I was reading through the PNAC (Project for the New American Century
http://www.newamericancentury.org ) goals and mission statements again today, and I started thinking. Do they have a point?
The basic gist of PNAC's agenda is that we should use or military to aggressively protect our interests across the globe. We should ensure that America is #1, through force if necessary, for as long as we can. Aside from simply responding to threats however, we should feel obligated to preempt possible percieved threats in the interest of avoiding a large scale conflict later (and possible loss of influence in that region, both economic and political). The key issue is that we should do this through military force. This force should be capable of fighting many wars at once, in different regions of the world. Our nuclear supremacy should be maximized by not dismantling our weapons, but ensuring that our non-allies do. By doing so we might "build upon the achievements of past decades," and "shape a new century favorable to American principles and interests."
Now here is why they might be right. Why shouldn't we fight to shape a century that is favorable to us? It is not wrong or immoral to want to see a century in which America is the world leader in all things, with the best economy, best democracy, happiest most comfortable citizentry, longterm sustainability, basically Utopia! We are all stupid if we don't agree with this statement, and there is nothing wrong with agreeing with me on this. I didn't say that everyone else should be living off our scraps like they currently are, but we all would like to envision a future in which we all live a happy and prosperous life.
So that is where I agree with PNAC, it IS the right thing for us to work towards securing American interests abroad! BUT, the major flaw in the neo-con theory is that they are WAY to fond of the military.
Just as I would expect EVERY American citizen to want to see the best for his/her country in the future, I would also expect every other citizen of any country in this world to want the exact same thing! Even in the Bible (or any religious text for that matter) it was not written that America shall rule the globe. So who gave us the right to impose our interests on other countries, especially with military powers. Trying to secure your interests through military power, and practicing this ideal actively as our current administration does, is the equivalent of EMPIRE building, and there is NO OTHER WAY YOU CAN POSSIBLY FRAME IT!
It is exactly what Britain did to the America's and India, what the Dutch did to Indonesia, the Spanish and Portugese to South America, the Romans, the Mongols, Alexander the Great, Hannibal, the Persians, the Assyrians, I could go on forever. Securing YOUR personal interests through military action is IMPERIALISM by definition!
Why can't some people in this country see that. Either they are blind because they think we're too moral to do something like that, or they're selfish and think that's how we should be doing it. The administation is selfish, and that's why they're playing this game of russian roulette with our future. It is way to dangerous for us to expect that we can keep our allies by engaging in preemptive military campaigns against whomever we feel has threatened our interests. It is equally dangerous to expect every campaign to go successfully (as we are starting to observe with their very first preemptive war). They don't seem to understand that with their plan, our enemies have nothing to gain by complying with our demands, therefore they have nothing to lose by dying trying to fight us.
We would be much more successful building our "empire" through diplomacy. We can always be #1, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't encourage, and even help other countries to raise the status of their citizens to a point at which their lives are peaceful and sustainable. Instead of using their citizens as cheap labor for our evergrowing capital machine, we could expand their to help them as well. Don't exploit everybody around the world, that just makes enemies! Help them, everyone in this world deserves food, shelter, drinkable water, basic medical care, and a tiny bit of dignity. The people around the world are not ATM machines, they are PEOPLE, and they have every right to expect better for themselves and their children, just like we do.
That being said, of course there would be crazy leaders of outlaw regimes in this world that would pose serious threats to our interests and our lives. But don't you think it would be easier to deal with these individuals in a world in which America was seen as the good guy, the country to turn to for guidance, the world-leader in an economic, political, moral, and military sense.
PNAC's ideals are correct, but the road they wish to travel in getting there is by far the more treacherous route. You don't make many friends when you're the schoolyard bully. There is no reason why we can't have civil discourse with other nations around the globe and work with them to create a more peaceful and sustainable world. Yes, we MAY end up in a War we can't win, but if the neo-cons have their way, there will be NO WAY TO AVOID IT!
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