Do you’ll accept this theory why America is the super power? If America was not there who would do the things America does.
World Policeman – If Not Us, Who?
David C. Stolinsky, M.D.
Monday, April 7, 2003
When a person – or a nation – undertakes a task, is it because of a narcissistic assumption that no one else can do the task as well? Or is it because of a realistic appraisal that no one else will do the task at all?
Why is America the world’s only superpower? Is it because we destroyed the other superpowers in aggressive wars? No, it’s because we have the world’s most successful economic system, and we devote about 4 percent of our gross domestic product to defense.
Many other nations saddled their economies with the inefficiencies of socialism. At the same time, they decided to leave the burden of defense to somebody else – or to no one. All they knew was that they didn’t want it.
Why is America the world’s policeman? Is it because we forced the U.N. to give up this role? No, it’s because the U.N. and its other members have repeatedly proved themselves unable or unwilling to fulfill the role.
When bloodshed and “ethnic cleansing” broke out in Bosnia and Kosovo, did the U.N. or NATO take effective action? No, they left us to do the heavy lifting.
When Iraq developed weapons of mass destruction, the U.N. responded with 12 years of resolutions and threats of “serious consequences.” What were the “serious consequences” the U.N. had in mind – no TV for a week?
When all this came to nothing, who is finally disarming Iraq? We are, with the help of Britain.
And where we did not intervene, what happened? Who stopped the ethnic slaughter in Rwanda, or the massacre and enslavement of blacks in Sudan? Nobody did.
We didn’t grab the badge of world policeman and rip it off the shirt of the U.N. or of any nation. We found it in the gutter, where it had been discarded and abandoned. We picked it up, polished it and looked around to see if anyone wanted it. When no one claimed it, we pinned it on our own shirt.
Was that hubris, or the shouldering of a responsibility that no one else wanted?
Was that arrogance, or the recognition of a need that no one else was filling?
Was that imperialism, or the realization that an amoral world can’t last long without a policeman? Centuries ago, the world could survive without a policeman – but not in the age of nuclear bombs, nerve gas, biological weapons and long-range missiles.
If you are small and weak, you may have to tolerate bullies. But if you’re the biggest kid in the schoolyard, you don’t have to. What’s more, you shouldn’t tolerate them, even if they leave you alone and bully the smaller kids. And if the bullies aren’t afraid of you, the weaker kids will be in trouble, and eventually so will you.
As the strongest kid, it’s your duty to fight bullies. If you don’t, who will?
We are the biggest kid in the schoolyard. In part, this may be luck. In part, it may be due to the good upbringing our parents provided for us. And there may be a deeper reason as well – it may represent God’s favor.
But whatever the reason, we are the strongest, and that carries responsibilities. If we choose not to shoulder them, that doesn’t mean we have no responsibilities – it means we are shirking them. The responsibilities remain ours, whatever we do.
The far left doesn’t want us to be the world’s policeman because it believes we aren’t worthy to be. The far right doesn’t want us to be because it believes the world isn’t worth policing. But the net result is the same – we do nothing, and the world sinks into anarchy.
The far left believes people wouldn’t hate us if only we shackled our economy with socialism. But they would hate us even more, because then we couldn’t afford to bail them out of their wars, famines and economic disasters.
The far right believes people wouldn’t hate us if only we retreated behind closed borders. But they would hate us even more, because then we wouldn’t care enough to bail them out of their wars, famines and economic disasters.
Extremes of both left and right make the error of thinking that people hate us for what we do. But people hate us for who we are – Americans who believe in political freedom, economic freedom, religious freedom, women’s rights and the importance of the individual. The haters believe in the opposite values.
To stop being hated, we’d have to stop being who we are.
Some go so far as to claim that Iraqis and other Third World peoples really don’t want freedom. In other words, “advanced” white people of European ancestry can handle freedom, but those with darker skins are better off under authoritarian rulers. Let’s be honest – there’s racism here, disguised as “multiculturalism.”
Britain retains its moral compass and will help us but no longer has the strength to do the job alone. Australia will help, too, but not Canada, unless it stops thinking like France. Speaking French is one thing; thinking French is quite another.
France lost its moral compass and not only won’t help, but also tries to block us in its futile attempt to remain relevant. But pomposity isn’t a substitute for greatness. Being big in the world of cheese isn’t the same as being a big cheese.
Germany has no moral compass, so the fact that it has become pacifist is a blessing for the world.
Russia is a shadow of its former self. If it can manage to get its economy out of the Marxist basement, it won’t have to make money by selling weapons to terrorist states. Perhaps then it may become a force for good in the world, but that’s a big “perhaps.”
Eastern Europe remembers tyranny only too well, and in the future it may support us with more than words. Spain and Italy will help to the degree they are able.
Scandinavia, except for Denmark, is too concerned with socialism to worry about freedom. In the end, equality and freedom are competing goals.
India is a huge nation and deserves France’s seat on the Security Council. If it loses its fear of aligning itself with anyone, it could be a major force for good.
Japan has economic troubles, and North Korea is threatening it with missiles. But judging by the past, it may be fortunate that Japan is preoccupied.
China is too intent on an ethnocentric pursuit of power to be of help. We will be lucky if China isn’t a major obstacle.
The U.N. should be called the D.G. – the disunited governments. Most of its members are thugs and dictators of various types. We are fortunate indeed that the U.N. has no credible military force; it would be misused.
Libya heads the U.N. Human Rights Commission, and Iraq heads the Disarmament Conference. Would you want such an amoral organization to police the world? Amoral policemen are dangerous.
Perhaps some future world body will be composed of free nations. Until then, let the U.N. remain weak – it’s a lot safer that way.
And that leaves us as world policeman. Whether by choice or by default, we’re it. We can’t do everything everywhere, but that doesn’t mean we should do nothing anywhere. We are not excused from doing what we can.
The cop who disgustedly throws away his badge is a Hollywood staple. We recall Gary Cooper in “High Noon.” He faced down the criminals alone, then tossed his badge into the gutter and left the cowardly townspeople behind. We recall Clint Eastwood in “Dirty Harry.” He caught the killer despite his bosses, then tossed his badge into San Francisco Bay and left the bumbling bureaucrats behind.
Throwing away your badge makes a self-righteous gesture, but it accomplishes nothing except to remove a policeman from the world.
The opposite image is more relevant today. It’s the image of an older John Wayne in “True Grit.” He comes out of retirement to help a young woman find her father’s murderers.
It’s the image of someone who keeps the badge pinned to his shirt.
Like Wayne’s character, we’re tired and really don’t want to be a U.S. Marshal any more. And like him, we’re not as young as we were; we’re out of shape, overweight, and some of us drink too much.
But also like him, when troubled people come to us and ask us to bring their loved ones’ murderers to justice, we just can’t say no. If we don’t do it, who will?
Dr. Stolinsky writes on political and social issues. He may be contacted at [email protected].
Why is America the world’s policeman?