A Bitter Harvest.
Issue:
The world is consumed by the fear of terrorism and is pointing responsibility for the terror primarily at the Muslim community, particularly for acts of terror committed against citizens of the West. At the same time, war sponsored by Western governments, including the United States, devastates the Middle East, killing and maiming millions, destroying entire cities, laying waste to rural environments, annihilating cultures, increasing confrontations between many nations and causing one of history's worst refuge crises. Our own nation suffers from the reactionary attacks by our own government and businesses on our privacy, civil liberties, national treasury and national dignity committed in the name of fighting "terror". Yet no progress is made toward resolving any part of this ongoing tragedy.
Deception:
The news and debate in the Western world focuses primarily upon the role of Islam and the Muslim community in fostering this conflict. The root cause is usually ignored, that of the centuries-long struggle of Western powers to destabilize and control the nations and resources of the Middle East. The Arab nations and culture of this region, including Islam, have historically contributed as much to the positive advancement of civilization as has any other. Yet we attack them daily as if they are global menaces to be obliterated or "reformed".
Reality:
The current war enveloping the Middle East can be traced directly to several profound actions taken primarily by the Western powers in recent years, all led first and foremost by the United States, Britain, France and Russia:
So long as the West fails to acknowledge its lead role in destabilizing the Middle East and take responsibility for the damage it has wrought, this part of the world will continue to spiral down into ever-deepening war and destruction. Do the countries of the Middle East bring any of this upon themselves, and does Islam play a destructive role as well? Of course, but that is their business, not ours.
Related Essay: Civil Wars
Demanding That Which Isn't Ours:
It is an ultimate sort of hubris that leads any country to assume primacy over another and to take actions that violate that country's sovereign status as an independent state. It is neither the responsibility nor the right of the United States or any nation to assume any control over another nation's affairs. Rather than coach the world toward our ideals by casting an inviting light by example, we repeatedly attempt to force it to accept our values through economic manipulation, propaganda and military force.
These actions are usually committed by the U.S., as well as other powerful governments and often in league with multinational corporations, as a way of obtaining control over the natural resources of other nations including their mining, manufacture, labor and distribution - and most key, their profit. It is a rare instance where the U.S. acts to bring justice or respect for humanity by exerting force against other lands. Indeed, our actions usually violate our own values and tenets regarding these basic human rights. Actions by our own citizens to overthrow our own government are considered treasonous and punishable by death, yet we actively and openly encourage the people of other nations to overthrow their own governments. Far more often than not, the resulting bedlam is worse than the problems our actions intend to solve.
Whether it is oil from the Middle East, fruit from Central America or cheap labor and materials from Asia, the United States and other Western developed nations have long exploited the people of other lands for our own selfish gain. Russia and China play their role as well; Russia through its desire to keep Western influence out of its "sphere of interest" and China in its need for the resources that drive its monumental economic expansion. This leads, naturally, to resentment on the part of people whose territory are exploited and whose own financial, political and military powers are no match against the financial and military supremacy of powerful aggressor nations. What is left to these people are the tools that we collectively refer to as acts of terrorism.
Yet what is terrorism? It is no different than that which we call war or foreign intervention. It is just a different form of force, one utilized by people for who the Western tools of control and conquest are not available. As has been said, the only difference between war and terrorism is that war is practiced by nation-states, not individuals or groups, and has a budget.
Related Essays: Terrorism, Civil Wars
Solution:
The time for true global cooperation in fostering a full respect for human rights and self-determination for all nations, whether they be nation-states or native tribes, is long overdue. This can only be accomplished in the context of a world body that fairly and justly governs all nations in their inter-nation affairs. The United Nations has a long history of building cooperation between nations but is fundamentally flawed by the special veto power granted to the fifteen member nations of the U.N. Security Council, in particular its five permanent members: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. These five permanent members have too often, over the life of the U.N., stymied the collective will of the majority of the planet's nations to the detriment of all.
The time is also long overdue for the United States to step up to its responsibility to fulfill its promise as the world's shining beacon of light, liberty and freedom. We can best do this through not words but deeds. As a nation we take pride in our wordy pronouncements of democratic ideals including our supposed allegiance to the whole raft of human rights, yet our actions too often contribute to the drowning flotsam and jetsam of theft, destruction and misery that float around the world beyond our golden doors.
Wars are not finally won with weapons of destruction but with the tools of persuasion. It is our culture, our secular government, our democratic values, our embrace of equal rights and our freedoms that win the hearts and minds of people the world around.
The world is consumed by the fear of terrorism and is pointing responsibility for the terror primarily at the Muslim community, particularly for acts of terror committed against citizens of the West. At the same time, war sponsored by Western governments, including the United States, devastates the Middle East, killing and maiming millions, destroying entire cities, laying waste to rural environments, annihilating cultures, increasing confrontations between many nations and causing one of history's worst refuge crises. Our own nation suffers from the reactionary attacks by our own government and businesses on our privacy, civil liberties, national treasury and national dignity committed in the name of fighting "terror". Yet no progress is made toward resolving any part of this ongoing tragedy.
Deception:
The news and debate in the Western world focuses primarily upon the role of Islam and the Muslim community in fostering this conflict. The root cause is usually ignored, that of the centuries-long struggle of Western powers to destabilize and control the nations and resources of the Middle East. The Arab nations and culture of this region, including Islam, have historically contributed as much to the positive advancement of civilization as has any other. Yet we attack them daily as if they are global menaces to be obliterated or "reformed".
Reality:
The current war enveloping the Middle East can be traced directly to several profound actions taken primarily by the Western powers in recent years, all led first and foremost by the United States, Britain, France and Russia:
- The West's demand for oil and the offenses it commits against Arab sovereignty to take that oil, including invasion and seizure of territory and the overthrow of governments over the last 200-plus years;
- The U.S.-led invasions and subsequent destruction of order in Afghanistan and Iraq starting in 2002; and
- The West's endless arming of rebel forces seeking to undermine and overthrow governments, whether by military and financial force or through propaganda and social media.
So long as the West fails to acknowledge its lead role in destabilizing the Middle East and take responsibility for the damage it has wrought, this part of the world will continue to spiral down into ever-deepening war and destruction. Do the countries of the Middle East bring any of this upon themselves, and does Islam play a destructive role as well? Of course, but that is their business, not ours.
Related Essay: Civil Wars
Demanding That Which Isn't Ours:
It is an ultimate sort of hubris that leads any country to assume primacy over another and to take actions that violate that country's sovereign status as an independent state. It is neither the responsibility nor the right of the United States or any nation to assume any control over another nation's affairs. Rather than coach the world toward our ideals by casting an inviting light by example, we repeatedly attempt to force it to accept our values through economic manipulation, propaganda and military force.
These actions are usually committed by the U.S., as well as other powerful governments and often in league with multinational corporations, as a way of obtaining control over the natural resources of other nations including their mining, manufacture, labor and distribution - and most key, their profit. It is a rare instance where the U.S. acts to bring justice or respect for humanity by exerting force against other lands. Indeed, our actions usually violate our own values and tenets regarding these basic human rights. Actions by our own citizens to overthrow our own government are considered treasonous and punishable by death, yet we actively and openly encourage the people of other nations to overthrow their own governments. Far more often than not, the resulting bedlam is worse than the problems our actions intend to solve.
Whether it is oil from the Middle East, fruit from Central America or cheap labor and materials from Asia, the United States and other Western developed nations have long exploited the people of other lands for our own selfish gain. Russia and China play their role as well; Russia through its desire to keep Western influence out of its "sphere of interest" and China in its need for the resources that drive its monumental economic expansion. This leads, naturally, to resentment on the part of people whose territory are exploited and whose own financial, political and military powers are no match against the financial and military supremacy of powerful aggressor nations. What is left to these people are the tools that we collectively refer to as acts of terrorism.
Yet what is terrorism? It is no different than that which we call war or foreign intervention. It is just a different form of force, one utilized by people for who the Western tools of control and conquest are not available. As has been said, the only difference between war and terrorism is that war is practiced by nation-states, not individuals or groups, and has a budget.
Related Essays: Terrorism, Civil Wars
Solution:
The time for true global cooperation in fostering a full respect for human rights and self-determination for all nations, whether they be nation-states or native tribes, is long overdue. This can only be accomplished in the context of a world body that fairly and justly governs all nations in their inter-nation affairs. The United Nations has a long history of building cooperation between nations but is fundamentally flawed by the special veto power granted to the fifteen member nations of the U.N. Security Council, in particular its five permanent members: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. These five permanent members have too often, over the life of the U.N., stymied the collective will of the majority of the planet's nations to the detriment of all.
The time is also long overdue for the United States to step up to its responsibility to fulfill its promise as the world's shining beacon of light, liberty and freedom. We can best do this through not words but deeds. As a nation we take pride in our wordy pronouncements of democratic ideals including our supposed allegiance to the whole raft of human rights, yet our actions too often contribute to the drowning flotsam and jetsam of theft, destruction and misery that float around the world beyond our golden doors.
Wars are not finally won with weapons of destruction but with the tools of persuasion. It is our culture, our secular government, our democratic values, our embrace of equal rights and our freedoms that win the hearts and minds of people the world around.