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''Don't Look, Dorothy!''YellowTimes.ORG writes: "
My favorite scene is the one where Toto rips open the curtain to reveal a funny little con-man operating the fearsome mechanical Wizard. After seeing Dorothy and her friends, he grabs the microphone and commands them to “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!” American political leaders are capable of producing a lot of smoke and fire and booming commands, just like the Wizard. But we Americans think of ourselves as the idealistic Dorothy, overcoming evil through naively innocent goodness.
So let me play Toto for a minute. I’m going to open the curtain for you, because neither version is true. American foreign policy may seem schizophrenic, but the confusion arises from the tension between two very simple-to-understand strains of American politics. The first is “Idealism,” the basis of all domestic politics everywhere.
Mind you, all political parties are products of Idealism. Everyone wants to be Dorothy, overcoming evil through naive goodness. All elected leaders say their agenda is the Ideal one.
Foreign policy wonks have deliberately made their job an arcane business; to learn about Realism you must consult thick college textbooks, or Henry Kissinger memoirs.
Clinton badmouthed China in 1992, but wound up supporting Most Favored Nation status for Beijing; George Bush the Elder called Saddam Hussein all sorts of foul names in 1990, but let him go scot free in 1991. Why the reversals?
Compare the Saudi royal family – our “friends” – with the Taliban, our “enemy.”
An idealist will oppose both regimes. A Realist says, “the Saudis serve some of our interests, but the Taliban oppose them.” Thus, the Saudi Kingdom (the place where most terrorists and their operating funds come from) is part of our anti-terror coalition against the Taliban. And since YellowTimes.ORG is packed with Dorothys – pacifists, leftists, libertarians, and other idealists – you will rarely find praises for American policy here. Yet all state leaders – especially candidates – must seem idealistic.
The State Department expresses “concern” for human rights while America props up repressive regimes.
Bush (our Wizard) won’t explain this to Dorothy.
Instead of making Dorothy face the shame of responsibility, the wizard cloaks himself in secrecy, smoke, and confusion. Like Dorothy, we are told to get on with our lives, spend our money, and never, ever look behind the curtain. Americans obey, living in a state of foreign affairs denial. Our media helps maintain our blissful ignorance; on September 10th, there was only one American correspondent in Afghanistan and one year after the shooting stops there might be three if we're lucky. So there you have it, Dorothy. America is uncomfortable being the world’s superpower, and nervous about endorsing the amoral (if not always immoral) philosophy our leaders follow in order to protect our comfortable idealism. If you feel enlightened, good. If you’re now more confused than before, then do what Americans do: flip the TV to a sitcom, crack open a beer, and say: “That don’t purfer me none, long as I get my money next Friday.”
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