Us Intervention:Its Effects on the World

U.S. Intervention: Its Affect on the world

         Seventy-nine percent of Americans polled are against ground troops being deployed in Libya ("AP-GFK Poll”). America has intervened in foreign nations’ affairs throughout its history, both economically and militarily. President Barrack Obama said, “The United States reserves the right to unilaterally use military force to address threats to ‘our people, our homeland, our allies, and our core interests’” (“Obama Doctrine”). Many debate whether United States intervention has had a positive impact on the international society. United States intervention has had little positive affect on the world because it has put tyrants into power, has limited the self governing power of foreign nations, and has increased the world arms race.

         To begin with, United States intervention has hurt the world because it has put tyrants into power. In 1959, Cuba’s government was challenged by a military coup that was lead by Fidel Castro (Montaner 61). The United States cut off its foreign aid to Fulgencio Batista’s regime (61). The United States refused to back the regime, eventually sending it into exile (62). The end result was what has become known as the Cuban Revolution. The head of this newly formed government was to be a strapping, young leader in the fight against Batista, Fidel Castro. He turned into one of the most oppressive dictators of the 20th Century. Castro’s government, “based as it is on a combination of fear and respect” (56), has become known for limiting people’s unalienable civil rights. By arresting people for collecting signature for petition, reporting on his regime, and librarians for loaning ‘unapproved’ books this violates basic human rights (Montaner 61). The First Amendment gives all Americans freedom of speech, freedom of press, the right to assemble, and the right to petition the government (“United States Constitution”). Americans enjoy these rights and often express them, however in Cuba a person is jailed for doing something as simple as petitioning the government. Castro scares his people into not exercising these simple rights. He does not do it humanely either. During a protest lead by peasants in the 1960s, Castro used military force to end the display against his regime, and to scare the others into never protesting his regime (Montaner 63). However, “The most publicized crime of the Castro era has so far been the deliberate sinking of the boat "13 de Marzo" ordered on July 13, 1994, with 72 refugees on board. Of the 41 who drowned, 10 were children (63).” When people were seeking refuge from Castro in America because of his oppressive regime, he sank their boat killing more than half of the refugees (63). Because the United States replaced Fulgencio Batista with Fidel Castro, the Cuban people have suffered for over 40 years. About twenty years after the replacement of Batista, the United States backed another military coup against a sitting president (“Iraq: Timeline”).This time it was in Iraq. This coup was also successful. It placed the Ba’ath party into power in Iraq, and after a few other leaders, Saddam Hussein manipulated the corrupt government to obtain the resignation of the president and other officials (“Iraq: Timeline). Hussein, who assumed power in 1979, initially appeared friendly to the United States, but later became the dictator he is known to have been (“Iraq: Timeline”). Hussein used weapons of mass destruction on his own people throughout his reign (“Iraq: Timeline”; “Strategy for Victory”). Hussein used chemical warfare on the people of the Kurdish region of his country because of their differences (both philosophically and religiously) from those of the government of Iraq (“Iraq: Timeline”; “Saddam’s Papers”). The United States put in the government whose corruption lead to Hussein’s assumption of power in Iraq. Saddam Hussein, whose global view was raised by the backing of America once in office, was a cruel dictator to his people. America’s interference in foreign nations has put has put the world in a worse position because it has limited the self dictatorships into power.

         Furthermore, United States intervention -governing power of foreign nations. The Vietnam War is regarded by most as the first war that the United States lost. However the United States should not have been there in the first place. During the start of a civil war in Vietnam, America intervened after the death of President Diem ("Background: Vietnam"). The United States backed the South Vietnamese in this war. America should not have intervened at all in conflict because it had no ties back to American society. Instead, the United States went out of its way to assert its dominance over the world, and it did not allow for the Vietnamese to solve their own conflict. Another time the United States limited the self-governing power of a foreign country was Japan just after World War II. After the surrender of Japan in 1945, the United States set out rules of which, the Japanese government must abide. One of the main restrictions was the law that Japan must, “ … issue whatever orders and take whatever actions may be required by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers” (“Japan’s Surrender”). This limited all domestic and international actions that Japan could take. Had Japan broken the treaty, the United States most likely would have recommissioned troops in Japan. Japan was being closely watched by the United States. The United States has limited the self-governing power of foreign nations by intervening.

         Although United States intervention has limited the self-governing power of the world, the United States has increased the world arms race. After the United States put Fidel Castro into power, the communist country became a Soviet ally (Shapiro). Given both its geographic and political status as an ally to the Soviet Union during the Cold War and being about 90 miles off the coast of Florida, Cuba became a place that the

United States closely monitored the island for the importation of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM's) and other weapons (Shapiro). America then had to defend its people from these

missiles and develop new weapons, greater increasing the race for the best weapon

technology. The most famous encounter with the Soviets sending missiles fro Cuba is

the Cuban Missile Crisis in which the Soviets had armed and pointed nuclear missiles at

the United States (Shapiro). Thus, after the United States placed communist dictator

Fidel Castro into power, Cuba became a main ally of who was then America's worst

enemy, the Soviet Union. About 20 years later, in Iraq, the United States acted as an ally to

Saddam Hussein, the leader of Iraq, and a man later executed by the United States (Shah). In

1982, Iraq had been removed from the United States Department of State's terrorist list

(Shah). In that same year, the United States lent $300 million dollars to Iraq for the purchase

of rice and wheat by Iraq (Shah). By 1984, due to American aid in buying food, Iraq was

spending $14 billion a year on weapons (Shah). In 1984, $14 billion dollars was

approximately half of Iraq's national budget. About 4 years later in 1988, Iraq had finished developing weapons of mass destruction (Shah). These weapons would be used in the attacks on Kuwait and the Kurdish people (Shah; "Saddam's Papers"). These weapons if not directly paid for by

the United States's food loan, were indirectly funded by the Americans because Iraq was able to

spend less money on food. In "New Iraq" or "Operation Iraqi Freedom, the United States is

training Iraq security forces and equipping them, with American weapons ("National Strategy in

Iraq"). Although the idea that the Iraqis will be able to defend their own country ("National Strategy in Iraq") is a noble idea, it has major flaws. One flaw is that although these troops may be the best trained and equipped the technology may fall into enemy hands. This would mean yet even more weapon technology be pursued to defeat the people who obtain the technology. Another flaw is the facts that if the United States goes through on their plan to let the Iraqi troops lead these missions, then there combat experience and knowledge of American combat strategy may be used against the United States in the future. The Iraqis may also use these weapons against us in the future. Both the use of American combat strategy and the use of American weapons in a war between “New Iraq” and the United States could serve as an advantage for the opponent and could adversely affect the United States. The United States has hurt the world by intervening in foreign affairs by increasing the world arms race.

         With these points in mind, has the United States really made the world a better a better place by intervening? No, the United States has hurt the world because it has put tyrants into power, has limited the self-governing power of foreign nations, and has increased the world arms race.



Works Cited

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