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Mar 10 2008
A foreign policy that will defy change | Print |  E-mail
Editorial
By Ben Tanosborn   

Translation

The day real change comes to AmericaImage

For all the changes being anticipated, promised or prophesized by the political windmills of those who aspire to take the White House reins… it appears that there will be few in number, slight in scope and domestic in nature.  It's all a symbolic gesture; nothing but cheap oratory coming from that gift of gab common to preachers and politicians, a gift which they exercise with total abandon, often magnified by a self-serving corporate press during our quadrennial political encounters – when we are faked to believe that people have a political voice, that democracy is in good hands in our republic.

Change, at least in America, has become solely a self-reminder of how much we may dislike ourselves in many of the things we do, or permit to have done, to others in the planet, or even to ourselves.  But change – honest-to-goodness change – is something we can rest assured will not take place… not with Sen. Obama, not with Sen. Clinton; not even if either received an unprecedented and miraculous 70 percent of the popular vote – an unquestionable mandate to effect change.  Change as a major transformation of our government, or of our civil society, or the way we do things, just won't take place.

Why?  Because change is anathema to Americans knowing the repercussions that such change might bring to the empire.  And with a dismantled or crumbling empire, they feel any economic advantage, true or perceived, will be gone for them, something that for most is self-punitive and unimaginable. 

So change will not come to America… certainly not because of the 2008 elections. 

"Only change in America's enduring presence in Iraq; in the Middle East; or in the rest of the world can be considered real change!  And for that to happen, it will first require that Americans acknowledge the fact that we have been, are, and continue to be an empire, the rule of order, the power which continuously determines the fate of other individuals, groups and nations around the world.  Instead we insist in giving this unpleasant subject the silent treatment… and deny being an empire as forcefully as Peter denied Christ."

Only change in America's enduring presence in Iraq; in the Middle East; or in the rest of the world can be considered real change!  And for that to happen, it will first require that Americans acknowledge the fact that we have been, are, and continue to be an empire, the rule of order, the power which continuously determines the fate of other individuals, groups and nations around the world.  Instead we insist in giving this unpleasant subject the silent treatment… and deny being an empire as forcefully as Peter denied Christ. 

Some of us came to accept the fact of empire long ago… often with tears of anger and a profound sense of futility and utter despair.  But most Americans, to this day, remain true to their disguised selfish core, the false reality that they prefer to believe in: that we have "bad guys" all around us, and must defend "what we have" (or aim to steal) at all costs; for, after all, someone needs to be in charge in this unpredictable world; and such being the case, those in charge might as well be us, the god-fearing nation with both values and a destiny to fulfill: the Benevolent Empire of the United States of America.

Why… even our leaders don't try to keep it a secret from us!  Robert Gates, our soft-spoken  and mild-mannered secretary of war (secretary of defense is the politically-correct appellation) has recently told us in a round-about way that the world is our oyster, and that "they" (those who populate the Middle East) might as well get used to us; that for now, and for the foreseeable future, they must endure us, our presence. 

Our empire, not that much different from other empires of the past… is being ran from perhaps fewer than 900 global outposts – what we call military bases – about  80 percent of them acknowledged by the Pentagon "to exist" and the other 20 percent existing "in secrecy" only for the eyes of our masters at the Pentagon, the appropriate White House residents for the quadrennium and just a handful of select legislators who've reached the high ranks of Washington's career-Capitolians… and who may be considered "trustworthy" to the power elite.

As for Iraq, our presence there is as real, and will continue to be so, as the petroleum reserves of that nation that our empire feels obliged to control for generations to come.  Any talk, or even attempts at discussion, outside of that realm is irrelevant absurdity, pure hogwash.  Iraq has ceased to be for months an issue of political controversy or major concern.  The issue of having so many "boots" in Iraq is proving to be only a transitional fading one.  With good reason… all but 30,000-40,000 troops will be out of that country within the next two to three years.  And those who remain there won't be seen as having an "occupational presence" in the country, confined to a life of expatriate luxury in six or eight mega bases from where they can keep regional peace, and ascertain that the oil free-flows not just in Iraq but anywhere in the greater region, from the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea and beyond.

In less than two years all mega bases will be constructed and equipped, making way for American faces (military, mercenary and civilian contractors) to disappear; at least from the major population centers in Iraq.  In a way we could say that outward change will have been effected without affecting the control of resources, or the empire's aims.        

As for true change, it will not come for Americans until they decide that present level of political evolutionary change, and mutation, will never provide a healthy democracy or a nation in peace with the international community.  One would think we have reached that stage already: where the power relationship between elite (that of military-industrial complex) and Americans' mass participation in civil society appears frightfully out of balance, totally distorted.  If so, it might not be change that is needed but a brand new system of government or, at the very least, a complete overhaul of the system we now so proudly hail.

(c) 2008 Ben Tanosborn

Ben Tanosborn an editor of MWC News, after completing graduate studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), set out for a career in international business that would take him to five continents, expose him to several cultures and make him realize the importance for any and all Americans to become goodwill ambassadors for the United States.
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1. 11-03-2008 02:42
Brave Man Brave New World-
Ben thanks for a well said body of evidence. There is nothing coming of real change from the so called, (left directed camp of the democratic party). As far as a ("left answer"), well any one who has paid attention the last century knows how this group has a large amount of pre concieved and endoctrinated cold war retoric to wade thru to come to any new concieved ideas. Any individuals perceptions to reevaluate other 3rd parties for conciderations. I think in a rather individually unique way you have hit the nail on the head. I hope you have won a few converts. As the election approaches, if one is going to participate to give one of the canidates ones blessing, to not do what ever it is they have vaguely thrown out for people or each one to grab onto, to think they are going to do. Well, may we all burn in hell as Dante inferno implies. For not finding the courage to do the right thing the tough thing. Even with a Nader surge to try to upright or surgically remove capitalism for a new face lift, yet who is to stop her from returning to her old ways. The people of course, it is always the people who must take on the responsibliity, not as we want, subconsciously to surrender to the goverment to make that choice for us or now corporations. This leads me to the terms, or maybe rule of our society, that possibly Marx or Trostky, yes they were part of our society of man, refered to the unending revolution (evolution of the working class) deny it, run form it, because of cold war retoric, it dose not go away. (How can yo say that I am not like those dirt grubing peasants). It is there just as the power of something greater than ourselfs never goes out of question. So as vague and illiterate as my meanderings are, I thank you for your cohesiveness that I seem to always lack. My take on your final passages, is in my words and desires, the final and yet not final take on societies evolving evolution is for at this point in time of our existance, revolution. At least one that would start at the head of the class, the U.S. and proceed thru her followers in Nato and then as they sing or predict in the domino effect; then the walls came tumbling down. This may not be your intenet Ben, but come Hillory or high Obama, its 1984 no matter who, unless the people go out side the box. Please people, the solution must come from outside the box. Not empty words like change; when JFK or MLK used that word itself, it was probably much less often and when so, it the had much more dynamic from that which followed. Just my opinion, ( outside the box), is not from a person who uses the empty word change frequently or fear of, who to answer that call at 3:00 A.M.? No- it was about sacrifice and doing the difficult thing, sadly this time it is not for the country that has been in operations for a long time, but as you say a restructuring of that country. Ben, you are kinder and gentler. Just as they refuse to use the word depression any more. So many just absentmidedly do not use the word revolution, not doing so leads one to believe change can happen thru the electoral box, hmm, like we have seen with the last 3 U.S. elections and those three boxes? They say 3rd times a charm, hope not or ? It is a harsher word, it spells blood in a more diverse colorful way, it conjures up pictures many americans no nothing of, thus the fear factor enters the room. One description the powers that be have to have painted to see, and even then one might think them to still be color blind, any and all puns intended. Some one accused me of, those who from your camp, ramble on to hear only yourselfs think outload, maybe so, when your silenced and pushed into the corner or as with minorities, a prejudged gutter, one wonders if anyone out there is listening, maybe he is right yet definately on the right from that stance. So I have rambled on to hear myself, ha, none the less, I still thank you for your words of many meanings. Ironically I just thought on the Bald eagle , actuality its reality, it is a bird of Prey, NOT, it is a scavenger. Scavengers usually only attack living things who are in a weaker position other wise they feed off the dead or dieing. U.S. capitalism seems to be exposing a more visual picture of its real history of late, or becoming more blatant, arrogant, as if to say, go ahead I dare you. We have captured the herd mentality and it works. My final note to add is a copy of a speech I think is relevant and relevant for any writter or teacher of free thought. Or for those looking for the truth. Democracy, Freedom, & Responsibility 
On June 8,. 1978, heroic anti-Soviet intellectual Alexander Solzhenitsyn gave an address at Harvard that bears consideration on numerous grounds. The two paragraphs below offer some remarks on Western freedom, addressing, first, the media, and, second, the population as a whole: 
 
“The press too, of course, enjoys the widest freedom. (I shall be using the word press to include all media). But what sort of use does it make of this freedom? Here again, the main concern is not to infringe the letter of the law. There is no moral responsibility for deformation or disproportion. What sort of responsibility does a journalist have to his readers, or to history? If they have misled public opinion or the government by inaccurate information or wrong conclusions, do we know of any cases of public recognition and rectification of such mistakes by the same journalist or the same newspaper? No, it does not happen, because it would damage sales. A nation may be the victim of such a mistake, but the journalist always gets away with it. One may safely assume that he will start writing the opposite with renewed self-assurance. “ “Without any censorship, in the West fashionable trends of thought and ideas are carefully separated from those which are not fashionable; nothing is forbidden, but what is not fashionable will hardly ever find its way into periodicals or books or be heard in colleges. Legally your researchers are free, but they are conditioned by the fashion of the day. There is no open violence such as in the East; however, a selection dictated by fashion and the need to match mass standards frequently prevent independent-minded people from giving their contribution to public life. There is a dangerous tendency to form a herd, shutting off successful development.” One of Dostoyevsky’s characters [Brothers Karamazov, Signet Classic, p. 292], although developing the rather different concept of having the courage to admit one’s personal errors, makes a remark highly relevant to Solzhenitsyn’s warning: “ ’You are, I see, a man of great strength of character….You have dared to serve the truth, even when by doing so you risked incurring the contempt of all.’ ” 
 
Published in: Dostoyevsky Solzhenitsyn democracy leadership lessons of historyon April 20, 2007 This I think is the challenge of the independant media and writers of today in every sence of meaning behind Solzhenitsyn speech. If there is any credibility or hope to be achieved from this next election, to light my eyes, it will have to show a turn in the publics perception to do or elect someone out side of the box, using the election box. Dare I dream on.
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