This is something that I have been thinking about for quite some time and I have to get it off my chest. This has to do with self-determination vs imperialism. Of course, this is in reference to the U.S. and its policies on the world stage. I have always argued that pre-emptive war brings no peace. Matter of fact, war in and of itself, has done nothing but impose someone’s idea of what is right on someone elses, or what I refer to as imperialism.

So, in this regard, how can we not refer to our interference in Iraq as US imperialism? Are we not imposing our way of life on the Iraqi people? Are we not ‘occupying’ a nation who does not want us there? Are we artificially propping up a government that would not stand on its own? If the answer to all these questions is yes, then the U.S. is an imperial nation and we should just own up to this fact, instead of acting like we are the standard for liberty and human rights. If indeed, we are the standard for these ideals, then we should have left after toppling the dictatorship in Iraq and let the people of Iraq ‘determine’ their own destiny or better yet, not invade at all. But it appears that war after war, the U.S. resolve is to not allow self-determination. We have become a nation who ‘judges’ other nations and attempts to control them through our ‘bully-pulpit’ of bombs and missiles.

Look at Vietnam. From an article in the New York Times, at a Vietnam Roundtable discussion, it was reported that after 31 years of Communist rule in southern Vietnam, “by fits and starts over the years, Vietnam’s leaders have begun to open the economy and cautiously allow more religious and social freedoms. But now they seem to have paused at a crossroads. The old fighters whose ingenuity and perseverance defeated a superpower seem to have been overwhelmed by the challenges that confronted them in building a new, independent nation.” After a decade-long ruinous war, with 58,000 American soldiers dead, along with at least 3 million Vietnamese both in the north and south, Vietnam seems to be finding its way. It is arriving by way of self-determination. Did we do anything, after years of sacrifice in lives and devastation, to impose anything other than what they, in the end, determined for themselves? If we had stayed ten years, twenty years or even longer, would the result have been any different?

I believe the same can be said of Iraq. When you look at the history of these people, with their religious contentions and tribal warfare that has been going on for thousands of years, fomenting hatred and hostility, the Arab tribes are still seeking self-determination. So, here we are in the middle of all this, our first priority being democracy and theirs being ‘justice’. In an excellent article by Thomas L. Friedman, of the New York Times entitled, “Mr. President, here are some rules to live by in the Middle East”, he states very eloquently and convincingly:

“The oft-warring Arab tribes are all wounded souls, who really have been hurt by colonial powers, by Jewish settlements on Palestinian land, by Arab kings and dictators, and, most of all, by each other in endless tribal wars. For Iraq’s long-abused Shiite majority, democracy is first and foremost a vehicle to get justice. Ditto the Kurds. For the minority Sunnis, democracy in Iraq is a vehicle of injustice. For us, democracy is all about protecting minority rights. For them, democracy is first about consolidating majority rights and getting justice.”

The lesson to be learned in Vietnam and in Iraq is to allow other countries to decide their futures. In our own Declaration of Independence, we state, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.” Where are the rights of these people upon whom we impose our beliefs? How do we allow them their ‘rights’ to self-determination, and self-rule? Shouldn’t we be living up to our own basic doctrines as a free country? Instead, we shove them aside and put forward our own geopolitical interests and agenda in front of others. Is it no wonder that American’s image is taking a beating abroad? We, as citizens of this great country, need to wake up and smell the roses…we are an imperialist country who will stop at nothing, except from the ultimate conscience of it’s own people, to impose our will on others, whether they like it or not. I believe it is time, as the ultimate conscience of the nation, to start inserting our will into our intentions as a nation. When we, the people, rise to our own goodness — we, as a nation, ultimately do the right thing.

I am amused and amazed at the accuracy of a statement that Winston Churchill once made about us. He said, “America ultimately does the right thing, but only after exhausting all other options.” When will we ultimately do the right thing in Iraq?