two major party candidates is going to win this election. It's either going to be John McCain or Barack Obama. Analyzing their views on foreign policy, it seems only one candidate is the right candidate.
I want to use one major example in recent U.S. history for this, which will be the Iraq War. John McCain has staunchly defended the war, and Barack Obama has staunchly opposed the war. The preemptive war that has cost over 4,000 American lives, 30,000 Americans to be injured, and approximately 100,000 Iraqi lives with some stories claiming the count is over 600,000. The war that has cost the American people 800 billion dollars, and has forced us to borrow money from countries such as China. One has to ask was this war just, and is it something we want our country to do? If we want to be seen as a nation of hope, prosperity, and opportunity again, we shouldn't destroy countries with no reason. It's not something that is morally permissible, and when we are in a state of being a moral superior in the world, we shouldn't be taking those actions against others.
John McCain, former naval pilot, former P.O.W. Do you think he will be a peacetime president? The man who only knows war, do you think he will be peaceful, when he has the world's strongest military at his command? Do you think his actions will be morally permissible? How do the actions of the Bush administration affect the way the world views us? Do you think John McCain will be different from Bush when it comes to striking people? Do you think people like air strikes, mourning their dead, having their property destroyed and lives torn apart? All the things Americans fight for to have for themselves are what Americans are taking away from the world. Is that what a morally superior agent should do? Is that morally correct? Why do you want that for your country? Do you honestly think that in today's age America is still superior, and safe from attack? The answer to most of these questions clearly show why John McCain is not the leader we need for the chapter of America we are entering.
Barack Obama is a diplomatic man, who believes the gun should only be used when the time calls for it. A man who believes we should make friends of our enemies, and wants to speak with them, without making them bend their ways to be able to talk to the president of the United States, because that defeats the purpose of speaking to better the globe as two separate entities. Barack Obama is a man of peace, and who has shown he knows when war is called for, with his defense of the war in Afghanistan.
I know this election is not only about foreign policy, but it desperately needs to be taken into account, because children around the world do not see The United States the way children of the world used to. We need to be a place of greatness again, and if we are that will help many of the problems we face today. I just don't understand how a nation fearful of terrorists wants a war hungry man in office. Terrorists do not hate us for our freedom, democracy; they hate us for our aggression, and our strikes. Just as we hate the terrorists who struck our country.
If our country is to restore what it once was, we need to take initiative, and make wise decisions. We need to better ourselves, and realize we live in a global community, a community where everyone matters.
You've brought up a major, major topic that seems to be on many American's minds as of late.
I truly believe this is a generational issue. Baby Boomers, having lived through the Cold War era, racial rioting and revolutionary times, tend to lean toward the idea that America is still the undisputed world power and that our word is law.
But this is not the Cold War era. Many countries who were our Allies during the Cold War are not on the Iraq War bandwagon - simply because these are different times and they are different nations. They are more independent, have more secure military, and are longer worried that Russia will nuke them.
Baby Boomers have also lived through extreme racial tension. So in my opinion, many of them are more likely to have racist/prejudicial views than the generations that have succeded them. Many of them (at least the ones I know) are voting for the McCain ticket, because he is white, Christian, familiar, and a war hero. He is within their comfort zone. The comfort zone that was created by the times they lived in.
American government is hardly different from other forms of government. Our leaders use warfare to distract us citizens. Unite the country with a common goal: War. Make it so it is perceived to be the honorable thing and that we are on the side of right.
This is even a Machiavellian principle: Successful rulers must be masters of deception; must appear honest and upright even when practicing "how not to be good".
So I do not believe America is morally superior. It is an economic superpower and economic advantage is what spurs our foreign policy. We are horrible at nation-building. Look at the history of the U.S. in world affairs. After sending in our troops and overthrowing the ruler, what have we accomplished?
People must recognize democratic ideals, understand them, want them, and then fight for them. We cannot walk into a country, overturn its dictator and then say, "Hey guess what! You're free! Holla!"
Our government has and always will disguise its true intentions under the cloak of morality.
I really enjoyed your comment, because I've had this idea stirring in my head for about a week, and have written about elsewhere, but haven't gotten any feedback. It's good to have someone finally respond with something so intellectually stimulating. Thank you.
"The preemptive war that has cost over 4,000 American lives, 30,000 Americans to be injured, and approximately 100,000 Iraqi lives with some stories claiming the count is over 600,000. "
Correction: 1 million Iraqis have lost their life and about 5 million other Iraqis are displaced from their home with no future of returning. This is a more accurate number. The number of Iraqis dead is the #1 censor story that the U.S. government did not want the American public to know. The government by working with the mainstream media has refused to report or have minimized the actual death of Iraqis. This is just another war tactic to manipulate the American public to think that the war is going well. I sure you and everyone over the years have heard Bush and McCain saying the war is going well. Well, it a BIG FAT LIE as many of you already knows. This is the same tactic the Japanese use on their citizen in World War II. Lie to the public so they think the war is going well.
Reference:
Phillip, P., A. Roth, and Project Censored. Censored 2009. Seven Stories P, 2008. 20-25.
"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
-Benjamin Franklin
Many thanks for that statistic. I didnt' know what number to follow, so I chose to trust iraqbodycount.com. I greatly appreciate your post.
In 2006, a John Hopkins study put the death toll in the 600,000+ range. I hadn't heard there were approximately one million deaths. But I have been hearing a very disturbing, dismissive excuse that a greater portion of those deaths are attributed to the Iraqis blowing up and killing themselves.
So, even when we are occupying a country and declaring war on its citizens, we are supposedly "benevolent".
"We didn't kill them all, they killed themselves."
Right. Beautiful. America's lack of accountability knows no bounds.
"Our government has and always will disguise its true intentions under the cloak of morality."
That is an extremely well-put statement! I'm impressed. If you've ever read Orwell's 1984, think about the part about war meaning peace. Permanent war makes for permanent peace at home - everybody in the population is working for the war, united against a common enemy, which represses dissent at home. Now obviously the United States isn't that bad, but you get the idea. War is beneficial if the population supports it.
I like your analysis of McCain and Obama's foreign policy. More will be accomplished through diplomacy, because if the United States keeps bombing every state that they think harbors aggression towards them, they're going to lose all their allies real fast.
Thank you very much! You know, I haven't read 1984, but I keep hearing that it is an excellent read. I may have to go to the library soon and pick it up.