Foreign Affairs :: essays research papers fc

With the beginning of a seemingly endless war on terrorism, and a shaky united States economy, now hardly seems the time to examine our general policy towards all other nations, and developing nations in particular. The wreckage of the World Trade Center is still smoldering, and our legions argon marching on Kabul as I write. Nationalism is at a height only previously experienced during the World Wars. every other car you see on the highway has Old Glory proudly flying in their window or on their antenna, some dependable next to their Rebel Flag. On the surface it appears the United States has pulled together for one more righteous cause, and evil, or those that oppose the US as they are usually called, will surely fall. We wont stand for innocent attacks on civilians, and those damned Afghanis and Osama bin Laden had better hide. If you dont believe this, not only are you un-American, but you essential be a damn terrorist yourself. Quietly, however, the argument is being made among scholars and free thinkers in the United States that perhaps we are not the innocent victims we portray ourselves to be in the September 11, 2001 destruction of the World Trade Center. Some forward thinking minds even predicted a tragedy somewhat like this, albeit not on such a large scale. Unenlightened people ask why something like this could or would occur. What would make such a poor and unstable country like Afghanistan decides to stand up to the almighty United States? The answer is not an easy one, and requires a large qualifying in what we expect in foreign relations, and how we see and treat the rest of the world as a whole. The United States is one of the last remaining crack powers of the world, and we have the obligation to maintain and support good relations with the smaller and weaker nations throughout the world. We should take full advantage of this relationship in several polar ways, all without exploiting the original peoples or our own power. First the U.S. must focus on investing and trading with those nations who have yet to become economic powers. Second, we must implement a consistent foreign policy towards the Middle Eastern nations, and all third world nations in general. Third, the United States needs to respect the attempts and results of the democratisation and religious revivals in the Middle East and Latin America, while taking a passive role in letting the a Western caseful of democracy take its course.