Beware of US' influence operations, too
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A timely reminder that it is not just China, but also the US that is trying to exert 'soft power' on other nations....Actually, all nations try to do this at one time or another, as this helps to advance one's interests and help ensure one's survival. But the bigger nations tend to do this more often, for the simple reason that they have the means to do so. But at some point, a line is crossed and self-preservation becomes greed and ambition....
The US spends no less than China on military and economic aid and engages no less in influence operations, including direct intervention, like in the 1953 Iranian coup d'etat, the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion in Cuba and the 2003 invasion of Iraq, to name a few.
It is easy for a Western-educated person like me to instinctively side with the US, having been brought up on Enid Blyton books and Walt Disney shows (and later on Time magazine).
But that historical gratitude, combined with a linguistic and cultural affinity, can numb our critical evaluation of the US' objectives and methods in global diplomacy in today's context.
I no longer see the US as this benign big friendly giant deserving of the benefit of my doubt, but as a giant like all other giants - something to be wary of because it thinks only of its own interests and plays by its own rules.
Qns:
A timely reminder that it is not just China, but also the US that is trying to exert 'soft power' on other nations....Actually, all nations try to do this at one time or another, as this helps to advance one's interests and help ensure one's survival. But the bigger nations tend to do this more often, for the simple reason that they have the means to do so. But at some point, a line is crossed and self-preservation becomes greed and ambition....
The US spends no less than China on military and economic aid and engages no less in influence operations, including direct intervention, like in the 1953 Iranian coup d'etat, the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion in Cuba and the 2003 invasion of Iraq, to name a few.
It is easy for a Western-educated person like me to instinctively side with the US, having been brought up on Enid Blyton books and Walt Disney shows (and later on Time magazine).
But that historical gratitude, combined with a linguistic and cultural affinity, can numb our critical evaluation of the US' objectives and methods in global diplomacy in today's context.
I no longer see the US as this benign big friendly giant deserving of the benefit of my doubt, but as a giant like all other giants - something to be wary of because it thinks only of its own interests and plays by its own rules.
Qns:
1. Does the presence of a foreign power ever help a country with
problems? (Cam. 2008)
2. Is foreign intervention in the affairs of a country ever justified?
posted by Dark Shadow | 9:05 PM
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