Lack of Respect: The Achilles Heel of American Foreign Policy

An issue I consider critical regarding our country is America's reputation in the world. Specifically, how we are perceived both by the general populace and the leadership of other nations.

Many argue that our reputation is totally irrelevant, that we are the greatest nation in the world, and "who cares" what other countries think of us. This kind of response is as ignorant as it is dangerous. Others are sensitive to this issue because they understand what happens to someone in the neighborhood who eventually alienates and intimidates everyone in his community.

The heart of the matter is our own refusal to respect other nations, as expressed through several fully avoidable foreign policy gaffes over the past century or so. I've long bemoaned the fact that American foreign policy includes the ultimate Achilles Heel of being willing to interfere with the path of other nations using subversion and deception. To be clear, I'm not opposed with interference, but the use of lies and subterfuge.

Despite the seeming inability for many Americans to believe it, we find ourselves with significant problems today due in large part to the legacy of these such machinations. It is a well-documented fact that our financing, arming and (allegedly) training of the various Mujahideen groups of Afghanistan to bring about the Soviet-Afghan War was policy put forth by the Carter administration to force out a Soviet incursion into Asia without having to commit our own troops to a war. It is also painfully clear from how that situation devolved that America had zero intention on fulfilling the promise of rebuilding Afghanistan in exchange for their assuming the duties of conflict. This resulted in the Afghan Civil War in the near term (wherein the various insurgents turned on each other after the Soviets were driven out and the CIA stopped answering any calls) and the deathly grip of the Talibani authority in the later years.

Another result was to help transform the pro-Islamic flame of Osama bin Laden's world view to include hot anti-Americanism after he and his Afghan Arabs were left equally stranded. Osama's stated goal of establishing an exclusively Muslim world throughout the Middle East by restoring Sharia law and eliminating other ideologies was largely composed after having a front-row seat to American deception (and occupation).

The worst part of all this? It seems we STILL haven't learned our lesson, or it would seem so when one observes John McCain. Before the New Hampshire primary, Sen. McCain jokingly substituted the words "Barbara Ann" in the Beach Boys song of the same name with "bomb Iran." Not enough people regarded this as a serious lack of diplomatic accumen on his part. As for me, it represented (in such a simplified manner) the failure of American policymakers to respect foreign nations. What did the leadership and people of Iran think of this? What did the leaders and people of other nations think of this?

And he did it again. While campaigning two days before this writing, someone in the audience of an event mentioned data showing that cigarette exports to Iran increased significantly during the Bush administration. Sen. McCain said, "Maybe that's a way of killing them," and chuckled.

Not only is this not funny, it's arguably some of the most dangerous rhetoric we can possibly produce in our newfound era. As for the candidacy of Sen. McCain, he has fallen a notch in my view. I doubt even after considerable soul searching that I could reconcile this one (though I intend to try). My Christian self wants to forgive Sen. McCain, but the trials this sort of injudicious foolishness could bring to the doorstep of our children forces me to recognize the distinctly un-Christian view of Sen. McCain. I only hope enough fellow Americans are cognizant enough of such infractions.

So, lets be crystal clear here. Why is the reputation of America important?

• Foreign leaders become more hard-pressed to conduct diplomatic or economic exchange with a nation their own people perceive as being a bully and liar. This results in weakened diplomacy, tenuous alliances and even the loss of foreign leaders due to the unwillingness of their constituents to support them any longer (i.e. Tony Blair).
• Foreign populations become abuzz about the poor reputation of a bully and liar, generating disdain and motivating the most sociopathic members to channel their hatred in vicious and violent ways. Perhaps just as worse, the educated and sophisticated ones refrain from emigrating to America (read: export their excellence to America) as their perception of us degrades.
• A poor reputation permits a wide variety of otherwise insignificant problems to be attributed to us, where in another political climate such things may be easily dismissed.
• A poor reputation has economic repurcussions including diminished export opportunities, a risk of inflated import tariffs (that's right, sanctions against the U.S.) and a stifling of academic and business exchange across borders.
• A poor reputation has the capability of dealing a crushing blow to America's ability finance itself; specifically, foreign investment. If America becomes regarded as too much of a fire-stoker then investment will dry up at some unknown point, leading to a fundamental collapse on our interior.

It's really quite simple math. If we expect to regain the leadership role we once had in the world, a key problem area is to put a stop to approaching our foreign policy with the occassional but egregious lack of respect for others. We're smarter than this, but apathetic toward a government that is representing us. Time to take it back.