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Why Should You Care About Foreign Policy? |
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America burst forth as a superpower well over sixty years ago. Our influence touches almost every person on the planet. Yet when it comes to foreign policy issues, most Americans stubbornly cling to an isolationist outlook.
Why should we care? It’s hard enough to follow the maneuverings on Capitol Hill, let alone pay attention to what seems like a never-ending cycle of pain and suffering in Somalia, Afghanistan, Burma, Russia, Georgia, Nigeria, Sudan, Algeria, Colombia…How do these problems affect our lives? we ask.
Two features of the postcolonial era combine to turn us off to foreign affairs: the rise of television and the instability that characterizes much of the formerly colonized world. With so much trouble in the world, we don’t quite know what to make of it, and sensationalized TV coverage doesn’t help. Mass media condenses complex events into a stream of natural disasters, coups, civil wars, famines, and genocides. The voluminous and pessimistic reporting of foreign tragedy overwhelms us. Emotionally exhausted by images of starving children, weeping women, and strange men with guns, we lose our capacity to react with anything but boredom. We hear a litany of names, places, facts, but little analysis, and in the end it all sounds the same.
I could give you a lot of trite reasons for why you should pay attention to what happens abroad. The intrinsic human importance. To be “better informed.” I could talk vaguely about the “global village” and how we’re all connected now. More concretely, I could say that you need to know what happens to the billions of dollars that are sent abroad each year. Or that we need to learn about countries - like China and India - because they’re busy learning about us.
But let me give you a better reason: paying attention to foreign affairs gives you power. We as citizens need that power, I believe, because the public needs to join in the foreign policy debate. We cannot hand decision-making power over to Washington simply because foreign policy is complex.
Republicans and Democrats have proven their incompetence in matters of foreign policy. Was Clinton’s foreign policy better than Bush’s? Yes, but that doesn’t take much. Under Clinton, we had debacles in Somalia and genocide in Rwanda. And let’s not even get started talking about Carter’s and Johnson’s foreign policy decisions.
Our Presidents, and especially our legislators, are not tremendously well-informed about foreign affairs. Relatively few of them speak second languages. Relatively few of them speak in anything but black and white terms. Relatively few of them speak eloquently about America’s role in the world.
In the face of this gap in expertise and wisdom, it falls on the public to take the initiative. If our society as a whole was better educated on foreign affairs, we would produce better educated leaders. We would demand more from our current leaders. We would see the flaws in their arguments more quickly. We would grasp the connections between domestic policy and foreign policy more thoroughly. We would look at issues like education, immigration, and military spending in a dramatically new light. And we would be better positioned to take the mass media to task for its distortions.
Without knowledge of foreign affairs and foreign policy, we are locked into a dangerous ignorance.
As I say all the time now, the progressive majority in America must go beyond criticism and opposition - we must show our readiness and our capacity to lead. If power is monopolized by people who wear suits and talk over our heads, then dammit, let’s put on suits* and arm ourselves with the knowledge to demand a seat at the table and a place in the conversation. To create a foreign policy that is productive - or even, to set a lower standard, simply sane - ordinary citizens may have to change the way they relate to the debate on foreign policy. Instead of tuning out, we need to speak up, and when we speak we need to be thoroughly, ruthlessly well-informed.
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Practical Suggestions
For citizens: pick a country to follow. Don’t try to take on the whole panorama of news at once. Instead, slowly get to know one nation, its leaders, its politics. Inevitably, you will find yourself learning about the countries that border on that country. You’ll also find yourself making comparisons with other parts of the world. Nigeria, Turkey, Morocco, India, China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Venezuela, and Mexico would all be interesting studies, if you’re looking for a place to get started.
For progressive bloggers: the lack of international coverage in the progressive blogosphere is troubling. I commend The Agonist and a few other sites for their sophisticated but concise writing on foreign affairs, but the overall trend is to limit coverage to the Iraq War and whatever countries happen to be making headlines at the moment. If our role as bloggers is to empower the people by keeping them informed, we cannot neglect international politics.
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*(While sometimes I believe that literally putting on a suit is necessary, here I’m speaking metaphorically. In other words, we need to adopt a serious and confident attitude; we need to act like we can handle the responsibility of leading our country in a new direction.)
I often disregard the rants that “both parties are the same” and that there is no difference between Democrats and Republicans. But on foreign policy I believe it. No party has a good track record when it comes to dealing abroad. For me, most of all, it lacks consistancy.
I’m not saying the two parties are exactly the same. I think Clinton was clearly better than Reagan, Bush, or Bush. But responsibility for the war in Vietnam rests in part with the Democrats - and in part with the tunnel-vision Cold War mentality that continues to warp our leaders’ perspective right up to the present moment.
Well. . . while the Dems have not been the most global of thinkers, one need look no further than arms control and nuclear proliferation policy to see a huge difference between the two parties. Think about how Republicans beat back SALT II during the Carter years, and then dragged their asses slowly back to START, which was, frankly, SALT II, but not quite as good and a half-dozen years late. Or contrast Clinton’s Korea policy with what happened when Bush came in and sent that crack diplomat John Bolton in to fuck things up.
In fact, those two words, John Bolton, tell you all you need to know about why Democrats are not the same as Republicans when it comes to foreign policy.
Overall, though, Ish is right. And the problem starts early on. We simply do not teach enough world history in schools. We also don’t encourage learning second languages or study abroad anywhere near enough. We need to cultivate a curiosity and even an admiration for other cultures. A little perspective about the long ebb and flow of history wouldn’t hurt, either–the world was not born in 1776. . . or even 1492.
Dear Sir/Madam,
Patriotic way, to prevail %u201CDemocracy in Pakistan%u201D%u2026?
Democracy as a system of governance and interest representation demands respect for dissent and opposition. It recognizes the principle of majority rule and guarantees protection of minorities. Democracy also builds faith in electoral contestation to gain public office and gives legitimacy to political parties as primary instruments for acquisition and transfer of power from one set of individuals to another. Democracy teaches us equality, tolerance and justice without any discrimination to establish welfare society based on peace, progress and prosperity.
Therefore, it is essential to denounce the killing of innocent people in Pakistan, since it look excellent and compassionate but are we really feel sorry for that killing of innocent people ? if it is so, then we must eliminate the route cause of suicide killing and other hatred, being a democratic Islamic country and people, we must think in the light of teaching of our prophet (PBH) because killing for killing and bloodshed of innocent people, due to one pretext or other can never gives flowers in return, peace cannot prevail in this circumstances we must adopt democratic ways and means to settle the differences with who so ever they may be.
In reality, factual reason behind this hate is not born by us, but borrowed by us for the sake of US pleasure %u201CAa bel muje mar%u201D. Because, those who were supported, financed, equip and trained by the USA and its allies, and who fight in the name of freedom of Afghanistan from occupied forces, were not aware about the truth behind their fighting, their fighting, was to protect the interest of USA, they were fighting a war of USA against USSR, for the political gain of USA (petrol resources around the Afghanistan and get easy excess for ,Iran, china) and when they realise their national interest was going to be robed, they dare to refuse, what kind of robbery was that is mentioned in the recently release book by the France authors.
%u201C French authors Jean-Charles Brisard and Guillaume Dasquie recently published a book entitled Bin Laden: The Forbidden Truth which tells of the negotiations for oil pipeline rights in Afghanistan that collapsed in August 2001 after the U.S. told the Taliban: Accept our offer of a carpet of gold or you’ll get a carpet of bombs.%u201D
Despite the fact that, %u201CBush administration was expecting from Taliban, to cooperate with their plans for exploiting the oil resources of Central Asia. US were sure until August, that the Taliban, as a source of stability in Central Asia, would enable the construction of an oil pipeline across Central Asia.%u201D But, all of a sudden a trusted partner of USA, turn in to so-called terrorist?
But fortunately, the Taliban realize that their national interest was going to be robed by USA; they dare to refuse, to accept US conditions for their support in exploitation of oil resources from central Asia.
As a last hope in the talks between the Bush, administration and the Taliban which began in February 2001, shortly after Bush%u2019s inauguration. A Taliban emissary arrived in Washington in March with presents for the new chief executive, (an expensive Afghan carpet). But the talks themselves were less than cordial. Brisard said; %u201CAt one moment during the negotiations, the US representatives told the Taliban, %u2018either you accept our offer of a carpet of gold, or we bury you under a carpet of bombs%u2019.%u201D
USA and its allies attack the Afghanistan under the immediate aftermath of September 11, there were press reports%u2014against, largely overseas protest and hiding the factual reality behind the attack on Afghanistan, they almost destroyed remaining infrastructure and killed thousands of innocent people, such as they attack the Iraq under wrong pretext of having the WMD and against the will of the world to capture the oil resources and acquire a place for their continuous presence in the middle east for their political gain. The United National has lost its credibility as neutral authority to intervene and protect the small and week nation against foreign aggression but instead ,UNO, proved as failed organization playing in the hands of the brutal power intimidating and capturing the countries, in order to grab their, resources such as OIL and to attain political influence, while killing their innocent people under one pretext or other in the name to %u201Cdemoralized%u201D them and to accept the terms and condition suitable for the occupier.
At present they (US/NATO) are fighting their war of military/political interest in the region, involving the dependent country like Pakistan, under intimidation of sever consequences to bear, if refuse to support them; The current demand draft of 11 points, submitted by the so-called democratic imperialistic state of USA is a clear sign to a sovereign government of Islamic Republic of Pakistan to accept and obey as matter of master%u2019s voice. This act is a kind of intimidation and direct involvement in the internal matter of a sovereign state. This act create a question as if we are really a sovereign state or part and partial of USA,
Because, they want Pakistan to fight and kill his own people under one ploy or another, want to drag them in to the chaos and uncertainty, so that they can further impose more condition on the Pakistani Government to follow them, dip and dip until armed forces of Pakistan loose the trust of the Pakistani people and come openly to fight against his own people like they did in east -Pakistan, this is the movement they (USA) are waiting for, so that their, in time financial help to the traitor can play the role to disintegrate the strength of the nuclear country.
This is a moment invite us all for serious consideration weather to keep our independence in tact or bow down before this mighty evil, democratically bullying to accept the terms and condition of his interest, or in other words be ready to loose our independence for ever.
How? a patriotic person can repeat, the past mistake for supporting the fight, for external political and regional gain instead, we have already paid to much price in the form of social unrest, ethnic conflicts, drug- addicting and arms problems through Pakistan, If, we have to survive as a Sovereign Islamic Nation, in this world with dignity and respect as a free nation, then we must adopt and adhere the following essential change immediately;
%u2022 Decentralize the power on the basis of division to empower the people at grass route level without any delay.
%u2022 Allow free, complete education with technical knowledge to every able citizen.
%u2022 Establish research institute at divisional level to encourage the youth with god gifted skill to develop and those who are interested in research work in all field, it is necessary step towards self sufficiency in technology.
%u2022 Provide guarantee for job opportunity to all man and women after education/technical training.
%u2022 Rapid industrialization of small, medium and cottage industries be allowed at the divisional level with total protection to capitals and facilities to flourish.
%u2022 A cooperative farming should be introduced at divisional level for large scale agriculture product and development of agro-industries.
%u2022 Supply of controlled price utilities could only be possible if we follow the mass industrial and agriculture production
%u2022 Provide separate working facilities for production and services to women, so that majority women force of 52% can join the force of national production/services.
%u2022 Insurance coverage should be provided all working man/women along with complete medical treatment coverage.
%u2022 Better residential facilities be provided to all
%u2022 Export oriented foreign policy should be adopted and find markets for our excess products in the regional country surrounding us, and provide them market place for their excess products.
The right way to reverence to Martyr is to eliminate the causes after the incidents. If we can redress the route cause after the suicide killing, we can save many lives in future. The only way out is the change of system, the route cause of all kind of grievances, the time is to empower the Pakistani at grass route level to eliminate the socio-political injustice and strengthen the unity within the society at large, and closing the door for outsiders or intruder to penetrate in our society because of social unrest.
Pakistani people are left at distant from the corridor of power. As this policy is denial of right of Pakistani igniting the unrest within the society, let the people of Pakistan, to rule their country according to their aspiration and desire to build, which can provide equal opportunity to all without any discrimination for the establishment of welfare society. Only the society base on tolerance, equality and justice can be the real guarantee for the prosperous and strong Pakistan
See http://www.idp.org.pk
Ilyas khan Baloch
Organizer Islamic democratic party