An Age of American Victories
January 26, 2006
The title of this article may seem strange in the light of the media's denunciation of American foreign policy goals and objectives, and that is exactly the point.
The dichotomy between the truth and the propaganda is a chasm with depths that have no bottom. We are living in an age of incredible American foreign policy victories, the likes of which are only outmatched by the levels at which many in the popular press attempt to obscure them.
Much has been made of the Bush doctrine (the subject of our first magazine issue in the future) and what the average American really knows about it. The Bush doctrine, a direct result of the September 11 attacks has four main facets: Prevention, Preemption, Defense, and Democracy Promotion. The first and third are obvious but preemption is full of controversy. Preemption or "anticipatory self defense" essentially states that the United States will not wait for another Pearl Harbor/World Trade Center attack to occur before it reacts. In fact, reaction is the farthest thing from this doctrine; it is about offense and action. Clear victories have been the result. However, you may ask, where are these so-called victories?
In short the Bush doctrine does not exist in a political or historical vacuum. The Bush doctrine is the culmination of United States foreign policy for over 200 years. It is a natural outgrowth of the tensions, rivalries and debates that have bedeveled American foreign policy since the beginning. The founders who created the United States, the same founders that Bush doctrine architechts are fond of quoting, were products of the Western Enlightenment. They were rooted in the idealism and rationalism of philosphers like John Locke and as such believed that human progress was not only possible but necessary. The joining of the idealism of "human rights" and the pragmatism of national interest. It is the ultimate extension of God's natural law, an unwritten universal law, that towers over human written laws. This concept for Americans gave us the foundation of the Declaration of Independence as well as the justification of events such as the Nuremberg trials. In point of fact, there can be no United States without the fundamental belief in natural law. The Bush foreign policy has no meaning without this philosopy.
Furthermore, the last aspect of the Bush Doctrine, its culmination if you will, is that Democracy Promotion is our duty, and perhaps more importantly, our destiny. It is not only the ultimate culmination of the Bush Doctrine, but the ultimate culmination of American history.
Returning to American victories: where are they?
The first victory is in Asia. Relations between Japan and the United States are at an all time high, the Japanese have ground troops in Iraq and have made strides to change and interpret their own constitution to further assist the United States militarily.
The second and perhaps startling to those of you that are glued to the media is victory in Europe. Yes, victory in Europe. It is true that the relationship between the USA - Germany and France are low (though hardly irreparable) but Germany and France are no longer the only Europe. Further, the new CDU government in Germany, may repair that relationship sooner than many would have thought. The ever-solid USA/UK relationship is ever stronger, and relations with Italy and Poland have never been better. In fact, the general relationship with Eastern Europe is nothing short of incredible in comparison to the past.
Who would have thought that we would be talking about victory in the former Soviet Union? Our former archenemy is now an ally in the war on terror. It is no measure of hyperbole to suggest that the US/Russian relationship is not only at an all time high in recent history, but quite possibly ever including the Tsarist period. The working relationship with President Putin and the jointness of thinking concerning the problem of terrorism is astounding. This does not mean that there are not problems with Russia but it is nonetheless a sea change.
Victory for Democracy: Elections happened in 2005- Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, and Australia. Regardless of the irregularities, the terrorists failed to disrupt the fundamentals of the election and for the first time the door to freedom was opened. In Somalia, an interim President was elected who has promised to clamp down on radical Islamism, and in Australia, the staunchly pro-American government of Prime Minister Howard won the day. However, the situation in Afghanistan and Iraq cannot be called anything short of astonishing. In two countries with no history of democratic elections, the foundations have been set. Lastly, no "Middle East expert" would have ever predicted that Syrian troops would be run out of Lebanon without a single shot being fired. There can be no end to the war on terror without the victory of democracy; there can be no victory for democracy without the United States.
This does not mean we are free from troubles and crises. None of this means the easy road has opened before us. What it does mean in practical terms is that United States foreign policy has scored some enormous successes, garnered the support of steadfast allies, and opened the door for freedom to those that never had any. If the United States is a colossus that straddles the earth, one does so for good and for the right. Natural rights under Natural law have been preserved.
An Age of American Victories was written by PAI Staff. © PAI 2006.