Intervene against Interference
Interference. A word with so many interpretations.
The things I think of are the foreign policy of the U.S., the influence of society on an individual and to interpose or intervene for a particular purpose. I’d like to write something about the first thought I have presented.
The U.S. or so called “american” foreign policy isn’t affecting just a couple of people. If we want to extrapolate, it has an effect on all of us. The United States is always present: not just in our news but also in our minds. Their democracy, their western values, their morale and ethics are incessantly exported to all over the world. But is everyone on this planet in need of said ideas?
If we look at the world today and take a closer look at northern Africa there is a lot of apparent destruction and chaos. After the arabic spring in 2010 many people from that region were hoping for something better: a free and democratic future. Unluckily the removal of those dictators just led to the prompt installation of new ones.
Can it be (and this is or could be a hard accusation) that the arabic countries weren’t ready for democracy just yet?
The U.S. government, which is supposed to have a great interest (yet only apparently altruistic) in helping didn’t really do a lot since the beginning of the arabic spring even though there was and still is a big need of help in that region. The alleged desire to actually “help” by rebuilding countries after intense turmoil, supporting local elections or reanimating destroyed economies quickly evaporates or was actually never present. Instead of that the U.S. (and the NATO as a whole for that matter) happily sends weapons and earns money on the sorrow of others. These weapons are used to oppress the people who are still fighting for free and democratic countries. It’s no secret that all the chaos in the middle east and other nations that are immensely rich in sole terms of natural resources are direct ways to maintaing the status quo of the “prototypically western” way of life. Gallons of sweet orange juice, gallons of black gold, tons of wood from the rain forests, tons of nearly everything! All paid by gallons and gallons of blood of those who happen to live in those countries. The interference of the U.S. isn’t about fulfilling the dreams of the locals: It is about fulfilling their “own” dreams. It’s not as if they ever really meant to actually fulfill the dreams of others.
If I take a closer look on the very center of the middle east, towards Israel, to name a second example, my head bursts from incomprehension. If I tell people my opinion about Israel’s foreign policy, people nearly think I’m an anti-Semite.
But let’s be honest.
Yes, the jewish people have gone through a lot of pain and sorrow and yes it was really hard for them throughout history. But does that fact give them the right to torment other people?
This topic is something extremely sensitive to germans due to our history. Not hard to understand that… but on the other hand, somebody has to describe the things the way they are and raise the curtains of dark international geopolitics. Behind Israel stands the mighty U.S., supplying the Israeli military with the most modern weapons and defense infrastructure (f.e. the iron dome). Everything Israel needs, they get it from oversea in exchange of U.S. military bases on their territory. Seems like a square deal although some arabic nations feel threatened.
The question I ask myself is: Who stands behind the Palestinian folks? Who were there first? Some people say the U.N. but I say the only thing the U.N. does is talk, talk and talk. From time to time we read on the internet that someone said something about the disastrous situation of the inhabitants of Gaza but no one reacts. We read over it, flying over the words, not really considering it a fact worthy of our attention for longer than two minutes. I ask myself: Why don’t WE, the European Union, intervene in this problematic zone?
Isn’t it always a main question after horrifying events like the second world war something like: Why didn’t we intervene earlier?
What if the same question should be posed now?
War is happening, it’s just not happening where we live. It´s not happening right in front of our doors.
Think about it.
And maybe: intervene.♦
*Marco Gemovic vive en Tubingen, Alemania y es estudiante de Derecho.