Is there such thing as a Humanitarian Superpower?

I have recently watched several documentaries about the United States’ military invasions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and have read many articles and opinion pieces on the subject as well. I have made efforts to watch and read things from both sides of the situation: those honoring and celebrating the efforts as well as those in opposition to the involvements and any further military actions in the world. My own personal views regarding these wars has remain mostly unchanged, but I do believe I am much more accurately informed regarding these occupations. In the end, I do not agree with the invasions and consider myself a pacifist who prefers things truly done in the name of peace, which I believe is impossible to do under the guises of war, though George W. Bush would argue otherwise. An example of his contrary views were given in a nationally televised address on the 2003 invasion of Iraq when he said, “America will seize every opportunity in pursuit of peace, and the end of the present regime in Iraq would create such an opportunity.” A glance at any daily newspaper would raise questions about any such ‘peace’ having been achieved in Iraq as a result of the US invasion and subsequent war there. It could even be argued that the situations in both Afghanistan and Iraq are worse since the US began their operations there in 2001 and 2003, respectively.

I am not trying to argue that the regime of Saddam Hussein was respectable or that it was not oppressive, nor am I trying to praise the efforts of the Taliban in Afghanistan. I simply do not agree with war and believe it is counterproductive to human relations and all efforts to improve the overall human condition on our planet. I also believe far too much money is spent, or perhaps more accurately ‘wasted’, on much of the military engagements the US has become involved in. While it is true that terrible violence has been inflicted as a result of terrorist activities, the events of September 11, 2001 being no exception, it just does not seem to make sense, at least to me, to return violence with violence. A quote I came across by a Jordanian woman who lost her husband, a reporter for Al-Jazeera, when the Baghdad hotel he was staying in was fired upon by US military in 2003, adequately sums up my feelings about this. She said, “Hate breeds hate. Who is engaged in terrorism now?” Indeed, it seems much of the world’s governing powers have forgotten one of the central teachings at the heart of nearly all the world’s religions. It is commonly known as the Golden Rule and can be found in various forms in no less than twelve of the world’s major religions, including Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. In some ways this rule is playing itself out in its exact opposite form: various groups apparently want others to attack them, so they first attack them to show that that is how they wish to be treated. It seems strange, but apparently it works, as there are plenty of examples to see as evidence each day.

Rather than return hatred with more hatred, or violence with continued violence, would it not be better to instead focus on what good can be done in the world by focusing on meeting the needs of our seven billion fellow human beings? Right now, a host of central African countries, including Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali, are experiencing one of the worst droughts in years and are in danger of facing a terrible famine that could become a major humanitarian crisis. At the same time, the public education system in Pakistan, if it can be called that, is perhaps the worst in the world, and millions of Pakistani children are forced to attend schools that are essentially outdoors and have one chalkboard which must be shared by all classes. Without serious intervention or humanitarian assistance, these Pakistani children will grow up to be the next generation of Pakistanis and will be largely uneducated, which makes them equally easily influenced to join a jihadist path. And those starving African children will either succumb to the effects of malnutrition and not grow up, or will face severe and permanent damage to their health as a result of it, unless something is done by those holding the power cards in the world.

This all brings me to my main point, which is why the United States should transform itself from being a military superpower to a humanitarian superpower. This idea was inspired by a quote I heard from Howard Zinn, the famous American historian who shed light on the sometimes ugly truths of American history and its foreign policy throughout his life’s work. His quote also challenges the idea that America’s current foreign policy does not value the lives of other countries, specifcally those America invades, as much as it does its own citizens. His quote is the following:

“If we believe that people all over the world have the same right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as us, we would be taking these billions and billions of dollars for war and we would be using it for medicine and for food and we would no longer be a military superpower, which is a really disgusting thing to be, but we would be a humanitarian superpower.”

I certainly like the idea of coming from a country that can claim to be a humanitarian superpower as opposed to one of military might, and imagine that the majority of Americans would as well. In order for this to be achieved, I believe it takes a very strong and informed public, as well as one that will not stand for the injustices that are being done in the name of ‘American’ peace. I encourage all of you to also become informed and at least reconsider some of the actions our country takes instead of simply accepting it as the gospel. I do not mean to discredit everything American, and assure you that there are many things about the United States I am proud of. There are just some that I can not be silent about. Here is to a brighter future and one where (hopefully) the humanitarian budget can surpass the military one.