American Hegemony and Lessons From the Past (840 hits)
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Submitted by Zoid Berg <JohnShaft2089.at.yahoo.com> (View user info) at 2003-12-19 20:02:07 EST
http://www.newamericancentury.org
This is absolutely fascinating stuff. These are the people that have the ear of George W. Bush (something like half of the original members of this think tank are on Bush's staff now) Would that I had more time to read this right now, but the press of finals are upon me. But the parallels this opens up...
Among other things, as far back as 1998 they called for unilateral action in Iraq, an invasion to guarantee that Saddam can no longer threaten or be able to use WMD.
Admirable goals I think. Denying Saddam WMD. Anyone who would be in favor of that man having them...well, their faculties have departed them.
But, this is to be used as a pretext to significantly increase US presence in the Gulf. This document, written by a majority of Bush's advisors, calls for a more assertive US policy in the middle east, and by extension, increased presence.
The report also cautions that such a change in policy will have to come slowly, barring a catastrophic event on the level of Pearl Harbor. This a year before 9-11.
So now we come to the present. I still think the lies about "blood for oil" are for shit. I'm starting to get an inkling that something far more dangerous is happening. President Bush actually believes he is doing the right thing. You know what the road to hell is paved with...
At any rate, the only reason any of this got me thinking, was because I saw so many parallels between our current situation and Athens in the Delian League and her imperial leanings.
First some quick background before I make my point. To counter an outside threat, Athens, with like minded city states founded the Delian League, which would in effect be a common defense against the Persian Empire, which was the major world power at the time.
After awhile, Athens, already the significant power following the Persian war, continued with the help of her allies to build up her fleet, making her the dominant naval power in the world at the time.
The Persian threat still existed however, so the Delian League continued on. Then Athens and her allies won some victories. And the Persian threat...waned.
So her allies started to chafe under Athenian rule. But Athens was still THE significant power at the time, in effect, the lone superpower in the Greek world (a bit of hyperbole, but still)
In a bid to maintain her power, Athens began emplacing democracies in her client states.
"They [the Athenians] know that the ruler must be hated by the ruled and that if the rich and the good grow strong in the cities the rule of the Athenian demos will last a very short time. That is why they strip the good of their rights, confiscate their property, exile them and put them to death, while they uphold the bad." This from Xenophon's The Athenesium
The Athenians believed (to a point, correctly) that the governments that would be most favorable to them were those similar to their own.
In fairness to the Athenians, in addition to solidifying their base of power, Athens believed they were doing their subjects a favor, in fact, even being overly generous. Thucydides quotes at great lengths the examples Athenian orators gave of their benevolent rule.
Athens was put in a unique position. Following the dissolution of the Persian threat, she was at the command of a strong alliance. An empire. One borne out of necessity, but also one that continued after its usefulness. Athens saw herself as continuing to do the Greek world a great favor, and moreover saw the continuation of her empire, though no longer necessary, as important to her wellbeing.
"We have done nothing extraordinary, nothing contrary to human nature in accepting an empire when it was offered to us, and then in refusing to give it up. Three very powerful motives prevent us from doing so - security, honor and self-interest." (Thucydides Book I, 76)
What is the point of all this? Well reading from the above website, it brought to mind a similar situation. To counter an outside threat, America, with like minded western states, founded NATO, which would in effect be a common defense against the Soviet Union
All throughout the ensuing conflict, America continued to build up her base of power and solidify her role as a leader, and as one of the two dominant powers of the time.
And then Soviet Russia falls. And America's leadership in action, no longer deemed necessary by the world at large, is viewed as blatant unilateralism. A threat to global security. The position of the United States is no longer seen as necessary, except perhaps by the United States.
While I'm not here to argue foreign policy, I feel it necessary to point out that I don't believe a call for a return to isolationism is prudent. The United States must continue to fill the vacuum left by the fall of the Soviet Union. Balance of power politics in Asia are becoming our most important policy export. The United States should continue its presence in the world. This is an interesting time. The world is still going through an adjustment period, as it adjusts to not needing quite as strong a leader as the United States was during the cold war. As a result, both sides are going to extremes. Many countries want the United States with no power at all, and the United States wants cold-war or greater power.
But more and more it seems as if there is some credence that she is indeed entering into an imperial phase. I don't think imperial in the sense of some, this isn't a quest for new territories or minerals. Rather it's a quest for continued American hegemony throughout the world. The New American Century think tank, backed by Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz and Cheney proclaimed the necessity of eerily similar goals to those sought by the Athenian Empire.
Such as:
With the threat of the Soviet Union now gone, the effort should be made to preserve "Pax Americana". Well okay, that works for me. Western civilization is in the middle of a time of peace and prosperity unrivaled in no other time in history. And like it or not, a good portion of the credit goes to America.
However the goals go beyond maintaining the status quo. Now with the Soviet threat no longer present, the goals are to "secure and expand the zones of democratic peace, to deter the rise of a new great power competitor" among others.
These are the ones that got me thinking. Throughout its time, Athens sought to expand the number of democracies around her. In part because she thought rule by the Demos was for the best, but by and by, because the traditional oligarchy would oppose her influence. Government similar to hers would support it.
Both allow some degree of idealism to rule their foreign policy aims. Democracy is viewed as the solution to everything, and planting it wherever possible is the only means to security. If they think like us, they won't hate us.
Both found themselves thrust into positions of great leadership and influence to counter a common threat. Following the dissolution of said threat, they were loathe to temper or give up the character of their leadership.
And both found their allies and subject states beginning to chafe under their rule with the diminishment of the great threat, no matter how benevolent in nature said rule was.
And? I do not blame her for all the world's ills, nor do I see her as the only country to have done moral wrongs. Every country puts it's own self interest before its moral interest. America, being the largest, just has to do it on a bigger stage, and exposed to more scrutiny.
But increasingly America is beginning to see herself, and herself alone, as the cure for all of the world's ills. Thumbing through "The History of the Peloponnesian War", I came upon the speech the Corinthian delegates gave to the Spartan assembly.
"Spartans, what makes you somewhat reluctant to listen to us others, if we have ideas to put forward, is the great trust and confidence which you have in your own constitution and in your own way of life. This is a quality which certainly makes you moderate in your judgments; it is also, perhaps, responsible for a kind of ignorance which you show when you are dealing with foreign affairs."
Perhaps a little too enamored of her own power, the United States sees herself as the guardian and savior of the world. America, and America alone, shall slay tyranny, oppression and evil, with the great vaccine known as representative democracy. For America, the spread of the American way of life is not only the better way, but that which is essential for our national safety.
America stands at a crossroads. On one road, some see an assertive America as the answer to the world's problems. Henry Kissinger, remarking on the change in rhetoric towards the Soviet Union in the Reagan years, writes that,
"Many believe...that the solution to the world's ills is American hegemony - the imposition of American solutions to the world's trouble spots by the unabashed affirmation of its preeminence."
But these people, caught up in the fervor of idealism, disregard past histories and conflicts between cultures. Nor do they remember either, that Athenian hegemony was not lightly agreed to, and many of her subjects were not content for long.
On the other road, America stands ready to treat her allies as friends, and not subjects. She realizes that America alone cannot bring about a more peaceable world, especially while fighting with the other occupants of this world. And she remembers the warning of Pericles that Athens, later suffering from her own illusions of self importance forgot, at great cost to them, and does not overextend herself.
I could give you many other reasons why you should feel confident in ultimate victory, if only you will make up your minds not to add to the empire while the war is in progress, and not to go out of your way to involve yourselves in new perils. What I fear is not the enemy's strategy, but our own mistakes.(Thucydides I, 144)
User Reviews
Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:57:21 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
That should even my rating out to a 1.999999.
I can't speak for Tigre. He is who he is.
Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:56:32 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:56:32 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:56:31 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:56:31 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:56:30 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:56:30 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:56:30 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:56:29 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:56:29 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:56:29 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:56:27 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:56:27 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:56:27 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:56:26 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:56:26 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:56:25 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:56:24 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:56:00 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:55:59 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:55:59 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:55:59 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:55:58 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:55:57 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:55:57 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:55:57 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:55:56 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:55:55 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:55:54 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:55:54 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:55:53 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:55:53 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:55:52 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:55:51 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:55:51 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:55:50 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:55:50 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:55:49 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:55:48 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:55:48 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:55:47 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:55:34 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:55:20 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:55:04 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:54:50 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I don't even remember -2ing this. This isn't AT ALL like me. Like the review says, I was drunk. I apologize, Zoidberg. I'll remember not to log onto Uber while drunk next time.
It's okay, by the way. You didn't mean to use the word "steal", I just sometimes get irked when someones accuses me of stealing material, especially when I didn't.
Submitted by Tigre (user info) at 2004-12-06 01:41:58 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
HAHA! You got your +2 streak PWNED!
BIATCH!
Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-12-06 01:39:44 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
For accusing me of stealing my material.
You caught me at a bad time. Next time, rate my posts when I'm not drunk and hating everyone.
Nothing personal.
Submitted by smokymtcsw (user info) at 2004-06-04 03:06:40 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Well written and thought provoking though I disagree with some of it.
Submitted by Zoidberg (user info) at 2003-12-19 20:02:49 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Im gonna +2 myself cuz I found that website in the middle of finals, and I wrote this long, rambling, somewhat rough piece in the middle of it all