Even If America Changes its Ways, Global Disaster Looms

There is already wide agreement amongst historians that the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush is a rare kind of government: One which if it weren’t for its deviant behavior and imperial politics, it could have contentedly led the world. Instead, it’s mired in difficulty and its leadership is in doubt. It wanted to lead the world by fear and dominate by the sword; America’s fighting instincts in every arena have been aroused.

American has pursued a policy of monopolizing its rule over the world with a strategy of achieving control through war. What’s on Washington’s mind has been its own interests, now and tomorrow. But now it confronts a situation in which it will loss influence or it will cost many times more to maintain it.

One need not meditate on or be capable of deep insight to see this; one need only look at a map of the world at the hotspots that the Americans are unable to master. They suffer in Afghanistan, they wallow in Iraq, they can’t decide between Kurds or Turks, Pakistan has erupted, and Lebanon and Sudan have seen growing separatism and unrest. Perhaps the events in Latin America – its own backyard – are the most vivid example of widespread repulsion over the rudeness of American behavior and the arrogance of its dealings.

A war mentality based on the terror of the powerful has emerged, in which the top nations not only arm themselves, but they provide the most modern military technology to regions around the world. Ironically, the spread of this technology has only served to weaken the capacity of the United States to impose its will by force. But beyond this, the sticking point for other nations is not simply the U.S. Administration’s love of force, but the injustice and double standards of its behavior.

While it calls on others to respect human rights, at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib we have seen the U.S. conduct a policy of torture; while it calls for the exercise of democracy, Washington imposes dictatorship at the U.N. Security Council and other economic organizations, turning a blind eye to the misbehavior of those who obey its policies.

While claiming that it wants to uphold the authority of international law, it was quick to invade Iraq against the will of the global community; it supports the Zionist entity, which announces day in and day out that it isn’t committed to dealing fairly with the Palestinian people. And it threatens to intervene in the affairs of Lebanon, declaring its refusal to recognize deals agreed to by Lebanese parties, and incites disputes among others.

A superpower with tremendous military, economic and political might, the United States weakened itself when it abandoned its moral authority, and this abandonment was a loss both for itself and the world. America now intervenes in the affairs of other nations to such an extent that the world is on the verge of chaos. With so many billions being spent on weapons that are destructive not only of people but also of the environment, millions remain sick and hungry. We confront an accelerating arms race which could lead to a planet-wide catastrophe. We live in a world that is vulnerable due to the damage that humanity has inflicted.

In its leadership of the world, the United States needs to promote stability and address problems with law and morality. But we fear that even if it does so, American power is so diminished that it’s too late to avoid new and more severe global disaster.