Shunning
by Paul Harris
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In modern times, occasions arise when one or several countries choose to ‘shun’ another nation as a way of trying to influence a change in that nation’s behaviour. Think of the United States’ embargo on Cuba, sanctions levied against bad actors by the United Nations (like Libya, Iraq), Canadian sanctions against South Africa, eventually adopted by most of the British Commonwealth. That last example is a model of what can be accomplished with international condemnation; although the world’s sanctions against Apartheid cannot claim full credit for the turnaround in South Africa, it was a powerful incentive to those who sought to bring about changes there.
This is an article about the United States of America. From the outset, let me state clearly that there is tremendous credit due to the US for a wide variety of social, humanitarian, artistic, scientific, intellectual accomplishments. But this small group of people, ruled by an even smaller group of thugs (a kleptocracy), is truly the epitome of the ‘tail-wagging-the-dog’ syndrome. The US comprises a small fraction of the world but it sees all the rest of the world – and, for emphasis, ALL the rest of the world – as its servant, its supplier of cheap goods and labour, its warehouse, its flea market, the place to play with its guns.
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From 1945 to the early years of the 21st century, the US attempted to overthrow more than 40 foreign governments and to crush more than 30 populist movements fighting against insufferable regimes. In the process, they bombed about 25 countries, killed several million people, and condemned many millions more to lives of agony, poverty and despair. Oh yes, and they’re presently sabre-rattling against Iran and, maybe, North Korea. (Forgive me if I’ve forgotten any military excursion here; it’s hard to keep track. And I do concede that Korea and Iraq {1991} were different because they occurred under the aegis of the United Nations; but my that does not deflect from my point that this a bellicose group.)
Most of this activity took place during a time when the United States was allegedly in a defensive posture. In reality, the United States has never been in a defensive posture. It’s short history has been one of expansionism; first through movement to the west coast, then economically in the rest of the Americas where profits can be derived without the overhead of actually running the countries.
More at:
http://www.vivelecanada.ca/article.php/20050918204323413
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