Published: November 15, 2009 06:20 pm      

A Reader's View: Meddling in the Middle East and unethical foreign policy

Editor:

It is a known fact that throughout history all major empires fell when they spread themselves too thin. That is, when those in power take it upon themselves to control and police other countries, they will receive the blowback results of those provoked countries. The question is, why does America believe that we will not suffer the same fate?

Today, we go against everything our founding fathers advised about foreign policies. Thomas Jefferson called for, “peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none.” George Washington said, “Our commercial policy should hold an equal and impartial hand; neither seeking nor granting exclusive favors or preferences.” John Quincy Adams commented that America should not go abroad in search of monsters to destroy. Instead, our conduct in foreign policies includes: Sanctions, nation building and pre-emptive war.

While running for president, George W. Bush said, “If we’re an arrogant nation, they’ll resent us. If we’re a humble nation, but strong, they’ll welcome us. Proud and confident in our values, but humble in how we treat nations that are figuring out how to chart their own course.” He won the election with a humble foreign policy which is completely opposite of that which Republicans, today, are told they must support.

Our meddling in the Middle East and unethical foreign policy led to the horrific attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. It is crucial to understand that it was not America’s fault, but our policies. Michael Scheuer, who was chief of the CIA’s Osama bin Laden Unit in the late 90s wrote, “it is unreasonable, even utopian, not to expect people to grow resentful, and desirous of revenge, when your government bombs them, supports police states in their countries, and imposes murderous sanctions on them. That revenge, in its various forms, is what our CIA calls blowback — the unintended consequences of military intervention.”

In the 2008 presidential election, one candidate, Ron Paul, brought up this issue. The media and other candidates twisted his words as if he was blaming America for the terrorist attacks. Obviously, the blame rests with those who commit the acts of terror, regardless of their motivation. The question Scheuer and Paul are asking is not who is morally responsible for terrorism, but given that a hyper-interventionist foreign policy is very likely to lead to this kind of blowback, are we still sure we want such a foreign policy?

When it comes to suicide bombing, many assume the driving force behind the practice is Islamic fundamentalism, which promises instant entry into paradise as a reward for killing infidels. The University of Chicago’s Robert Pape, an expert on suicide terrorism, has found that religious beliefs are less important than many believe. He says that, “The world’s leaders in suicide terrorism are actually the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, a Marxist secular group. The largest Islamic fundamentalist countries have not been responsible for any suicide terrorist attacks. Not one has come from Iran or Sudan.” Pape goes on to say, “The strongest motivation is not religion but rather a desire to compel modern democracies to withdraw military forces from the territory the terrorist view as their homeland.” Between 1995 and 2004, two-thirds of all attacks came from countries where the United States had troops stationed. That is, they do not attack us because we are free and prosperous; they attack us because we are in their land.

Until the U.S. invasion in 2003, Iraq had never had a suicide terrorist attack in its entire history. Cliches about supporting the troops are designed to distract from failed policies, policies promoted by powerful special interests that benefit from war, anything to steer the discussion away from the real reasons the war in Iraq will not end anytime soon. Between 1982 and 1986, there were 41 suicide terrorist attacks in Lebanon. One the U.S., France and Israel withdrew their forces from Lebanon, there were no more attacks.

The government and media, however, continue feeding the people lies. Lies of how the only way for us to be safe from these vicious countries is by policing them, overthrowing their own governments, and establishing our own traditions. The truth is, we will not be safe until we bring all of our troops home to secure our own borders instead of those of other nations.

Kirby Graham

Mt. Vernon