Editor,
Saturday, millions of people around the globe marched against a U.S. war on Iraq, including 5-8,000 in Santa Fe.
I was there and it was a great event. I write today out of concern that many Americans are still unfamiliar with the extent of the global opposition to U.S. foreign policy in Iraq and the Third or Developing World in general.
We are largely unfamiliar with the pillars of neo-colonialism, the IMF-World Bank, the World Trade Organization, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, NAFTA et al, while our neighbors to the south choke on their policies. These are largely U.S.-dominated institutions. It is not pre-destined or even logical that these nations be impoverished and that we be rich. There are complex reasons, many of which have to do with Western policies of extracting resources while a Judas-like, Western-backed dictator, such as Hussein's replacement, looks the other way, (don't get me wrong, Hussein is truly a bad man). The people who this affects are not silent, we have just been taught not to listen. It's not a new thing.
Saturday's demonstrations against a U.S. war on Iraq were not a fluke or a onetime thing by any means and we Americans need to understand that our government is seriously abusing our place in global affairs and relations. A crossover is being made in which we shall soon be seen as a neo-colonial, unenlightened and warlike nation, more so than we are already seen like that now. I don't mean to imply that this view was created by Bush's current buildup, but that this war is incredibly transparent, offensive and imperialist to the global majority. Will it be the proverbial straw breaking the camel's back?
The world is making a very clear statement regarding our war on Iraq and its resistance to a U.S. empire. It is time to re-evaluate the nature of our interactions with other nations and peoples, and realize how we seem to them and how our government and economy affect their lives.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Let us examine our government, holding up U.S. foreign policy in Indonesia, East Timor, Colombia, Vietnam, Chile, Palestine, Iran, South Africa, El Salvador, etc., as a mirror with which to see our current reflections, realize that we have been lied to since grade school and that our government's policies are not worth defending and, in fact, are morally offensive.
It's time to learn all the things the power structure never wanted us to know and tell a friend. Save a friend. We don't need enemies all over the world, none of us wants that, so let's stop treating the world like a chessboard.
Benjamin Jones
UNM student
