Cynthia Stone

April 14, 2008

America: Neo-Colonialism Nightmare

After completing my mid-term subject “America the Blind” I was even more curious than before about the topic of America as a colonial entity. It seems every time I turn around I am finding more sides to America that become uglier and uglier. The colonization of other countries by America is just one ugly side to the democratic empire of America.

          I don’t want to seem unpatriotic because I am not. In fact, it was not until I took this class and had to do the research required for the assignments that I started having sympathetic feelings for the “other” side. In class, we discussed how there are two sides of to any story in history and each side will have a polar view of the same subject. It is no different with the American pre-emptive war movement in Afghanistan, etc.

          Over the past few years, we have seen and heard on TV how America has overstayed its welcome in the Middle East. While at home there are mixed feelings over whether or not we should pull our troops out of the Middle East, and let the country struggle its way thought the ups and downs of democracy, or to send in more troops to make sure that the changes that the American government has initiated take root and become firmly rooted, so that terrorist actions are put to rest.

          The Middle East’s cry for release from the American military control is reminiscent of the cry of India and Africa to be released from British rule. Many Americans do not see America as an empire or America’s actions as colonization of the Middle East. However, that is not the view of all Americans. On the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace site there is an article that was posted in the San Francisco Chronicle, February 23, 2003 by Joseph Cirincione titled “The New American Colonialism” that talks about what would happen when Bush sent troops to Afghanistan to stop a war from breaking out over 9/11. It is in this article that, “retired Gen. Wesley Clark, the former head of NATO forces, says, this war will "put us in a colonial position in the Middle East following Britain, following the Ottomans. It's a huge change for the American people and for what this country stands for." Here it is for the entire world to see that America will be a colonial entity following in the footsteps of Britain.

          America sees our interference on a level of enlightening the unenlightened and freeing the enslaved but to the rest of the world it looks like America is making a major colonization move. After all America sent troops into Afghanistan to overthrow their government and appoint a U.S. military ruler and as of yet their has been no plan created for the exodus of American troops from the Middle East because of the backlash that most likely will occur when American influences cease. The thought that American troops are going to be able to stop terrorism by colonizing countries is a fantasy notion that is doomed to end in a semi apocalyptic event. Cirincione commented that, “The war will be a breeding ground for a new generation of terrorists” and indeed the terrorist organizations have multiplied and spread their views across the Middle East and even into Europe.

          Don’t get me wrong I do not see Afghanistan and Iraq as helpless victims of American regime, 9/11 opened them up for American attack. I just don’t see the purpose of sending our troops over there to become targets for terrorist when we could have ended their threat with a nuclear war head delivered to Afghanistan with a nice red ribbon tied around its nose reading ‘payback a bitch, goodbye’.  It is this view that will keep me out of any political positions if I ever aspire that low. For now I am content to know that I am not the only American that sees how much America is messing up with its views of helping the Middle East.

          Lawrence Pintak a writer for The Progressive POPULIST wrote “The New Colonialism: Iraq, Islam & the American Regency”, an article that shows Iraq as a noble nation that is being manipulated by America. He states:

 “With the invasion of Iraq, a nation founded on the principles of liberty and self-determination [America] will follow in the footsteps of the Romans, Ottomans and British, occupying Arab territory and serving as overlord of a vast swath of the Islamic world. Like those foreign invaders, we will exist, as a thorn in the heart of the Middle East, creating an Imperial presence that will irrevocably redraw the region's geopolitical map. . .When the dust settles in the deserts of Iraq, a puppet regime will stand in place of Saddam Hussein. But just as Baghdad's ruling class carried out the dictates of the Ottoman Sultans of the Seljuk Empire, the new government of a "free" Iraq will serve at the pleasure of an American proconsul backed by tens of thousands of U.S. troops.”

When the pre-emptive war movement is seen in this light is makes the helpful hand of America look more like a tyrannical fist coming down to crush the little people as well as the ‘bad’ government/ guys. And when you consider that with a U.S. puppet in control of the government and therefore the numerous resources that the nation provides it is no wonder that Muslims hate America and that the hate is increasing with each day that passes with American troops controlling their nation. What is worse as time passes Americans are beginning to question the values that America was founded on and the values that kept America from collapsing in the wake of 9/11. America is in essence becoming its own creepy shadow that moves in the night and gives people nightmares. It is my dearest hope that something will happen to allow America to make it through this stressful time before the shadow creature becomes a real monster going bump in the night.

          All that said and done, there is no easy solution to war and terrorism and I still believe that America is the best place to live. As the old adage goes “America, love it or leave it” and I am not going anywhere!!!