Political Leaders and Sociologists on American Ideology - Assignment Example

History Questions and Answers Order No. 666098 Short Answers Letter to America by Osama Bin Laden In the “Letter to America” Osama bin Laden elaborately expounded on the reasons which justified the terror attacks in the United States and also on the belief that all Americans were legitimate targets of these attacks. The primary reason that the Americans were being targeted was due to their support to the Jewish cause of Israel. The Americans were instrumental in crushing the Islamic Palestinians and committing atrocities on them. He believed that the American government was systematically looting the oil rich Islamic nation and using the profits to fight Islam. The American Government is also held responsible for the pathetic condition of the people of Iraq enabling worldwide sanctions against Iraq. Since the American people elected their leaders and supported their policies, they too were held responsible for the atrocities against the Islam world. The strong military presence of the United States in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which is the holiest Islamic centre was considered a provocation to the entire Islamic brethren. The American military comprised of American men and women and the leaders and their policies were endorsed by the American people so they too were considered offenders of Islam who were to be attacked and subdued. Answer - 2 _ The Role of the Sykes-Picot Agreement, Balfour Declaration and League of Nations One of the key features of the anti- American sentiments prevalent in the Middle East is the American policies which have played a decisive role in the local politics of the region. The disintegration of the Ottoman Empire caused by the Europeans resulted in the loss of the only unifying force in the Middle East. The western powers began to exploit the countries of this region for their own benefit. An atmosphere of distrust was created when the contents of the Sykes- Picot Agreement was made public by the Russians. This agreement divided the Ottoman Empire between the two European nations and limited the scope for absolute Arab sovereignty to the Arabian Peninsula. The Balfour Declaration supporting the Zionist movement caused ill will. Along with these the League of Nations mandate virtually gave control of the Middle East to Britain and France. The western policies were unacceptable to the people of the region and fostered anti- Western sentiments. Answer – 3 – American Ideology by Andrew Bacevich Andrew Bacevich is of the view that the American Ideology of National Security is flawed in the sense that they are delusional. Successive governments have undermined the limitations of power and have believed in the efficacy of military solutions for all problems. He defines the Ideology of National Security within the four parameters of history, understanding of freedom, liberating tradition and the American belief that freedom ought to prevail all over the world. These core values guide all policies and were instrumental in the American invasion of Iraq. Believing in their might and military prowess successive administrations have shown ineptitude in dealing with internal security and the flawed foreign policies have exposed the people of America to dangers all over the world. Failures in Iran and Afghanistan, inability to anticipate terrorist attack and failure to punish the guilty have raised serious doubts on the credentials of all responsible for national security. Essay Answers 1 – Anti- Americanism Anti- Americanism is considered to be a crippling and pervasive feature that threatens to erode the fabric of America and this subject has always been debated about by critics, researchers and even the general public. Baxter and Akbarzadeh who are both researchers and authors have made an in depth study of the US policies and are of the opinion that the seed of anti- Americanism has sprouted due to a disconnect between America’s professed ideals and the actual implementation of American policies. Crucial points of the regional crisis were studied and it was noted by Baxter and Akbarzadeh that the policies of the US contributed to creating a popular distrust among the people. Their research also examined the correlated nature of different events that occurred in the geo- strategically vulnerable, yet vital region. According to Baxter and Akbarzadeh, the U.S policies where Palestine and Iraq were concerned had a major impact which contributed to widespread distrust among them. Some of the sensitive topics touched upon by the authors were about the wars between Arabia and Israel, foreign intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Persian Gulf wars, the spectacle of September 11th and finally about the spread of Islamic movements. Answer – 2 - Andrew Bacevich on U.S as an Expansionist Imperial power. Andrew Bacevich identified and pointed out to three profound related crisis that according to him caused the decline of the U.S Empire. The three crisis were 1) Cultural and Economic, 2) The Political crisis and 3) The Military crisis. Bacevich highlights the above factors to give us a cohesive understanding of the subject. He tells us that when the Cold War came to a close, America initiated a project which they termed as “globalization” which reflected a laid back informal empire. Though the military had power of defense over the perimeter, after the 9/11 spectacle war became a permanent condition. According to this book the main criteria for these wars taking place was political, cultural, economic as well as military. Bacevich tells us that America went after freedom heedlessly and occupied themselves with great self indulgence. The crisis of Profligacy saw the Jefferson ethic degenerating due to this “self- gratification”. Expansion served to waste away America’s power and wealth and thereby risking their freedom. The Political crisis at that time was rather precarious. After the WWII and the Cold War, the U.S ceased to be a republic and began to be ruled by an “imperial presidency” ruled by an “Incumbents Party” and national security was at stake. The Military crisis served to further worsen the situation as they failed to accomplish the assignments successfully. Bacevich thinks that the situation has to be resolved in America- not with a bigger army but with a strong smaller army that adopts a good foreign policy. He is of the opinion that the right approach has to be adopted in American politics if it wants to resolve the present situation. Answer 3 - Andrew Bacevich on Jimmy Carter’s “Malaise Speech”. Andrew J. Bacevich, a public thinker found an audience in the political spectrum to tell the truth about the people in power and what he thought of it. The patriotism he felt helps him to challenge the illusions and myths of America. Being an army man himself has given him the experience to speak about the intricacies on the political front. Bacevich strongly feels that the problems faced in America are not problems that are from out of the country but the major problems were from within. According to Bacevich, President Jimmy Carter’s Malaise speech holds great significance and is quite powerful. In Carter’s speech he points out that Carter strongly felt that America’s dependence on oil posed a huge threat to the country and unless immediate action is taken can this problem be solved. If this action is not taken then they would be heading down the path where they would be opting for a ‘false model of freedom’ by making themselves increasingly dependent on foreign oil. Speaking on this false model of freedom for America, he states that the people would follow the path of materialism, recklessness and self indulgence. Bacevich explains that Carter was well aware of the dilemma faced by his country as he had a deep understanding of the impact it would create on the future of American freedom. He strongly felt that Americans should reflect on what real freedom actually was and advocated that they need to cultivate freedom based on truth by addressing the energy crisis in the country. References An Unholy Alliance http://archives.dawn.com/archives/13791 Bacevich – The Limits of Power (2008) www.scribd.com/doc/.../Bacevich-The-Limits-of-Power-2008 The Ideology of National Security for Convictions www.progressivereader.com/.../the-ideology-of-national Transcripts – Bill Movers Journal www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/08152008/transcript1.html Read More