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US Political Intervention
US POLITICAL INTERVENTION
Democracy is a state where one has a choice to do what they please without intervention from another party. It is all about being given the right to make choices without intervention. The author compares democracy as we know it and how it is practised by powerful countries in order to dominate the world by forcing their policies on others. An example is the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe who were experimenting socialism, but had to quit because they wanted to join the winning team which was practising democracy. “After all, democracy is the only form of government that commands widespread and deep legitimacy in the world today.”
Democracy according to the author was a term presumably used by the United States in the competition of power and dominance with other equally powerful states. in the case where some governments are formed though authoritarian policies and democracy is not a subject to competition, the United States uses other ways to control these governments so as to establish dominance. They will do this by bringing in foreign governments and international monetary organizations to intervene. This kind of intervention is not a good idea especially when its main objectives are democratically centred. Such interventions include; the provision of international assistance in a manner that is going to hinder autonomy and affect the flow of information and the development of legal institutions to strengthen the rule of law. In the case of both strategies, the author concludes that pluralism is in most cases assumed to be democratic even when it is imposed or manipulated by the elite. The author further assumed that organizations like the United States Agency for International Aid (USAID) and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) mainly located in third world countries providing aid preaching democracy and passing it on as a foreign policy.
Demonstration elections were first staged in Vietnam, Dominican Republic and El Salvador. The United States foreign policies have virtually determined whether elections should be done, whether they should be cancelled or whether they should be nullified regardless of the fact that they were free and fair or not. These are ways through which the United States has demonstrated its intervention in countries where they want to assert their foreign policies. Demonstration elections are categorized into; show elections, pre-empted elections and unacceptable electoral results.
Show elections were held in Afghanistan in 2005 and Iraq in 2004. The results of these elections were particularly important to the United States because they were in favour of the military invasions in both countries. If another country had sponsored those same elections and the results were not in favour of the United States, they would have denounced the elections. The US is determined to prove to the world that the invasion of both Afghanistan and Iraq was in the effort to make the countries democratic though the countries are sovereign states. They are determined to show that the invasion was genuine because they were trying to bring democracy in both countries and not a mistake made by President George W. Bush. To legitimize their efforts, the United States has sought the assistance of the United Nations that brings together different countries to oversee the elections just to prove that the interest in the invasion of these countries is nothing personal. Other non-governmental organizations were also called upon top oversee the elections thus involving the international community.
Examples of pre-empted elections include those held in Vietnam and in the Philippines in 1956 and 1972 respectively. In the case of Vietnam, the elections according to the Geneva Peace Accord would end French colonialism in Vietnam leading to the re-unification of the country and handing it back to its people. The United States feared that if the elections were free and fair, then it would lead to the election of Ho Chi Minh a popular resistant leader. The United States decided to back a communist-militant Ngo Dinh Diem in his political struggled. Allied to the US, he was influenced by the decision to stall the elections. The United States had power because they had defeated the French as a principle sponsor of the government had gave them the consent to demand for the cancellation of the elections that were intended to bring the re-unification of Vietnam.
In the case of the Philippines, the United States wanted to develop a special relation with them so that they could dominate the countries both economically and for military purposes. To avoid attacks from the East, the United States had to be having good relations with the Philippines. The United States was constantly meddling in the domestic and political affairs of Philippines including the support of pro-US political candidates and governments.
Finally, examples of unacceptable electoral results included parliamentary elections in Iran, presidential elections in the Dominican Republic and Guatemala in 1951, 1964 and 1954 respectively. In the three cases, the people elected to government those they thought would represent them in accordance to the constitution, but they would not respect the wishes of the United States or even implement their foreign policies. Though the elections were seen as free and fair, they were cancelled. In the case of Iran which is a major oil-producing country, the United States was interested in dominating it due to the economic importance that would be involved.
The intervention of the United States in elections occurring in other countries has changed the relationship between these countries and the United States from good to bad. In the case of Vietnam, the citizens were very angry after the election that were supposed t unify Vietnam were cancelled. They felt that if it was not for the US intervention, they would have elected a leader who would represent them constitutionally without being influence by foreign policy. They were also eager to be a free state and not one that was under the control of the French. Though the United States tried to convince the people that cancellation of the elections was meant to bring peace and democracy, this still hurt the relationship between them and Vietnam.
The elections in the Dominican Republic and the Guatemala were free and fair according to the constitution, but they were all termed as null and void. This was especially evident in Iran where the United States sought dominance so as to control the oil reserves. A coup followed after the elections led to assassinations and what followed was the cancellation of the elections owing to the fact that the electoral results were unacceptable.
in the comparison between law and ethics on one hand and personal interest and power on the other hand, the United States has been perceived by other countries in the world especially third world countries as a country the is eager to dominate for power and for personal interest. Their intentions are questionable even in times of a crisis because they will always have a hidden agenda for their actions. Though they might be helping a country with nothing but good intentions, it is in most cases hard to believe. They have been known to offer aid only when their foreign policies are adopted. They might alter the results of an election or even require for a change of the constitution to fit their foreign policies so that they can offer aid. They have done this through the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. This has affected the United States as a model of democracy in the world and is bound to cause serious implications. The short-term implications are that the countries that have been dominated by the United States will gang up against them so that they can fight their dominance. Long term implications might be a repeat of what happened in September 11, 2001 where countries will begin to attack the United States to show that they are more powerful. It is going to be a battle between the countries that support the United States and those that are against them possible causing a World War 3.
The United States has been in collaboration with the media to ensure that incriminating information about their forceful invasion and their illegal dominance is not documented. This is all for the purpose of protecting their public image to ensure that the [policies in the United States will be followed by that country and other countries. an example is the case of Iran where there was a coup after the parliamentary elections in Iran. the people of Iran did not have sufficient information on why the coup started and how it led to the assassination of their leader. this information was intentionally not documented so that the United States could not be implicated in the coup. The media has made demonstration elections seem as a way of pacification or the prevention of military insurgency.
US homeland security is a department in the US federal government
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2 essays
US homeland security is a department in the US federal government. It is aimed at protecting the United States and its territories from terrorism and any other disasters that may arise. The department has been fighting terrorism since the year 1942. The department is organized to understand and evolving and emerging threats. Due to the continual evolving of the terror tactics, thus the department ought to keep with the pace. Terrorism comes up with sophisticated means of attack everyday thus the department is always vigilant against any emerging types of terror attacks. The department is also organized to improve its prevention of terrorism. It comes up with creative and new technologies to fight terror including new means of detecting explosives and other available weapons.
NATO, on the other hand, is organized to improve awareness on threat and preparedness to act when called for. It also involves development of adequate capabilities and also collaborating with other partners’ countries in fighting terrorism. Moreover, to successfully fight terrorism, it is important for the organizations involved to have the required information and share it in a timely and effective manner. On this note, Interpol is organized to provide the required tools and services to affect the required communication channels. Their aim is to ensure effective collaboration between member states ensuring that the offenders are punished irrespective of their locations.
There was a war in Pakistan involving Pakistan and armed groups of the militant. The war began in 2004 when the army of Pakistan who were involved in the search for Al-Qaeda fighters which escalated into an armed resistance. The war greatly affected the country by depleting most of its resources affecting its economy. The government struggled to fight the terror attack and managed to capture a militant’s stronghold village that was located in Damadole. Later, the armed forces of Pakistan launched an aim to clear orakzai. They also announced that they would capture North Waziristan in future. They managed to kill approximated 150 of the militants in the area of the fight.
They expected to clear all the tribal areas by end June 2010. By third of June, the authorities managed to clear the Taliban insurgency in Orakzai and Kurram. As a result, the country was able to fight terror attacks in the area. NATO joined forces with the Pakistan government to fight these insurgent groups. Thus, in 2014 when the American troops began departing, the number of attacks launched by the Taliban Insurgency groups increased. Speculation was high that the groups were waiting for the US withdrawal before launching major attacks in the area.
This is the same case in Afghanistan. Due to the increased terror attacks in the area, the NATO joined forces with the government to reduce the cases of terrorism in the area. They dug out hotspots for the terrorists and managed to eliminate most of them. However, with the death of Al-Qaeda main leader, Osama bin Laden, the terror group engaged in more terror revenge missions. They waited for the US government to withdraw from the area to conduct a series of more dangerous attacks. However, to-date, the Pakistan, and the Afghanistan governments are involved in curbing terrorism in the areas in conjunction with the help rendered by NATO and Interpol. Though cases of terror attacks and insurgency have reduced, there are a few cases of suicide bombers in the area to-date that claims the lives individuals in the areas. A lot has to be done to completely curb terrorism in the areas.
US HISTORY AND ITS ORIGINS
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1-United States of America’s interventions since the Truman’s era to the Reagan’s era
The cold war happened in the period between the year 1947 and 1991. During this period the western bloc powers experienced a state of military and political tension among them. The kickoff of the cold war was followed in quick succession by the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization also known famously known as the NATO. This was a military alliance formed by twenty eight member countries with the aim of ensuring their collective defense. The famous North Atlantic Treaty was signed among the member countries with an agreement of a mutual defense against any external aggressor (Foner, Give me Freedom, P. 154). The cold war was dominated by the NATO, the United States of America, the Soviet Union and the Warsaw pact. By this time the USA and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics which is current days Russia. Basically, the cold war was a rivalry between the east and the west championed by the United States of America and its affiliate countries against the USSR and its affiliates. However, some countries maintained neutrality in the turf and formed the Non-Aligned Movement. The countries include Egypt, Yugoslavia, and India.
The cold war did not involve any military combats. It involved psychological rather than the physical warfare. This is chiefly because the two superpowers had the fear of the unknown if they got involved in the military warfare. They both possessed lethal war equipment especially nuclear weapons which were still foreign by the time. They therefore feared the mutual destruction that would result if they got involved in a real battle. Both countries had witnessed the adverse effects of the world wars which ended in the year 1945. The cold war period was ensued by proxy wars in which the main antagonists used their affiliate parties in battles without themselves being involved. The period was also characterized by massive propaganda campaigns as each super power worked towards gaining favor from other states in the world. Numerous military coalitions were formed during this period and appeals made to the neutral states to join this rivalry. Despite the efforts to make it a psychological warfare, numerous battles were fought. These wars include; the Cuban missile crisis, the Vietnam war, the Korean War, and the Yom Kippur war.
NSC-68
The NSC-68 was a secretive policy document that was drafted by the United States National Security Council which bore the secretive statements of the USA’s policy on the cold war. The document was ratified in September 1951 by the then president Joseph Truman. This was the steering document of the United States of America in the cold war. The document analyzed the situation that ensued between the Soviet Union and the United States at many standpoints (Foner, Give me freedom, P. 134). The group that conceived this idea was in response to a perceived soviet threat. The policy maintained that a military approach towards the rivalry was the best and it gave a little chance for diplomatic action.
This particular policy called for the defense of the western hemisphere in a bid to develop its war-making capabilities. It also provided for the fortification of a conscription base before they reorganized their military structure. The documented also stipulated the conduction of offensives meant to weaken the elements of the Soviet Union until the power balance was completely toppled and the United States and its affiliate countries took over the victory (Foner, Give me freedom, P. 256). There were plans that were being set to ensure the security of the communication bases that were extremely vital in the offensives. These plans were to cost the United States of America a fortune. It is roughly estimated that full implementation of this foreign policy would cost a whole twenty percent of the country’s Gross National Product.
USA’s interventions
During the course of the cold war the United States took a number of intervention measures in a bid to safeguard its interests. Prior to the cold war, the USA was also involved in a number of overseas interventions. That includes the liberation war of Liberia which was waged by the private American groups with the unofficial USA government support. There existed policies that were being enacted by the United States that resulted in the interventions. The policies stipulated in the National Security council Report of 1950 was the chief reason behind the interventions (Foner, Give me freedom, P. 253). The foreign policy of the US during the cold war is one of them. The foreign policy outlined the way the United States of America was to interact with foreign nations during the period of the cold war. The containment policy in which the United States sought to uproot and curb the expansion of communism in the world was the reason behind most political and military decisions the United States of America in the cold war period. Communism was greatly championed by the Soviet Union and its affiliate nations. Some of the interventions that the United States made are as below.
The Korean wars, 1950 to 1953
The Korean War broke out in the year 1950 and came to a halt in the year 1953. The war was between the republic of Korea which is currently South Korea and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea which is the current day North Korea. The war erupted due to the political division of Korea which had occurred after the termination of the Pacific war (History lesson 12). The 1948 general elections in the Korean peninsula were faced by malpractices and skirmishes that resulted in the antagonism between the northern part of the peninsula and the southern part. A political division occurred at the 38th parallel. Diplomatic measures were taken by the two parts but they failed terribly resulting in the eruption of war between the two fronts. Before the eruption of the pacific war, Korea was under the colonial power of the Japanese empire. In the battle the republic of Korea was supported by the United Nations while China and the Soviet Union supported the present day North Korea (History Lesson 12). The United States however under the authority of the then president Joseph Trauman without the consent of the congress sent troops in support of the United Nations envoys and against the Soviet Union which was fighting in the North (Foner, Give me freedom, P. 365). The decision to intervene was out of the tense atmosphere that surrounded the cold war. The United States of America was also greatly opposed to the adoption of communism by the North Korea.
The US intervention in Iran
In the year 1953 the USA in a project duped the TP AJAX in conjunction with the United Kingdom orchestrated a coup d’état that resulted in the overthrowing of the democratic elected government of Iran. Immediately after the overthrow, a military government was put in place and was heavily supported by the United States of America. The Iranian state was rumored to be a sphere of influence for the Soviet Union as well as the British government. This was the chief reason the US took intervention measures to ensure that the Soviet Union did not benefit from the Iran’s wealth of natural resources like petroleum wells.
USA intervention in Americas
Guatemala is a country in Latin America. In the year 1952 the Nicaraguan president sought power and support from the United States in a bid to overthrow the then Guatemalan leader. This was chiefly because Guatemala under the leadership of the communist party had embraced communism which was being championed by the Soviet Union. The United States of America was greatly opposed to the Soviet Union and their communist ideologies. They therefore overthrew the government of Jacob who had adopted a communist approach. This was in an effort to curb the spread of communism in the Latin America. In the year 1961 the US invaded Congo in 1960 to 1966. It was one of the cold war proxies waged by the US in a bid to DE popularize the Soviet Union’s communism. It resulted in the assassination of the then premier, Patrice Lumumba.
The Vietnamese war is the longest military offensive the US ever had. It was also another reproach to the communism spread and the US lost this war. It was an implementation of the US’s foreign policy. The US government during the cold war era also invaded and ousted democratically elected leaders in Central America (Foner, Voices of Freedom, P. 189). This includes the Chilean coup which was orchestrated by the US.
It can be conclude that the main reason for the coups, the offensives and the combats carried out by the US against other nations was in an effort to safeguard the National interest (History lesson, 12). They were against the communism campaigns waged by the Soviet Union.
2-Transformation of the United States of America from an expansive welfare state to neoliberalism
Neoliberalism is an approach that promotes free trade and encourages a capitalistic approach. The approach allows free movement of goods, resources and enterprises with an aim of maximizing returns and promoting efficiency. Neoliberalism promotes the reduction and shrinkage of the public sector and champions the growth and expansion of the private sector (Foner, Give me liberty, P. 323). This methodology was adopted after socialist approaches which promote working in harmony of people in a nation failed and resulted in the crumbling of economies in these nations.
The United States has over the years evolved from an expansive welfare state to fully adopt neoliberalism. This was promoted by a number of factors. The main aim of adopting this approach was to alleviate poverty and promote economic growth in the country (History lesson 15). Since attainment of independence, the country had been promoting a socialist economic approach with less concern on the capitalistic approach (Foner, Voices of freedom, P. 476). In the few decades that had passed since the 1940s to 1970s the United States had been involved in a series of wars. This had hurt its economy to a large extent.
The period between 1970 and 1980s was characterized by a great social, economic and cultural change in the United States (History lesson 13). People in all regions had developed a great affinity for money as they were convinced beyond any reasonable doubt that a good life could only be achieved by the economically stable. In the 1960s this had not been the case. There rose a group of reformers who were mindful of their brother’s welfare in the countries USA had been oppressing (Foner, Give me liberty, P. 321). The people campaigned vibrantly against the Vietnam War waged by the federal government. Numerous persons especially women also fought hard for the attainment of gender equality. Philanthropists also took numerous measures to bring to an end racism that had been rampant in the United States (Foner, Give me liberty, P. 36). The people who championed for social changes to better the living conditions were perceived to be heroes by the then society. The period between 1970 was characterized by an economic recession which hit the USA as well as the rest of the world (history lesson 15)
After 1970 things changed a lot in USA. Many milestones had been reached in the social aspects. It is during this age that equality was embraced. Gender inequality became an issue of concern in USA (History lesson 18). Women oppressors had been uprooted out of the community. The campaigners had achieved their goals. Negligible cases of violence against female were heard all over the expansive country. There was also a great change even in gender balance in employment. The rate of employment among women rose by a great deal compared to other years. They were actively involved in economic activities more than ever. The women also indulged themselves into political matters more than previous years. The 1960s were characterized by numerous social problems ranging from police violence against the civilian population, killings and racialism (History lesson 18)
During this period, the education sector experienced a torrent in growth. There was a massive sprout of institutions of higher learning all over the country. In the previous decades, few people showed a little interest in education. However, during this period things changed. More and more persons were enrolled in higher learning institutions (Foner, Voices of Freedom, P. 213). This also caused a revolution in the labor sector. Many young people enrolled into law and health studies institutions with a sole aim of acquiring skills which would enable them get jobs in the future. As more people were enrolled in learning programs the higher the number of skilled laborers that was available. More job opportunities were created as a result of expansion of the economy. However, an economic decline was experienced in the year 1792 and 1974 due to corruption and the rogue industry (History Lesson 15). The economic recession was also as a result of the World War II in which numerous resources were spent (History lesson 14)
The university system during the period underwent a radical transformation changing the basic objectives and ruining the possibilities for social liberation. Financial crises and recession experienced resulted in the dismantling of the former structure of the public universities (Inside Job by Ferguson, 2010). In the beginning, the universities were created to improve the social mobility of the United States massive population. In the 1970s and 80s most established higher learning institutions were put in place mostly due to economic reasons (Foner, Give me liberty, P. 456). Most of the social objectives that the public universities masterminds wanted to achieve have been eroded. Most private proprietors who have established learning institutions do not have the interests of the nation as a whole at heart. Most people had the aim of enriching themselves.
The governance of the United States evolved over the years changed greatly. Following the defeat of USA in the Vietnam wars a democratic approach to governance was adopted (History lesson 18). Immigration into the country rose due to the friendly acts of the congress that allowed external investors to get into the country. This period saw the resignation of a president due to an alleged economic crime committed by him. The period also saw the rise and fall of racism in the United States. During the previous decades, philanthropists and human rights activists had waged a war against the racism that was seen as an archaic practice (Foner, Voices of Freedom, P. 156). Their efforts bore fruits as very few cases of racist oppressors were heard (History lesson 18).
It is during this period that the Nixon laws were cancelled. This was a series of economic measures that the United States put in place by the then US president, Richard Nixon (History lesson 15). This ushered the era of the freely floating currency unlike the other years. In 1980 when Ronald Reagan ascended to the highest office in the USA, his chief aim was to curb the power of labor, to deregulate industry, resource extraction, and agriculture and to liberate the powers of finance. The USA experienced a radical change during the ten years to accommodate neoliberalism. Literary everything was done with the aim of making monetary gains. However numerous economic constraints were experienced. A lot of people lost jobs as well as their homes (History lesson 15). A heavy debt load was also experienced by the United States (History lesson 14).
Neoliberalism therefore, can be said to have brought economic growth of the United States of America. It was a period of renaissance that resulted in economic revolution in the USA. All people were more focused on making economic gains since most social issues has been attended to in the previous years (History lesson 14. The period also experienced revival of democracy. There were notable political changes for the better. These changes have up to date ensured political, economic and social prosperity of the United States.
Work Cited:
Foner, Eric. Voices of freedom: A documentary history (3rd edition). New York: W.W Norton and company. 2007.
Foner, Eric. Give me liberty: An American history (3rd edition). New York: W.W Norton Company. 2006.