As the world watches the populist fervor boiling over in Egypt, commentators and analysts are musing with concern about the implications for America. Despite Americans' professed love for democracy, seeds of fear are being sown by those who believe that democracy should only be achieved when America orchestrates it. Concerns about trade access, the Muslim Brotherhood, Israeli security and American diplomacy have hijacked the revolution in the eyes of America.
American Imperialism
These issues are legitimate and should be cause for discussion, but American reaction is indicative of a much deeper problem. America has become too imperialistic and militaristic to fulfill the role of sole superpower well. The vast network of military bases and covert operations are not only expensive, but undermine the spirit of democracy and egalitarianism that should be at the core of America. Militarism has made it acceptable to view a revolution in Egypt only in terms of American interests. While we cannot have idealism that ignores practicality and realpolitik, America should be encouraging self-determination and self-sufficiency. In a healthy republic people would encourage a movement that challenges an authoritarian regime requiring 1.5 billion dollars in military aid to stay in power.
Unfortunately, our Cold War mentality regarding American dominance has led to a bloated and unaccountable Pentagon that dictates foreign policy. As Chalmers Johnson points out in Dismantling the Empire, American military expenditures outweigh those of the rest of the world combined. Moreover, he argues that we can only guess the true total because the Pentagon is unregulated and notorious for under-reporting numbers. America's unhealthy relationship with other nations is rooted in the fear that popular movements could undermine its empire. When the cornerstone of a nation's foreign policy is maintaining empire, friction with independent governments is inevitable. Mubarak represents a nation easily manipulated by the US, the new Egypt provides no such assurance.
Self-determination in the Middle East
Perhaps the most frightening notion to proponents of American militarism is the realization that America is not needed to bring progress to the Middle East. The spirit of equality and desire for betterment is not something only America can export. In fact, American support of petro-dictators and corrupt regimes in order to keep oil supplies stable has undermined both rhetoric espousing democracy and a foreign policy that has become increasingly interventionist.
So as Cairo unfolds over the coming weeks and we hear endless commentary about what this means for America, perhaps the better question is what our reaction says about America and its interests.
Join the Conversation