I am beginning to respect America more. A lot more. Earlier my respect for America was for the spirit of its receptiveness to the people of all geographic regions in its formative years, its benevolent consitution, the role that it had played in bringing the League of Nations into being, its participation to end Hilter's regime, its Marashal's plan... America had championed the concepts of freedom, equality and justice in all immensity, drew such practical philosophical ideals from various philosphers ancient and modern, made it a comprehensive doucment that it stood for and chamioned for.
Industrial Revultion began in Manchester, but it is America that expanded it. Cars, airtravel and computers have become common for the commonman largely because America had a climate that nurtured large scale production of wonderful goods and services and made it possible for the commonman to own and use them.
This is all that I admired about America and what bothered me was that it became a little self centered along the process - ten, twenty years ago and remained so for a long time. When it talked about Democracy or the absence of it in some other nation, it wasn't really worried about Democracy. When it talked about Free Trade, it meant American business interests. When it talked about Peace elsewhere it meant war, overt or covert with that nation.
And it appeared a little arrogant for a period of ten, twenty years... I have a feeling that this is all changing.
Recent history is dominated by its involvement in Iraq... Critics keep harping on the Intelligence goof up about the Weapons of Mass Destruction intelligence which was the public excuse of the American government to go to war, critics and others criticise the sporadic beatings that the troops take, even after three years of the recent Amercian presence in Iraq, kidnap incidents are blown out of proportion by the media, conspiracy theorits say it is all about oil... No, there is a larger design. It is taking time to take shape but it is happening. Slowly. The world is becoming a better place to live.
In taking such a larger view, I let go a few injustices that have occured. Abu Graf, the Iraq Musuem, the inevitable lies and propaganda that still has to go on, it is all part of the game, but in the end the world would be better balanced with yet another harmonious nation in its roll.
It is not what America did in Iraq that makes America more respectable. Its grand design on Iraq (with larger non-military geographic and economic implications in middle east) is still in progress, lot more work to be done, may be with another TWENTY years of its presece and involvement on a significant level, in some form or another. For now, what America has done and is doing in Iraq is not to be disapproved.
What has impressed me most is that it now appears genuine that America respects President Mushraff as an ally. If this happened ten, twenty years ago, it would have been nothing more than a trick, a deceptive posture, a game on a leader of a nation that the Administration would have discarded once the American purpose was served. It has been happening for the past four or five years, and America appears genuine.
With India, America's participation is amazing. America is embracing India and its embrace feels warm. Ok, we took your advice here and there about economic reforms, but we maintained our caution, we were not like the Latin American countries that rushed to reform and faced consequences. It probably took America a bit of time to understand why India was calculatedly slow in its reform progress, why India isn't all that drastic about the reform process as much as America would like it to be, but in the end it has become evident to America that India is progressing in a manner that the progress is sustained. And America has ceased to play one-up, has even made gestures of commendable humility that clearly characterise today's America as refined, more evloved and somewhat great. One little example is the reception hosted to our Union Minsiter recently at the White house, something that would have been conceptually impossible for America as a protocol exception ten, twenty years ago...
I dont know much about America's positive changes in how it handles diplomatic and trade relations with other nations, but how it handles Britain, India, Pakistan offer a glimpse of signs of a refined govenement...
I am a little reluctant to be a America Centric when I talked about the whole world, but it so happens that America has a considerable impact on the whold world.
America can take a few more simple steps, and a few far reaching steps to make the world a wonderful place.
One or two simple steps for now: Invite Fidel Castro to be the Chief Guest in the Foreign Policy Association Dinner. Offer him a cigar officially imported from Havana. Invite Colonel Muammer Guadaffi to lecture on the History of Libya at the John F Kennedy School of Governement, followed by a Dinner at 1600, Pennsylvania Avenue.....
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Sunday, April 17, 2005
America America
first posted in slate.com on April 8, 2003
Published at blog-city on Monday, 2 June 2003
Subject: How did America became what it isn't?
From: shiva
Date: Apr 8 2003 9:03AM
How did America became what it is not ? When did it begin to lose its goodness?
In 1790 America was a nation of English, Welsh, Scottish, Irish and German nationals and a few others. Hundred years later, the nation had become a land that had the diversity of the whole world. Today it is a nation of people of the most diverse cultural origins. It is a microcosm of the culturally diverse Planet Earth.
Politically the nation emerged as a nation of a noble vision, founded on the principles of liberty, equality and justice, constructing its values of nationhood based on the thinking of John Locke, David Hume, Voltaire among other greatest thinkers known.
Earlier in this century it had been a peace loving nation that wouldn't go to war, and after it won a war that it was drawn into, it went on to reconstruct Europe with its Marshall's plan. To make the world a world without war it founded the United Nations.
The nation's political framework, its values such as Democracy, Equality and Social Justice and its overall benevolent spirit had set the nation apart as an example. Its people reflect the spirit of the nation as by and large the people of the United States are magnanimous in spirit. Americans have instituted more foundations than several other nations combined.
With what is happening in the recent past- its domineering attitude towards the rest of the world, the war in Iraq for instance, America appears to have become what it is not.
All that America was remains covered with dust today. Like a dusty mirror which distorts light, the light within America is more than blurred by simple misconceptions in political execution.
What happened?
America has been good, but it became self righteous about its own goodness. Wanted to impose its values such as Democracy in the rest of the world, championed human rights and free trade. Perfect. But somewhere along the process the values that America set out to advocate took a back seat and the power that the rhetoric brought about became the objective. The result was that the nation ended up being one-up over the rest of the world. What remains now is that high handed stance and not the values which America set out to advocate.
Immersed in its belief that its constitution and institutions are superior, America did not review its constitution and institutions periodically. The founding fathers of America wrote the most profound constitution when America became a nation, but periodic review would have made it more balanced.
After all, how old is democracy? ie., the democracy as it is in America? Set aside the ancient Roman senate, Democracy is 225 years old. In the time line of mankind 225 years of experience is not at all long enough. It is too little a time to understand the inherent flaws of the system (I am not a socialist, not a communist, not a monarchist, but someone thinking aloud). Monarchy is the most ancient institution and we don't have much of it left in its active form. My argument is that half the world believed that socialism was noble until it burst. Same may not happen with democracy, but in 225 years it is far from perfected.
The Judiciary, Executive and Congress were constituted as balanced branches, but then with changing times, the balance was hurt by various forces, such as the various lobbies that exercised their influence over the Congress, as also various branches of government such as Pentagon or CIA that emerged stronger than even the Office of the President in some instances. This may not exactly be what is really happening at this point of time, but part of the historical cause of how America became what it is not. What has America done to review its constitution? What has it done to debate on the need to keep the various organs balanced with changing times? What has America done to balance the lobby groups? What has it done to ensure press freedom in its true sense while keeping the press as an institution balanced? What has the nation done to examine if any of the Administrative organs have gained more than due influence over national affairs?
The World War era required America to spend on Defense and the cold war era required America to develop more powerful weapons. The cold war era required America to adopt various strategies, overt and covert and this behavior has left a lasting impression and a pattern in itself which ought to have been erased with the emergence of the new world order.
Today America doesn't seem to care about Democracy. It uses it as a doctrine to be advocated when a certain government does not suit its national interests. Same can be said of its championship of human rights. It funded the Taliban and it patronized Saddam Hussein when it suited America. This means that America could brook any abuse of human rights as long as its own national interests are not hurt. Free Trade? Free Trade became an unspoken slogan to make the rest of the world Buy American.
Somewhere along the time-line America set itself apart from the rest of the world. American life is precious: Come on, LIFE IS PRECIOUS, every life. The national interests of America as a World Power is important: Well, if you wish to be a global power, why place national interests paramount? National interests are fulfilled automatically when that isn't the only item in your agenda. When you are instrumental in making the world at large a better place to live your own national well-being is more than duly served.
What is now happening is that America is trying to assert itself as a world leader without placing the interests of the world paramount. It wants to lead the world while blatantly talking about its national interests. It prides in itself as a Super power. The reality is that it is an illusion that America is a superpower. If it indeed is, it wouldn't shout at the top of the voice that it is a superpower. Real power gives modesty and if America is really powerful it would have made UN look powerful.
American posture has always been domineering. What makes it worse is a basic phenomenon that no one in Diplomacy seems to have noticed: American English isn't the same as the English as the world knows it. Some American expressions convey an entirely wrong meaning. At other times the way the American government speaks is a reflection of its one-up, on-top attitude. And American protocol is so overbearing. Few heads of state and heads of government get past as equals of anyone above the rank of an Under Secretary in US Administration. American protocol is unwittingly designed to make it all burst one fine day.
American English sounds too casual. Everyone in the American Government including the American Press reporters call Iraqi President as Saddam on TV (outside America, it sounds so jarring). Other examples of what irritates some of those from the rest of the world are this: foreign nationals are "aliens" and "sanctions" are imposed on nations, big or small that did not fall in line.
It is with this attitude that America has been condescending towards its real and imagined enemies and in the process it has always underestimated its enemies. It has always thought that it could overthrow its enemies, in Libya, in Cuba and now in Iraq.
Even if America thinks it would overthrow Saddam Hussein, what great harm would befall America if it refers to the Iraqi President as the President of Iraq? Whatever be the degree or reasons for hatred for your enemies, if you make an effort to consider them respectable as strong individuals, then everything changes. Everything changes. It would be basic statesmanship to follow such a protocol. Who writes the President's speeches? The Psychological operations? Does the Psychological Operations know that there are other cultures existing elsewhere in the world that are at least slightly different from American?
Who is advising the American administration to adopt such a posture of a "bully" as America is began to be viewed as?
Why has America been one-up over the UN, which is all world, when it could at least pretend to be a part of it?
A little more modesty would make America far more greater. There are such simple reasons why America has made so many enemies.
How many enemies can America afford?
shiva ( dot ) madras (at) gmail ( dot ) com [ new email ]
[redacted comments on June 29, 2026 with the rationale that the negative terminology found in comments by others might mistakenly be assoicated with the blog and its author in automated scanning processes. comments archived in an unpublished draft]
Published at blog-city on Monday, 2 June 2003
Subject: How did America became what it isn't?
From: shiva
Date: Apr 8 2003 9:03AM
How did America became what it is not ? When did it begin to lose its goodness?
In 1790 America was a nation of English, Welsh, Scottish, Irish and German nationals and a few others. Hundred years later, the nation had become a land that had the diversity of the whole world. Today it is a nation of people of the most diverse cultural origins. It is a microcosm of the culturally diverse Planet Earth.
Politically the nation emerged as a nation of a noble vision, founded on the principles of liberty, equality and justice, constructing its values of nationhood based on the thinking of John Locke, David Hume, Voltaire among other greatest thinkers known.
Earlier in this century it had been a peace loving nation that wouldn't go to war, and after it won a war that it was drawn into, it went on to reconstruct Europe with its Marshall's plan. To make the world a world without war it founded the United Nations.
The nation's political framework, its values such as Democracy, Equality and Social Justice and its overall benevolent spirit had set the nation apart as an example. Its people reflect the spirit of the nation as by and large the people of the United States are magnanimous in spirit. Americans have instituted more foundations than several other nations combined.
With what is happening in the recent past- its domineering attitude towards the rest of the world, the war in Iraq for instance, America appears to have become what it is not.
All that America was remains covered with dust today. Like a dusty mirror which distorts light, the light within America is more than blurred by simple misconceptions in political execution.
What happened?
America has been good, but it became self righteous about its own goodness. Wanted to impose its values such as Democracy in the rest of the world, championed human rights and free trade. Perfect. But somewhere along the process the values that America set out to advocate took a back seat and the power that the rhetoric brought about became the objective. The result was that the nation ended up being one-up over the rest of the world. What remains now is that high handed stance and not the values which America set out to advocate.
Immersed in its belief that its constitution and institutions are superior, America did not review its constitution and institutions periodically. The founding fathers of America wrote the most profound constitution when America became a nation, but periodic review would have made it more balanced.
After all, how old is democracy? ie., the democracy as it is in America? Set aside the ancient Roman senate, Democracy is 225 years old. In the time line of mankind 225 years of experience is not at all long enough. It is too little a time to understand the inherent flaws of the system (I am not a socialist, not a communist, not a monarchist, but someone thinking aloud). Monarchy is the most ancient institution and we don't have much of it left in its active form. My argument is that half the world believed that socialism was noble until it burst. Same may not happen with democracy, but in 225 years it is far from perfected.
The Judiciary, Executive and Congress were constituted as balanced branches, but then with changing times, the balance was hurt by various forces, such as the various lobbies that exercised their influence over the Congress, as also various branches of government such as Pentagon or CIA that emerged stronger than even the Office of the President in some instances. This may not exactly be what is really happening at this point of time, but part of the historical cause of how America became what it is not. What has America done to review its constitution? What has it done to debate on the need to keep the various organs balanced with changing times? What has America done to balance the lobby groups? What has it done to ensure press freedom in its true sense while keeping the press as an institution balanced? What has the nation done to examine if any of the Administrative organs have gained more than due influence over national affairs?
The World War era required America to spend on Defense and the cold war era required America to develop more powerful weapons. The cold war era required America to adopt various strategies, overt and covert and this behavior has left a lasting impression and a pattern in itself which ought to have been erased with the emergence of the new world order.
Today America doesn't seem to care about Democracy. It uses it as a doctrine to be advocated when a certain government does not suit its national interests. Same can be said of its championship of human rights. It funded the Taliban and it patronized Saddam Hussein when it suited America. This means that America could brook any abuse of human rights as long as its own national interests are not hurt. Free Trade? Free Trade became an unspoken slogan to make the rest of the world Buy American.
Somewhere along the time-line America set itself apart from the rest of the world. American life is precious: Come on, LIFE IS PRECIOUS, every life. The national interests of America as a World Power is important: Well, if you wish to be a global power, why place national interests paramount? National interests are fulfilled automatically when that isn't the only item in your agenda. When you are instrumental in making the world at large a better place to live your own national well-being is more than duly served.
What is now happening is that America is trying to assert itself as a world leader without placing the interests of the world paramount. It wants to lead the world while blatantly talking about its national interests. It prides in itself as a Super power. The reality is that it is an illusion that America is a superpower. If it indeed is, it wouldn't shout at the top of the voice that it is a superpower. Real power gives modesty and if America is really powerful it would have made UN look powerful.
American posture has always been domineering. What makes it worse is a basic phenomenon that no one in Diplomacy seems to have noticed: American English isn't the same as the English as the world knows it. Some American expressions convey an entirely wrong meaning. At other times the way the American government speaks is a reflection of its one-up, on-top attitude. And American protocol is so overbearing. Few heads of state and heads of government get past as equals of anyone above the rank of an Under Secretary in US Administration. American protocol is unwittingly designed to make it all burst one fine day.
American English sounds too casual. Everyone in the American Government including the American Press reporters call Iraqi President as Saddam on TV (outside America, it sounds so jarring). Other examples of what irritates some of those from the rest of the world are this: foreign nationals are "aliens" and "sanctions" are imposed on nations, big or small that did not fall in line.
It is with this attitude that America has been condescending towards its real and imagined enemies and in the process it has always underestimated its enemies. It has always thought that it could overthrow its enemies, in Libya, in Cuba and now in Iraq.
Even if America thinks it would overthrow Saddam Hussein, what great harm would befall America if it refers to the Iraqi President as the President of Iraq? Whatever be the degree or reasons for hatred for your enemies, if you make an effort to consider them respectable as strong individuals, then everything changes. Everything changes. It would be basic statesmanship to follow such a protocol. Who writes the President's speeches? The Psychological operations? Does the Psychological Operations know that there are other cultures existing elsewhere in the world that are at least slightly different from American?
Who is advising the American administration to adopt such a posture of a "bully" as America is began to be viewed as?
Why has America been one-up over the UN, which is all world, when it could at least pretend to be a part of it?
A little more modesty would make America far more greater. There are such simple reasons why America has made so many enemies.
How many enemies can America afford?
shiva ( dot ) madras (at) gmail ( dot ) com [ new email ]
[redacted comments on June 29, 2026 with the rationale that the negative terminology found in comments by others might mistakenly be assoicated with the blog and its author in automated scanning processes. comments archived in an unpublished draft]
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