America Doesn’t Always Live Up to Its Ideals – The Royal Gazette

Created on: Sep 11, 2024 07:45

A powerful nation: Gaza conflict has exposed US complicity (Photo by Pixabay)

Do we realize the immensity of the United States? Do we consider it to be the greatest empire the world has ever known?

What began as British expansion and a revolt against a monarchy has shaped a nation that has surpassed its predecessor to the point that there is virtually no corner of the Earth that remains outside its sphere of influence.

Of course, this shift toward global dominance did not happen overnight or in a vacuum. It occurred after the collapse of centuries-old European dominance in the mid-20th century, ravaged by World War II and finally the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s under the Reagan era.

The United States has thus become the only superpower with an unmatched military capacity in world history. Their global status, with 800 military bases and the role they like to claim in the name of protecting their interests, force them to be considered an empire.

The paradox is that the United States is a nation-state with a constitution and an electorate limited to its borders and the jurisdictions within its jurisdiction, such as Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

Yet, in terms of foreign policy and influence on the rest of the world, there is a disconnect between the country’s domestic and foreign policies. This is particularly evident in the area of ​​human rights.

An American president was once asked why he supported a dictator rather than a democracy. This question was put to him in light of the cruelty the dictator was known to inflict on his people. His answer was: “I would rather support a dictator who is favorable to us than a democracy that could be infinitely worse for our cause.”

The American president’s words reflect a consistent American foreign policy, which does not follow the rules or orders of the country. Domestically, the United States wants to defend the ideals of free speech, liberty and democracy, but there is no evidence of this in its foreign policy, which tolerates the opposite if it serves American interests.

There is an enormous ethical and moral responsibility in assuming the title of “leader of the free world.” I wrote a book in 2008 in which I argued that the United States Constitution was designed for a world, not a nation.

What I meant was that the statement “All men are equal and are entitled to certain unalienable rights” did not apply only to one nation, but should apply to all humanity.

When the richest and most powerful nation on the planet, the one with its hands in the pot, is true to its own ideals, then it can rightfully hold the title of leader of the free world. In the meantime, all we can do is hope for the words of people like Martin Luther King Jr., who said, “One day this nation will live out the true meaning of its creed.”

The truth is that the war in Gaza, which has now spread to the West Bank, has exposed the United States and its complicity. Those of us who consider ourselves supporters of American ideals are appalled by the events of October 7 and are now equally appalled by the level of collective punishment that Palestinians are being forced to endure. Appalled, because a Palestinian life is as valuable as an American or Israeli life.

The United States is by far the greatest empire of all time, and the test on its shoulders will be the same as that which judged empires before it. So it is worth looking ahead and asking how future generations will view these moments.

Some believe we are witnessing the end of the American empire, and that idea has gained momentum in recent months as confidence in America’s ability to be fair and just has eroded in the Global South.

The golden rule is: “Whatever you did to the least of these, you did it to me.” The future of the world may soon cease to be unipolar and become multipolar, where every nation, large or small, has a say.