Washington is determined to make the world a better place. The secretary of State flies all over the world, giving instructions to both friends and foes. Uncle Sam will mail his fist to foreign officials if they refuse to listen.
First, sanctions to support his orders. Washington’s willingness and ability to wage economic war is unmatched. The U.S. and its allies are understandably worried about Chinese economic coercion. This includes trade restrictions, banning tourism and investment restrictions. The Treasury Department does however issue new economic sanction nearly every day. There are thousands of government officials, business representatives, and other on the naughty lists.
Without a second thought, or even serious discussion, Congress also penalizes other countries– allies and foes—-that violate its will. In an effort to influence or oust their governments, the worst thing is to impose economic sanctions on already poor populations. Americans pay to such controls. This can greatly hinder international investment, trade and services. But foreigners suffer much more.
Sanctions can be both harmful and ineffective, as demonstrated in Cuba, Venezuela and Iran. The U.S. can cause widespread hardship and even death when it targets an entire economy. American officials are aware of the damage done to innocents but don’t seem to care. was confronted by the massive death of children in Iraq as a result of sanctions. Madeleine Albright’s famous response was “We think it is worth it.”
Unfortunately, very little has been accomplished at such high human costs. Although U.S. sanctions might eventually weaken target systems, Washington has failed to enforce its will against its adversaries. Despite decades of sanctions, Cuba is still communist, and Venezuela is still authoritarian. North Korea has not given up its nuclear weapons. Syria has not overthrown Bashar al-Assad. Iran continues to engage in nuclear activities. Washington has also tried to impose targeted sanctions under The Global Magnitsky Act but these have less impact on hostile countries.
However, sanctions have exacerbated the animosity toward America in general. Targeted countries have turned to Russia and China for assistance, particularly in the case of China and Russia. Washington’s “hostile” policy has been used as another reason for North Korea’s nuke program.
The ongoing sanctions against Russia and Afghanistan are likely to be ineffective. One year later, the Taliban’s control over Afghanistan is becoming more radical while its people are suffering from economic collapse. Moscow is intensifying its military campaign against Ukraine. Even though the Russian economy will continue to suffer, particularly in high-tech areas, Moscow will still be able deploy a large military. This regime could end up looking something like a large North Korean dictatorship: weak and isolated but double belligerent.
The second tool Washington uses to intervene is military action. Refuse to allow Washington to invade, bomb, or occupy your country! This policy comes at a huge cost, beginning with the Pentagon budget. The lame duck Congress approved an unprecedented $858 billion in “defense” (really offensive) expenditures last month. $8 trillion will be the final cost of the so-called global attack on terror. This includes care for injured and disabled service personnel. This represents roughly a third the national debt currently publicly held.
The number of lives lost or maimed is even more tragic. An estimate of all the deaths in America’s wars during the past two decades is around one million. However, some estimates show that the number of Iraqis who died in the wake of Washington’s invasion is close to this number. The number of U.S. personnel, contractors and service personnel who have died in Iraq has been in the tens of thousands. Official statistics do not include injuries. These numbers are in the thousands. Many people who would have died from previous contact with the medical system were saved by better medical care. However, rampant suicide has increased death toll and more than four times the number killed in action. Thousands of people live with severe injuries or PTSD.
The Americans are not the only ones who have suffered. Tens of thousands of deaths have been suffered by Allied troops, particularly local forces. In Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, hundreds of thousands of civilians died. Tens of thousands have died in Afghanistan. Libya has seen the deaths of thousands or even tens, if not all, of people. These conflicts have resulted in large numbers of people being injured and millions being displaced.
Although Washington is not the direct cause of most of the harm, U.S. Airstrikes have killed more civilians that previous administrations have admitted. America’s forte is to destroy governments and divide nations, encouraging and supporting brutal conflict and mass murder. Washington has also provided support for other combatants like Saudi Arabia which continues to commit murder and mayhem despite the fact that their prospects of success are diminishing. None of America’s recent conflicts have delivered on the promises of peace, stability and prosperity.
Washington has also perfected drone warfare. This allows innocent and guilty to be executed in faraway lands. This practice is less aggressive than full-scale invasions but it’s still very easy to use because of the ease of drone death. Drones are a deadly weapon that has been misused carelessly and recklessly with devastating results. The corrupting power of power was evident in the Obama officials sat in comfort discussing who to kill.
Worst of all are “signature killings that are based on actions observed rather than behaviors. The Kabul strike that took place during America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, in which a humanitarian worker was killed and many children was an example of the kind of horrendous mistakes that can result. Terrorists can also react to deadly drone attacks, including American citizens. The Biden administration has strengthened rules regarding drone use.
The United States has been the most dangerous country in the world since the end of Cold War. Russia may be a contender for this title, but America has still attacked more countries and caused more chaos than Moscow. To find comparable human suffering in China, one must go back half a century to The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution.
America is still the most powerful country in the world, having the largest economy, highest cultural influence and the deadliest military. But Washington’s foreign policies have failed disastrously, especially when the U.S. intervened with military force or economic sanctions. The tragic spectacle of people falling from planes as they left Kabul airport shows America’s failures in international social engineering.
The Cold War was won by the United States by limiting Moscow’s ability to use credible threats and not offensive action. The Korean War was a major conflict that ended in a draw. South Korea’s independence was preserved. Except for a few quick invasions like Grenada or Panama, Washington’s other armed intervention were mostly disastrous disasters, especially in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Even the ones that caused few U.S. casualties (such as America’s Balkan Attacks), failed to end ethnic divisions and bring about liberal democracy. None defended serious, let alone vital, U.S. interests. The economic warfare result has been no better. Washington has been a hypocritical virtue-signaling agent while impoverishing local communities.
It is quite shocking that the members of the blob (which Ben Rhodes used to call the foreign policy establishment) have been so incompetent and suffered few professional consequences. It is scandalous that this lack of accountability has been so prevalent. Washington elites have not hesitated to callously justify sometimes prodigious foreign casualties.
Albright , for instance, arrogantly claimed that the U.S. looked further into the future than any other nation, justifying America’s militaristic and aggressive policies. Although her opinion is obvious nonsense given the numerous catastrophes caused over the past two decades by U.S. intervention, it is widely supported in Washington. A revolving door Washington apparatchik could judge America’s success and farsightedness.
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As noted, Albright dismissed the deaths hundreds of thousands children by saying, “We think it’s worth it.” This was the same thinking that George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump had in Yemen. Imagine how Americans would react if a foreign official, such as Vladimir Putin or Xi Jinping made a similar claim. Imagine if the Russian president said that the civilian casualties in the Ukraine conflict were unfortunate but necessary. His nation displayed exceptional foresight, and the price it paid was “worth it.”
If someone else is paying, it is easy to justify any cost. The U.S.’s current foreign policy is not only foolish but counterproductive. It is also deeply moral. Washington has made people a means to Uncle Sam’s ends and left them to pay the ultimate price.
Next administration must learn to be humble, compassionate, restraint and empathic, as well as pragmatism and realism in foreign policy. The world isn’t a chessboard in which American policymakers can create havoc and sacrifice U.S. military personnel as well as civilians around the globe.
