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ISOLATIONISM BLOOMS IN
US (05 07 02)
The US may be talking about international cooperation and
"coalition building," but in fact it is increasingly
pursuing a dangerous foreign policy of isolationism.
Here are some recent examples of US unilateral actions and
plans:
1. The US has refused to follow the lead of other industrialized
nations and sign the Kyoto Accord to slow down the rate of global
warming even though the US is the world's biggest consumer and
polluter. The pretext is the US can't afford the reduction of
greenhouse gases, but apparently it CAN afford the devastating
consequences of climatic changes in the form of droughts, floods,
hurricanes etc.
2. The US has also refused to participate in the creation and
operation of the International Criminal Court which has the backing
of 71 other countries, because it does not want to run the risk
of its military being charged with crimes against humanity. Brazenly
the US has stated it will join only if its military are given
immunity from possible prosecution!
3. The US has announced it reserves "the right" to
deliver preemptive strikes against any nation it considers a
threat to US security. Such strikes may include nuclear weapons!
The US is, of course, the only country in the world that has
already used nuclear bombs against civilians, i.e. Hiroshima
and Nagasaki.
4. The US has given itself the "right" to remove by
force any leader of any country that has weapons of mass destruction.
Number one on the list is Saddam Hussein of Iraq. Since the US
has more weapons of mass destruction than any other nation, does
that mean it will remove its own leader?
5. The US reserves the right to tear up any treaty that no longer
serves its foreign policy. For example, it unilaterally pulled
out of the 1972 Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty last year so that
it can go full-speed ahead with its Star Wars Defense System
to imperialize outer space and control global affairs.
See: http://members.shaw.ca/eye-openers/missiledefencemyth.htm
Domestically the US Government is promoting a siege mentality
to boost its political power, because a government under siege
by terrorists (real or imagined) is assured of wide public support
(The November elections are only a few months away). Hardly a
week goes by without some warning of imminent terrorist attacks
in the US, e.g. on nuclear power plants and banking institutions.
So far all these warnings have been issued without specifics
and none of them have actually happened: not even the big ones
predicted for July 4.
In the meantime many major security measures are being rubber-stamped
by the US Congress, including new laws that violate individual
rights such as detaining "suspects" without charges
being laid or legal counsel being provided. Such draconian measures
can be rammed through only in the present climate of fear and
would never have passed in pre 9/11 times. There is even a hit
movie to go along with it all: The sum of all fears.
As the Bush administration gallops along this uncharted trail
with its Wild West mentality, the US will ultimately and inevitably
find itself isolated from most members of the family of nations.
Attacking Iraq will result in the deaths of thousands of innocent
civilians as has already happened in Afghanistan. This in turn
will generate more hostility towards the US in the Muslim world
and could topple regimes in Pakistan and Egypt by Muslim extremists.
In Madrid's Prado museum hangs a painting
by Goya of a blind person followed by countless people through
a bleak landscape. The final outcome of following a blind leader
is quite predictable. It is time for the American people to open
their eyes and choose to be guided by a leader who has the gift
of foresight and acts accordingly.
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