Setanta wrote:In regard to the debate about being a "superpower," i have the following observations to offer: ...
This may well be the most impressive post I have ever read. No, it
is the most impressive post I have ever read. You offered a lot of excellent information (especially for someone like me who is not as well read, historically speaking, as he would like) and tied it all together with a reasonably made point. For whatever it may be worth, I say, "Well done!"
Not surprisingly, this bit in particular caught my attention:
Quote:All of which brings me to the United States as "superpower." It is either naive or disingenuous to claim that American power is not imperial, or, at the least, hegemonic, in today's world. I would personally like to think that the human race builds not only upon a foundation of the accumulation of knowledge, but also of the experience of polities. Just as an individual will only enjoy the best that life has to offer by the process of maturation, so must nations also proceed. Human civilization ought to have reached, by now, the point at which old tribal values are abandoned, to be replaced by more realistic views of how more than six billion humans can live in peace on this planet. By all means, the United States needs to maintain an effective military, because the tribal fanatics are out there, their numbers are legion, and they have all the benefits of the technology of more stable, developed nations. This does not give the United States carte blanche, however, and the lessons i see from history suggest that we have a rare opportunity to use our power effectively. Ditching the United Nations will not accomplish anything constructive either for us or for the world.. Certainly, we need to "get the bastards" when and where appropriate, but we must not undercut our own values with regard to evidence, due process and justice in so doing. I also feel that we must not act alone, because then we become no better than the other militarily powerful nations who formed empires in the past. We have an opportunity to understand why so many others in the world are swayed to hatred of us, and we have an opportunity to act in a manner which, if it will not mollify all of our critics, at least will not do violence to the principles of a just society on which we like to pride ourselves.
I am not in complete agreement with you on every point here. (For one thing, I'm unconvinced of the usefulness of the UN today.) But I applaud the way you seem willing to separate the baby from the bath water, and recognize that although we ought always to strive for peace, we must also remain vigilant of and prepared for those who would not. I agree that we should try to work with other nations where and when we can, but I do think that some situations may require us to go it alone to serve our interests when others would not. Whether Iraq is one of those situations is a question I can not answer. I am skeptical, but hopeful, that those who would make those decisions for us can.
Thanks again for the pop-lesson in history. Keep 'em coming.
