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We find ourselves in a unique position as Americans. We
stand alone as the sole economic and political superpower in the world.
Although India is the biggest democracy in the world and China has a population
that will always dwarf our own, no country has been able to combine economic
power with political stability for so long a period as we have. We stand
at the brink of being able to exert our influence over the entire globe, being a
sole hegemonic power. The question now arises: Will we act on the global
level only when it is politically beneficial? Or will we begin on
embarking on missions for purely unselfish and altruistic reasons?
Unfortunately it is all too obvious that, as of right now, most of our foreign
policy decisions are based purely on political reasons. There is far too
much genocide going on in the world right now for us to claim
otherwise.
The world is quickly changing, we are being drawn closer
together as our technological developments make physical distance
meaningless. We can pick up our cell phone and call a farmer in the
Kingdom of Lesotho right now. This was unthinkable even thirty years
ago. We have seen the globe shrink at an amazing rate in the last 200
years. The concept of a Nation was not even fully realized in most of the
world until the last 200 years. When people like Machiavelli looked at the
world's political landscape it was difficult to see much beyond the city
state. After the end of colonialism, nations began to develop their
identities, strengthening the concept national identity throughout the
world. Now we need to focus on the world as a whole, our vision must shift
if we are to take our place as the global superpower.
We need not put our own economic and
political strategic interest in abeyance when looking at unselfish ways to
affect world politics. Rather, we need to understand that basing our
foreign policy on the fundamental principles of justice and peace is the only
solid base for building an America that will assume a leadership role in our
ever-advancing world. As our world comes closer together we need to be at
the forefront of that compelling force that draws us all closer together, not
acting as a divisive bully only inspired by self-interest. When an
oppressor arises, no matter where that may be, we must lead the united effort to
crush them. The role of our military has been evolving, and will continue
to evolve in the future. With our new altruistic outlook we will send our
troops to the battlefield not to protect our selfish interests, but to protect
the interests of the globe.
We need to think of what legacy we are going to leave at this
crucial juncture of history. Will our grandchildren read books that
describe America's actions as selfish? What will the history books say
about the genocide seen in Rwanda and our lack of action? Will they
criticize us for seeking out wars in countries purely to protect our oil and
domestic political interests when slavery still existed in
Sudan?
War with Iraq may be an important step for the U.S. to take in
helping maintain global peace and upholding what we believe to be justice, or
maybe war with Iraq is nothing more than a selfish act that will be a dark
moment in what could have been a glorious history of justice. So
who are we going to be in the eyes of the students at UT in the year 2050?
Are they going to talk about how America took the steps to bring about peace and
justice throughout the world, or are they going to talk about how America could
never assume its true leadership role because it was blinded by
self-interest? Any conscientious person would prefer America be described
as the former and not the latter.
-Chris Bishop
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