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| NEW WORLD ORDER |
| Thursday, January 20, 2005 |
| "We are led, by events and common sense, to one conclusion. The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world."
George Bush 1/20/04 - Inaugural Speech
If there is a Bush Doctrine, that sentence may best describe it. President Bush has either come to believe, or has always believed, that he has been chosen, by the American people and maybe even by God, to make the world a more peaceful place. And, he believes, the avenue to peace is paved with freedom in places where such things have never before existed.
Few Americans would argue with the proposition that freedom is an admirable goal and a uniquely good trait for a government to practice. More would disagree with the argument that freedom is a prerequisite to security. In fact, even in this country, politicians - dare I say including President Bush -- have attempted to improve security by limiting freedom.
Still more Americans would disagree with the proposition that the security of the United States can and will be enhanced by U.S. attempts to export freedom to other countries. For reasons that are not especially illogical, some governments and people don't want the United States attempting to manipulate their internal affairs, despite our good intentions. Such attempts may even have the opposite effect that the President desires. They may escalate existing distrust or dislike for the United States, create enemies where none existed before, and degrade our security, rather than upgrade it.
I find myself in that group of skeptical Americans. I suspect that the most effective way to diminish the threat of foreign aggression against the United States is to take advantage of every opportunity to mind our own business.
I am not an isolationist. I believe in being a good citizen of the world. That means helping people devastated by natural disasters, such as the South Asia tsunami. It means trading goods and services with other countries. It means allowing and encouraging world travel and immigration. It also, on occasion, means helping friends repel enemies who threaten their sovereignty, such as when we helped Kuwait repel an invasion by Iraq.
My fear is that the Bush doctrine might include the seeking of opportunities to solve problems where U.S. intervention has no strategic security value for us, and is done purely for the demonstration of superior moral authority.
Contrary to the President's heartfelt proclamation, common sense does not lead us to conclude that the best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world. Throughout history, the unwelcome exportation of any country's ideals to other countries has been viewed as an aggressive -- not a friendly -- move that fosters neither peace nor security for the exporting country.
The Bush Doctrine, I fear, is not only flawed in its reasoning, but may even result in less freedom in the United States in order to secure us from the hostile reaction by other nations and people.
Ralph Bristol
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posted by Jack Mercer @ 1/20/2005 01:21:00 PM   |
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| 2 Comments: |
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My understanding of the theory driving Bush's press for freedom abroad is that democracies tend not to wage war on each other. Indeed, I'm hard pressed to think of an example of two modern democracies waging war. So I think there is some hard-headed realism driving Bush's high-ideal words about letting freedom ring throughout all lands.
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There's a truly excellent page of constantly updated articles on the Dollar, the Economy, and the New World Order over at http://www.survivalistskills.com/newsitem.htm which - collectively - make for fascinating if alarming reading!
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Name: Jack Mercer
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Miriam Webster defines Snipe as: to aim a carping or snide attack, or: to shoot at exposed individuals (as of an enemy's forces) from a usually concealed point of vantage.
Miriam Webster defines Snippet as: : a small part, piece, or thing; especially : a brief quotable passage.
In short, "Snipets" are brief, snide shots at exposed situations from a concealed vantage point.
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My understanding of the theory driving Bush's press for freedom abroad is that democracies tend not to wage war on each other. Indeed, I'm hard pressed to think of an example of two modern democracies waging war. So I think there is some hard-headed realism driving Bush's high-ideal words about letting freedom ring throughout all lands.