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Friendless
02-Aug-2010
In today’s world, war is our business. In 2010 the U.S. is busy warring and pushing its imperialistic control throughout the world. We are located militarily in more nations than ever before. It takes billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars to maintain that action.
Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Israel, etc., all have something in common. These Mid-East nations gladly accept our billions of tax dollars for military munitions, various goods and services, yet flagrantly they hate us.
The real stupidity is that U.S. leaders never seem to learn the lesson. We continue to attempt to buy our friendships/alliances and instead maintain and add to the list of our current enemies while driving our economy into the ground.
In our ongoing war efforts we continue to kill innocent civilians as they are viewed by our government and military as "collateral damage" and part of Mid-East warring. We have lost our compassion for human life.
We are fighting the enemy in Afghanistan, supposedly with the support, help and commitment by Pakistan; however, Pakistan is hardly the friend of the U.S.
The following article printed in UTNE Reader was originally published by ProPublica. On 7/26/2010 “The New York Times, England’s The Guardian and Germany’s Der Spiegel published reports on what’s been termed the “War Logs”—nearly 92,000 documents about the war in Afghanistan made public by WikiLeaks. To put the leaked documents in context, we pulled together some of the best, past reporting on the main themes in the reports.” [Read more:utne.com: Thousand-Yard Stare: WikiLeaks War Logs in Context]
The so-called WikiLeaks War Logs have created some disturbing messages, some of which underscore the reality that the U.S. does NOT know who its world friends are despite the fact that we have had the same history repeat itself at least for the past century.
Most of the Mid-Eastern nations are NOT our friends, despite what we are told by government and military leadership and the majority of mainstream media.
An example should have been observed from the 9/11 travesty when all but one of the terrorists were affiliated with our supposed nation friend Saudi Arabia. However, the Bush administration did not insist on investigating the Saudi government and demanding that the Saudi leaders should be held partially responsible for the actions of their citizens. When the terrorists attack the U.S. and its citizens, very few Mid-East nations publicly blasted the catastrophe. Most were subdued in their comments and many nations did not respond to the tragedy.
We are fighting the wars Middle East nations should be fighting and we are doing so without the honest and real support of the so-called “friends” we are trying to help. As the saying goes, “With friends like these we don’t need enemies.” --- The reason being that most of the Mid-East nations already are our enemies.
Our inability to make logical decisions regarding our Mid-Eastern neighbors is reflected in viewing the adage, “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” It is more than ironic that the U.S. still throws money, goods and services at our enemies and thinking that these nations will therefore become our friends.
We are killing thousands of military and civilian lives and wasting billions in U.S. tax dollars to continue the failed overseas wars of George W. Bush & Company and now President Barack Obama has increased the failing long-time war effort in Afghanistan. Many elite corporations and wealthy individual contractors are making millions in profits, but it is the People of the United States of American who are facing a dreadful economy, massive unemployment with no jobs on the immediate horizon, increased daily living expenses and a government and big business who just don’t care about the majority of U.S. citizens or our crumbling infrastructures.
The money sent overseas could be better spent on our own failing economy and urgent priorities. The Obama and Congress seem to listen to their wealthy constituency and lobbies instead of to the honest and reality-based needs of the American people. While many economic indicators are translated into viewing a slightly improving economy, the truth is that too many of our citizens are without jobs, homes and income. Our infrastructures and transportation needs have been shelved or poorly privatized and there is no end in sight.
AUTHOR
Peter Stern, a former director of information services, university professor and public school administrator, is a disabled Vietnam veteran who lives in Driftwood, Texas.
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To aaminian and Raelynn:
by pstern0349 on Tue Aug 10, 2010 04:18 PM PDTWhy would you think either I or other Americans believe that the money we provide to ME governments would be used for the community good, a.k.a., the citizens? That is very silly and/or naive.
If we are not served well by our own government, why would you suppose that we think ME citizens are being helped with our tax dollars?
Regarding being "friends" with Iran, the U.S. has done and does little to encourage real friendship throughout the world, but the governments of the ME also do not want our friendship, nor do they show the U.S. any in return. It is a two-way street.
While our arrogance, wealth, power and imperialism throughout the world enables the world to dislike us more intensely, the U.S. cannot live in isolation completely, believing that we would be safe in these trying times.
You both seem very naive even though you believe you are so knowledgeable. I do however agree with you that most Americans know little about ME culture, history, government and the U.S. role there and throughout the world. No doubt, but you are wrong to label it as all Americans. Many of us know better.
Wrong assumption by many of you
by pstern0349 on Tue Aug 10, 2010 08:06 AM PDTMany here believe that the average American citizen has control over his/her government and foreign policy. WRONG!!!
We are as much at the mercy of our leadership as are the average citizens of the Middle East.
In truth, Americans are governed by the Corporate/Military Machine that controls our lives and future. The President is little more than a figure-head, whose powers have been offset by the powerful and wealthy.
Many Americans do NOT buy into the mainstream media as you believe; however, even those of us who read our news from outside sources can do little to redirect our direction and undo the ongoing damage caused by those in power.
You need to recognize that nothing short of a revolution will change the current status quo and the common citizens cannot win in such a fight. We citizens are as doomed as the citizens of the ME. Wake-up and recognize that what our "government" does NOT work re: the will of the American people.
We tried to change it all by voting in Obama, but you see that it doesn't matter who the President is because he does NOT dictate policy and direction for our nation. He is controlled by the powerful and wealthy.
You all need to recognize that the U.S. is not so much a Democracy as it is a Corporate/Military OLIGARCHY.
We're screwed
by Escape on Fri Aug 06, 2010 10:54 AM PDTIn the US.But isn't it screwed everywhere?
Great article thanks!
by Nabil Rastani on Fri Mar 11, 2011 10:44 AM PSTNabil A Rastani
I agree money sent overseas could be better spent on our own failing economy and urgent priorities rather than fighting this war.
thanks for a good article
Right conclusion, weepy analysis
by Ari Siletz on Mon Aug 02, 2010 07:06 PM PDTTHANK YOU AAMINIAN!
by Raelynn on Mon Aug 02, 2010 04:07 PM PDTIf Americans actually took the time to research things themselves instead of taking their views from what they are being fed from the media, we would have a different outcome in foreign relations and policies, especially in regards to the Middle East.
US Paid Iran...
by aaminian on Mon Aug 02, 2010 03:14 PM PDT...with what?!
Mr. Stern, it seems as if you are behind times, some thirty years, to be exact! You are either too young or too misinformed about Iran-US political affairs of the past 3 decades. Iran's political dealings with the US ended after Iran released the US hostages in 1981, shortly after Reagan was sworn into office (I hope you've heard about that!).
Ever since, Iran has been on the receiving end of many things US-made (bombs, sanctions, Saddam Hossein to name a few), as you might've already guessed, except for money! As a matter of fact, the US has confiscated billions of Dollars of Iranian-nations' money (Iran's last Shah bought some 140 F-16 fighter jets in 1977; they were never delivered to Iran and the money was never returned to Iran either).
Now, you may be asking why Iran took 52 Americans hostages? If the 1953 CIA-backed coup against the then democratically-elected Iranian Prime Minister rings a bell for you then you're half-way there. Otherwise, you have some journalistic research to do!
So, as you can see, the US never treated Iranians as friends.
Now, on to the other ME nations; has it ever occurred to you that not a single Penny that's given to some ME governments is used for the welfare of their poor citizens? Or better yet, what makes you think that the citizens of those countries need the US Dollars (read "Forced-US Policies")?
If the US starts treating other nations with (genuine) respect, one that does not come with forced US-policies, I am sure you'll see a world that is more accepting and welcoming towards America.
With today's vast access
by Bavafa on Mon Aug 02, 2010 12:15 PM PDTWith today's vast access to all information, the fact that Americans still do not see the discrepancies between what we are being told by the main stream media in the US and realities on the ground is beyond belief.
Yeah, keep telling us that people in ME hate us because of our freedom and their governments are our friends and we need to protect them, duh!!!!
Mehrdad
The answer is simple
by cyclicforward on Mon Aug 02, 2010 09:57 AM PDTAmericans have shown how things can be and how a society can live and prosper. This is in contrast to the other countries that people can not even managed to produce a needle and makes them feel inferior.
Talk about enemy
by afshinazad on Mon Aug 02, 2010 09:39 AM PDTAmerican are the reason for afgan Fiasco and advocating Islam is in danger and getting all neighbouring countries to fight soviet (the American proxy war) and changing Iranian government with Islamic (fascist) regime to stand for American national interest, creating war between Iran and Iraq to recover your economy. And list goes on. American foreign policy is been for hit and run and never been for helping or engaging honest trade.
If Saudi Arabia or Pakistani or others as you say they hate American is not right conclusion because mass majority of those people don’t care about American and they want to have a normal life just like you have. Once you create a monster and your foreign policy is support the tyrants for your national interest. as far as I know musilms think they should convert every one to islam and go figure how can you solve that? no matter what you do they will hate you it is not because you are american because you are unbeliever for them.there is no why and that is what Islamic religion advocate.
My problem with your article,
by Raelynn on Mon Aug 02, 2010 09:02 AM PDTand many other articles I read that are similar to yours, is that you claim that the Middle East are not friends to the United States, when what you should be saying is that the government of these Middle Eastern countries are not friends to the United States. Most, not all, of the civilians in these Middle Eastern countries love the United States and it's people. They consistently praise the United States. Almost all of the people living in the Middle Eastern countries hate what their government does more than the United States, because they are the ones having to live with it. So please, you and any other journalist who may read this, start saying the government and not the people, are the United States' enemies.
That's all.