|
US: FRIENDLY GIANT OR BRUTAL
BULLY?
What is the US: a friendly giant or a brutal bully? It's the
former in the eyes of most Americans and the latter in the eyes
of the poor and oppressed in much of the rest of the world. No
one disputes the fact that the US is the most powerful nation
in the world, but with power comes arrogance. Try to imagine
a country more powereful than the US that has a military base
on Rhode Island as the US has in Guatanamo in Cuba. Then imagine
that same country forcing the US not to fly over most of its
own territory as Iraq has been forced out of most of its own
airspace. Add to that a transfer of American citizens to a foreign
territory occupied by that imaginary counrty and you may better
understand how Afghan citiziens must feel being flown thoiussands
of miles away from their country to a US military base in Cuba.
Try to imagine the uproar of protest from Americans to see their
fellow citizens imprisoned in cages and under conditions civilized
nations would not tolerate for stray animals.
US arrogance has deep historical roots as exemplified by the
Monroe Doctrine making all of the Americas the sphere of influence
of the US and giving itself the "right" to intervene
in the sovereign affairs of all countries in this hemisphere
economically (e.g. sanctions) and militarily. The word America
as applied to the US is yet another example of US arrogance.
America is the name of the entire continent and therefore all
people living in the Western Hemisphere, be they in Belize, Bolivia
or Brazil are Americans. US citizens calling themselves Americans
at the exclusion of others outside the US is widely resented
in Latin America. Imagine if one country in Europe would call
itself Europe at the exclusion of all others which would be left
to call themselves Danes, Dutch, Italians etc. Even the French
would not be that arrrogant. So ingrained is the word, there
is not even an adequate substitute for American, other than derogatory
ones such as Yankee.
In the wake of the brutal terrorist attacks of September 11,
patriotic fervour in the US has reached fever pitch. Flag sales
are skyrocketing and patriotic songs and speeches can be heard
across the wounded nation. Countless editorials have been published
around the world delving into the psyches of both the terrorists
and the Americans. What generated the hatred that culminated
in these heinous acts? Do Americans see themselves differently
now than before the attacks? It is a whole new experience for
Americans being attacked on US soil instead of the usual horrors
taking place comfortable distances from home like the Middle
East. SEE: Roots
of Terrorism
Americans have shown great resilience in the aftermath of the
attacks and lots of examples of selfless courage have manifested
themselves. What puzzles Americans more than anything else is
why they were targeted since they see themselves as kind and
generous citizens of the world. No country in the industrialized
world is more introspective than the US. Quite possibly no one
misunderstands Americans more than Americans themselves. Most
of them are proud of their talents, skills and achievements.
They are highly organized, efficient and thrive on challenges.
They built a road to Alaska and put a man on the moon. Most of
the world's inventions and scientific achievements during the
past century were made in the US. Americans are often among the
first to help others when disaster strikes in distant lands.
Few will dispute these admirable qualities, but there is another
side that is far less understood: most Americans live in a world
of myths that distorts reality in dangerous ways. For example,
the American Dream is just that: an illusion. Most Americans
are conned by politicians and other reality distortionists into
believing that the US is the bastion of freedom and democracy,
the world's leader of justice and morality. But these comforting
fantasies are invalidated by the harsh realities which generate
hostility both at home and abroad.
Following are some myths and facts all of which are based
exclusively on US mainstream media reports:
1. MYTH: The US supports democracy throughout the world. FACT:
The US has helped overthrow the democratically elected governments
of Guatemala (1954) and Chile (1973) and supported the dictatorships
of Pinochet in Chile, Batista in Cuba, Marcos in the Philippines,
Somoza in Nicaragua, Syngman Rhee in Korea, Thieu and Ky in Vietnam,
the Shah of Iran, Duvalier of Haiti, Gen. Zia-ul-Hac of Pakistan
and so on. The US still backs the tyrannical regimes of Kuwait
and Saudi Arabia.
2. MYTH: The US is a land of social justice. FACT: 42 million
Americans have no health insurance, 18 million children are undernourished,
more than two million Americans are homeless in a country with
more than a million millionaires and more than 50 billionaires.
Of 67 million children, 13.5 million live in poverty (CNN Headline
News 24 03 00). It also has the highest teen pregnancy rate in
the developed world. Five children a day die in the US as a result
of violence --not counting suicide. See MYTH 6)--or neglect (CNN
Headline News 29 12 96).
3. MYTH: The US is the world's paragon of peace. FACT: The
US exports more arms, has more military bases and has a larger
military budget than any other nation in the world. In fact,
its present Pentagon budget is higher than it was during the
height of the Cold War. The anticipated budget cuts after the
Cold War were supposed to become peace dividends that would pay
for better education, improved health care, low cost housing
and so on. It never happened. The US Military budget for 2002
is $325 billion, three times more than the military spending
of Russia and China combined!
See: http://www.clw.org/milspend/dodbud02.html
4. MYTH: The US has a fair justice system. FACT: the US is
the only country in the world to have five forms of execution.
See: http://members.shaw.ca/eye-openers/mcveigh.htm
It has the highest murder rate in the western world. More than
three times as many Americans were killed in the US than were
killed in Vietnam between 1964 and 1973! The US also has the
largest per capita prison population in the developed world.
At present just over two million of its citizens are behind bars,
triple the figure in 1980. The prison population is expected
to reach five million in the next decade. US courts have sentenced
to death both youths and feeble-minded men, but never has the
US executed one wealthy person. One in every 150 Americans is
now behind bars and 200 new cells are built every day. It costs
an average of $20,000 per year to incarcerate a prisoner. The
US spends more on prisons than on universities (ABC TV news -
15 03 99)
5. MYTH: The US supports international justice and is a responsible
member of the world community. FACT: The US has ignored the World
Court's decisions made against it and owes the United Nations
more than any other nation in the world, i.e. in excess of $1
billion. Moreover, the US has intervened militarily in more sovereign
nations than any other country this century (See below). It opposes
various treaties, e.g. The Kyoto global warming accord and breaks
previous treaties it signed, e.g. the Antiballistic Missile treaty
(13 12 01).
6. MYTH: The US is the best country in the world to live.
FACT: On average about 100 Americans commit suicide every day.
Every 10 minutes a teenager in the US attempts suicide: every
90 minutes one succeeds. Suicide is now the second most common
cause of death among teenagers. USA. Today reports murder is
now the third leading cause of death among children 5 to 14.
More than half of the world's illicit drugs are used in the US
7. MYTH: Medical care in the US is second to none. FACT: About
42 million Americans have no medical insurance which in cases
of serious illnesses or injuries has devastating financial consequences
on patients and their families. Among the top industrialized
nations the US has the highest rates of cancer and infant mortality
and the lowest life expectancy.
8. MYTH: The US is a true democracy. FACT: The most powerful
people in government aren't even elected: they are appointed,
i.e. the cabinet and the national security council. The US is
one of very few countries where a person with the largest number
of votes can lose to a candidate with fewer votes. It happened
to Al Gore in the 2000 presidential elections.
9. MYTH: The US Has a free and fair press. FACT: All the major
news media are controlled by huge corporations NBC is owned by
General Electric and ABC is owned by the Disney Corporation,
producer of profitable fantasies. The news is managed and manipulated
to serve corporate interests What is not reported is often more
interesting than what is: omissions and distortions are commonplace.
There are countless examples. Here is one: the Tieneman pro-democracy
protests. The so-called massacre has been reported over and over,
but what preceded the military crackdown on protesters was mentioned
only briefly at the time and never repeated, namely that the
Chinese government first sent UNARMED soldiers into the square
to restore order. Many of the soldiers were killed by the protesters.
Many more badly beaten. Only then were armed troops sent in.
What would the US do if its soldiers were assaulted, maimed and
killed by citizens in Washington? Of, course, exactly the same
thing. American police and various agencies such as the Alcohol,
Tobacco and Firearms Bureau and the FBI kill citizens with alarming
regularity, usually members of minorities or the poor: Ruby Ridge,
Waco etc).
"We have never interfered in
the internal government of a country and have no intention of
doing so, never have had any thought of that kind." President
Ronald Reagan Sept. 28, 1982
INCOMPLETE LIST OF US MILITARY INTERVENTIONS
IN LATIN AMERICA:
1833: US troops intervene in Nicaragua. .
1835: US troops intervene in Peru.
1854: San Juan del Norte, Nicaragua destroyed to avenge 1924
an insult to the US Minister.
1856: US invades Panama after incident.
1858: US troops intervene in Uruguay.
1865: US troops intervene in Panama.
1868: US troops intervene in Uruguay.
1868: US troops intervene in Colombia
1873: US troops intervene in Colombia.
1885: US troops intervene in Panama.
1888: US troops intervene in Haiti.
1891: US troops intervene in Chile.
1894: US troops intervene in Nicaragua.
1895: U S. troops intervene in Colombia.
1896: US troops intervene in Honduras.
1898: US troops intervene in Nicaragua.
1898: Battleship Maine sunk. US initiates Spanish-American war.
1898: US troops invade Puerto Rico to 'liberate it' from Spain.
1899: US troops intervene in Nicaragua.
1901: US troops intervene in Colombia.
1902: US troops intervene in Colombia
1903: US troops intervene in Honduras.
1903: US troops intervene in Dominican Republic.
1903: US troops intervene in Panama.
1904: US troops intervene in Dominican Republic.
1904: US Troops intervene in Panama.
1907: US troops intervene in Honduras.
1910: US troops Intervene in Nicaragua
1911: US troops intervene in Honduras.
1912: US troops intervene in Cuba.
1913: US troops intervene in Mexico.
1914: US troops intervene in Haiti.
1915: US Marines land in Haiti and occupy it till 1934
1919: US troops intervene in Honduras..
1920: US troops intervene in Guatemala.
1924: US troops intervene in Honduras.
1925: US troops intervene in Panama.
1928: US Banana workers strike in Colombia against US Company
(United Fruit Co.) 1000 killed.
1932: Three US warships arrive in El Salvador. Salvadoran peasants
begin mass insurrection. 30,000 are massacred in military retaliation.
1954: CIA overthrows Arbenz government in Guatemala.
1961: CIA orchestrates Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba.
1962: US arranges naval blockade of Cuba.
1964: US troops kill student protesters in Panama Canal Zone.
1965: US invades Dominican Republic.
1973: US helps overthrow democratically elected Chilean government
of President Allende who is killed.
1983: US Invades Grenada and installs pro-US regime.
1989: US troops invade Panama.
OTHER COUNTRIES THE US HAS INTERVENED
MILITARILY (In alphabetical order):
Afghanistan SEE: Taliban:
the US connection
Angola
Argentina
Brazil
China
Japan (6 times)
Korea (5 times)
Laos
Philippines
Russia
Vietnam
So, what is the US: bully or friend? It has characteristics
of both, but unless it participates as a responsible nation in
world affairs instead of dominating them, hostile actions against
the US will increase and no missile defense system or any other
hi-tech weaponry will protect the US from future terrorist attacks.
HOME |
