If you've been paying any attention to the news for the past few weeks, you're probably aware that Pakistan is steadily but surely sending itself straight to hell in a handbasket. If you haven't noticed, have your vision checked; this is pretty big. As I watch with detached fascination as President-slash-General Pervez Musharraf suspends the constitution under the umbrella of "Emergency Law," I can't help but marvel at how our country, over the past half century or so, has consistently managed to back one losing horse after another in international politics. Does this assertion make you recoil in patriotic shock? Do you now think I'm a communist? If so, let's take a look at the historical record.
We can start with the Shah of Iran. Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi was an autocrat if there ever was one; I looked it up on Wikipedia. If the number of military decorations one wears is proportional to the repressive qualities of one's regime, than the shah should be a shoe-in for despot of the month. Take one look at an official portrait of him in his spotless army uniform, adorned with dozens of medals; between you and me, it's doubtful that he jumped on top of any hand grenades to earn those. The shah's suppression of democratic government in Iran is well known and amply documented. Less so is the fact that the United States actively supported him with the most modern military hardware throughout his reign, even going so far as to sponsor a coup against Iran's democratically elected prime minister, Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh, following his move to nationalize the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. Shame on him. It should be little wonder why our credibility with the Iranians is, shall we say, a little shaky; the one time someone from that part of the world gets their stuff together to actually put the democratic process into action, we go in and kick him out.
The next guy on my list is none other than everyone's favorite Stalin look-alike: Saddam Hussein. The image we have of Saddam is that of America's prime antagonist, and a very naughty boy. It's easy to forget that before we deposed Mr. Hussein and put him on trial so he could thunder away about how his American captors "offended him and the Koran [he] was carrying," Saddam was our number-one bosom-buddy. We figured that this mustachioed strongman-psychopath, who unscrupulously killed anyone who stood astride his road to power, would be a reliable ally in an unreliable part of the world. Guess who gave him all those chemical weapons he used on those poor Kurds. If you guessed us, then congratulations, you've won a trip to sunny Fallujah. Remember to wait until the insurgents reload before crossing the street.
Musharraf is really just another link in this sorry excuse for a foreign policy that we've been struggling along with since the Big One ended in '45. If history is any sort of barometer (and I hope it is because otherwise my major is worthless), then the recent declaration of martial law does not bode well for our friend the General. Since martial law is usually the last gasp before the "guillotine" gets wheeled out, we should have revolution on our hands faster than you can spell E-F-F-I-G-Y. So my question is, who is responsible for these asinine decisions that have squandered every last bit of its credibility this country once had?
Seeing that America-hating is practically an international sport, it may seem unfathomable to us that in our grandparents' lifetime, this country was actually quite well-liked in the Third World. After all, as the first country to tell the redcoats to get the hell out and take their tea with them, we were the shining of example of everything the newly independent Third World was working towards. So what went wrong? When did we go from being the example of freedom to a bumbling, detested empire? I love apple pie, baseball and Levi's jeans just as much as the next guy. Furthermore, as someone who comes from a background that isn't White, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant, I assure you that I have great appreciation for what this country stands for. However, our support for the international despots mentioned above is managing to kill the ideals for which this country stands, and my faith in our righteousness along with them. I want the America of the Boston Tea Party, the Gettysburg Address and Joe DiMaggio.
Argh! I can't think about this anymore, it's making me too bitter. Have a good weekend; if you need me, I'll be in my room, wrapped from head to toe in the stars and stripes, crying myself to sleep.
