One of the problems with have a strong level of confidence of who you are is that instead of carrying that awareness with humility there can be a tendency to want to carry a big stick to make sure that no one dares to challenge your confidence. So it has been with the US for a long time. They have consistently blundered into situations with an attitude of ‘we are the superpower and we will be obeyed’ which only serves to seriously blur the line between being confident and being arrogant bullies.
Once that line is blurred into oblivion, the people being subjected to the arrogance and bullying will resist no matter how much the bully thinks they are there for the people’s own protection. Thus is how it goes in Iraq and likely would be in Afghanistan if not for the moderating presence of NATO. An article in today’s Toronto Star talks about how the US military are starting to realize that branding themselves as a “force” rather than “we’re here to help” is contributing to the failure of the occupation in Iraq.
The US could turn that mistake around but it will have to come with a lot of humility and ratcheting down of national, corporate and individual attitudes. There in lies the problem, the prevailing American attitude is not new to this generation, it is one that has inhabited successive generations.
They are not alone with having operated in an arrogant, bullying manner simply because they could. The ruling class in the days of the British Empire were no less arrogant, bullying and condescending in how they viewed those who were not them. It is rather ironic that it was that same attitude that so shaped the determination of the founding fathers of the USA.
There is nothing wrong with national pride, in fact it is essential. There is nothing wrong with national confidence, that too is essential. What is wrong is when that pride and confidence is used as a club and in a self-serving manner.
Just because you have 100,000 troops to occupy a country with doesn’t mean you need to be poised like the hammer of Thor. Just because you have rich, politically connected companies willing to put down roots in the country you are occupying doesn’t mean you allow them economic access to that country unless you intend to conquer that country totally.
The Iraqi people had every right to expect that if they had been liberated from Saddam that they would be helped to become self-sustaining not raped, pillaged and plundered and then told they need to stand on their own two feet. It is more than a little difficult to stand on your own two feet when your resources are owned by your ‘liberators’.
notice: The content of this post contains my opinions and my right to express them. I will respect your right to express your opinion in the comments as long as you’re not abusive and you respect my right to my opinion.
