American policy-makers’ role in geopolitics
In a situation which has made Vladimir Putin, President of Russia address the American people directly through an Oped in New York Times of Sept. 12, 2013, the lawmakers should realize that their powers to represent American citizens have been usurped by the Russian President.
This should be a sober moment for introspection by all policy-makers of America before they become irrelevant even on issues related to nation-building back home. They could end up facing people like Putin advising American people about what it means to engage in nation-building back home.
Every nation has a destiny which sets the goalposts for national leadership. The goalposts have to be shifted as changes occur in geopolitical situation in many parts of the globe.
A dramatic change had occurred in the wake of the Second World War. The change is the end of colonial regimes and declaration of independence and self-rule by many nations.
United Nations as an institution to provide a democratic forum for nations to deliberate on issues of common concern activate after the Second World War has not proved to be an effective mechanism for adjudicating tensions between and within nations. This is the one principal reason why America has tended to assume the role of a world policeman to set things right when some law and order situation arises.
Should America continue to play such a policeman’s role, despite its past record and experience in interventions in Vietnam, Iraq, Egypt, Libya and now attempted in Syria?
America today is beset by continuing, as yet unresolved problems created 5 years ago to the global financial system which was sundered by subprime mortgages, collateralized debt obligations, or credit default swaps. Lessons have not been learned to undo the nerds-driven derivatives from an artificially-inflated transactions of the marketplace. Despite American intervention in Afghanistan to fight the Taliban, there is no visible dent on the activities of Taliban which continue to pose a jihadi threat to the free-world, to America, in particular.
What really has gone wrong with American attempts at military intervention?
One view is that American military has become addicted to war and tends to get involved militarily to resolve issues which occur beyond the territorial jurisdiction of America.
Is this addiction the reason why the focus on nation-building at home gets murky or simply sidelined?
Is the choice a stark one between choosing America or choosing to selectively bomb Syria to teach President Assad a lesson and make him behave in the interest of Syrians?
Is it the responsibility of America to do nation-building in states outside of American soil?
Military interventions by America result in bizarre postures of no fly zones and laser-sharp remote-controlled missile strikes at targets selected by drones, citing the justification of ‘conscience of the world’, or ‘threat to the civilians’ or ‘breach of Red Line by using chemical weapons or weapons of mass destruction’.
The interventions also end up in bizarre outcomes like the handing over of Benghazi to Islamist militias who persecuted Christians.
When Sunnis use chemical weapons, America will end up bombing a Shiite state which used chemical weapons. Does it serve America’s national interest intervening in sectarian conflicts between Sunni and Shiite? If this is intended to weaken the political hold of Islam in the affairs of nation-states, America should state so in unequivocal terms, instead of hiding behind phrases such as ‘red line drawn by an imaginary world’.
Sure, America should get involved in nation-building back home. Is Afghanistan America’s home? Is Syria America’s home?
One way America can redefine her role in global polity is to promote regional groupings which will mirror United States of America. One such regional grouping could be an Indian Ocean Community of 59 nations along the Indian Ocean Rim. American can participate in and encourage the formation of IOC on the lines of the federating United States of America and create a United States of Indian Ocean.
Kalyanaraman
Sept. 25, 2013