Conflicts of ideas and interest are
the main reason why violence prevails. States tend to be aggressive for what
they believe in, and thrust their ideas onto other states. Interference of
other countries in others' affairs is common for the world to see, however, to
say that countries like the USA involve themselves in other countries' affairs
without any motive would be ignorant.
The involvement of the United States on international affairs
has been exemplary. No other democracy, claiming to stand what it stands for,
has been involved in such a number of conflicts, be it Afghanistan or Middle
Eastern countries.
However, the point to be noted is that the US has always had
its interests involved in these matters. For instance, in Afghanistan, the involvement
of USSR put America's power into question. If USSR had been victorious, it
would have been established as the super power. America, tactfully, through a
proxy war emerged as the super power.
However, economic interests are imperative in influencing foreign
policy. The military-industrial complex in the USA has a strong influence. Put
simple, America needs war. Millions of individuals employed to “look for
terrorists” would be jobless if they did. Moreover, lobbyists maintain pressure on
politicians by framing every budget in "tough on terror" versus
"soft on terror" terms. They have the perfect products that are
designed to destroy themselves and be replaced in an ever-lasting
war on terror.
Thus, personal interests come into play and the new military-industrial complex is fuelled by a
conveniently ambiguous and unseen enemy: the terrorist.
"In January 1961, US President Dwight D Eisenhower used his farewell
address to warn the nation of what he viewed as one of its greatest threats:
the military-industrial complex composed of military contractors and lobbyists
perpetuating war."
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/01/big-money-behind-war-military-industrial-complex-20141473026736533.html
2 comments:
you have brought forth a unique outlook on why the US never fails to involve in international conflicts. Not only does the US need war for employment and economic purposes, it uses war as an excuse to implement its power one way or the other. such involvement acts as a constant reminder that the US is the only polarity in the international system. At the end of the day, the US thrives on its greed for power, and to achieve that, involvement in international affairs is the most prominent medium.
This is an interesting view because one of the reasons that the world enters into war so quickly is because they do not want to stay away from it. US not only involves into fight in order to retain its super power, but it also wants to fuel its weapon industry which will not be possible if there are no wars.
As much as we hate to admit it, this world is selfish and people are ready to achieve their goals at the cost of other, even their lives. And this is what not only US, but most of the countries do.
Post a Comment