What would the world look like without America? Most of us would speak Russian, German, Chinese or Arabic. Either our world would be under Communist, Nazi, or Islamic Khalifa rule. Denish D’Souza wrote a very interesting book called America: Imagine a World Without Her. Now he has made a movie based upon the theme of the book. It started showing in US theaters on July 2. D’ Souza offers a passionate defense of America. I have not seen the movie yet, but the title of the book is intriguing and makes us all ponder what our world might look like in America’s absence especially now because America is already there in some ways. In a sense, the rest of world does not view America as credible any longer. For example, what is going on in Iraq, Syria, Ukraine, Egypt, Africa, Libya, Afghanistan, Asia, and China with the bullying of weak neighbors, the moving of our world in the direction of chaos, and the searching for “a new world order.” America saved the world during World War I and II. It was America who toppled communism and broke down the Berlin Wall in 1989. In one of D’Souza articles, he tells that he is Indian-American and that he started in India as a poor boy. He recounts, “If I had ten marbles and I wanted more, I had no way of getting them unless I took them from other boys.” But when people are given opportunities in a free society, there can be the creation of new businesses that employ people and in the process actually create more marbles or wealth. America has nurtured the growth of such opportunity.
One of my students asked me if America stole the land from Mexican and the Native Americans, brought Africans into slavery, took oil from Iraq, and robbed people around the world. I always truthfully told my students my view about America. America is the worst of the best if we compare it to any other system. However, international politics is not about charity; it is about national interests. From its beginning, the purpose of the United States’ foreign policy has been to defend the American constitutional system, and the American national interests are committed to protecting the freedom of its commerce and peaceful relations with other countries.
I do believe the world would be vastly different without America. I think that it would be interesting to remember America’s contributions to the world. Without American leadership, diplomatic influence, military might, economic power and generosity, the world might be under the rule of those whom America fought against during World War I and II and the Cold War. On security America is a global balance of power. For example, in South East Asia, America continues to provide critical stability. Without American power, genocide in Bosnia Herzegovina might not be stopped; Pakistan and India could still be fighting one another. Saddam would continue oppressing and gassing his Kurdish and Shiite minorities. In Afghanistan, Osama bin Ladin would still be an honored guest dreaming of implementing a worldwide Jihad and implementing a global Caliphate from Spain to South Asia. China is hungry with power and could easily take over the weak nations. South and North Korea might fight another terrible war causing millions of innocent deaths. Russia would easily continue to invade other weak nations such as Georgia or in Africa, Liberia, and the Sudan might continue to fight their opponents. What other countries would provide freedom of the seas for commerce from pirates? Weapon of mass destruction would possibly be in the hands of all of the bad guys, and Libya would not have given up its nuclear weapons. The operation of the World Food program, which feeds more than 100 millions in more than 80 countries, depends on America. The US provides, to a large degree, UNICEF ‘s costs to feed malnourished children, and to vaccinate, educate, and protect children in more than 160 countries as well as 30 % of the budget of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which assists more than 20 million refugees around the globe. During the Bush Administration the United States gave twenty-nine billion dollars in foreign aid, had a five-year plan for a 15-billon dollar commitment for AIDS relief, and provided the largest commitment toward an international health initiative operating mostly in African countries. That is why when President Bush left his office only one continent was sad about his leaving office and that was the African continent.
American is the world’s economic engine. That is why economists say that if America sneezes, the rest of the world catches the cold. America has not only the largest economy, but also America spends more than 50 % of the world’s budget on innovation in the areas of information technology, defense, medicine, and global warming, The United States contributed 19 % of the international Monetary Fund’s resources for some nations’ fiscal crisis and 14 % for the World Bank programs that assisted needy countries. Since the end of World War II America has stood for free people and free markets, sustaining the balance of powers that favors freedom. Religious dissidents from China, Turkey, and the Democracy advocate conflict in Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey, Iraq, Egypt, Africa, and the young women and men have been trafficked into the sex trade in South East Asia.
America’s principles have made America a great nation. America ‘s purpose in the world may be best explained by one of America’s founders, John Quincy Adams, who made a speech on Independence Day to the House of Representatives. The principal author of the Monroe Doctrine said, “America’s glory is not dominion, but liberty. Her march is the march of the mind. She has a spear and a shield: but the motto on the shield is Freedom, Independence, Peace.”
Even in more recent wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria, America seeks to create a new political order in those countries based on a balance of power. America as a leader of the world is underpinned largely on its value system. Today many people think China could be the leader of the world, but what is the value system of China? It is true, China is growing militarily and economically, but what will be China ‘s value system if it becomes the world leader? Many of China’s neighbors do not trust China with that growing power. The other potential player is Europe, but it lacks military power and even in 1993, it could not prevent the Serbian people’s genocide committed in the heartland of Europe, Bosnia. Again America had to bomb the Serbs to stop the genocide. Currently, Russia has invaded Ukraine, and Europe either could not or would not do anything about it.
America is a land of opportunity and provides a good life for ordinary people. Rich people live great everywhere, but what makes America unique is that it provides significant standards of living for the common people. For example, in the Philippines the average citizen has a very hard life; people are struggling for their basic needs. It is not that they do not work hard, but that even if they work hard, they do not get what they work hard for; the best they can hope for is to survive for another day.
The moral triumph of America is that it has extended the benefits of comfort to everyone. That is why in America the immigrants are doing very well economically; in other countries to get the jobs, it is all about who you know, not what you know, but in America it is all about what you know, and as long as you prove yourself, you will do well. In other countries security and dignity are reserved only for the rich people, but in America construction workers, maids, plumbers, and postal workers all drive nice cars, take their families on vacation, even sometimes to Europe or to other countries.
It is true that America has a dark chapter in her past about slavery, Native Americans, and racism, but America has gone further than any country in establishing equality of rights. Today Blacks in America as a group have a higher standard of living and more freedom than any comparable group of Blacks on the continent of Africa. America has the first African-American President. No one will deny that America practiced slavery, but slavery was a universal institution that in some form has existed in all other countries. But the reality is that America has achieved greater social equality than any other country. Granted, there is a large inequality of income and wealth in America, but not because of racism, slavery, or discrimination. It is because of political policies.
In other countries, such as India, Saudi Arabia, or even in the Philippines if you are rich, you enjoy the pleasure of aristocracy, which is the pleasure of being a superior person. In the United States, destiny is not given but created. You write your own destiny. Muslim scholars attack the American system at the roots. They argue that American institutions are atheistic, that they are not from divine authority, These same scholars argue that American democracy is based on the presumption that the people, not Allah, should rule and that the American capitalist system grounded on the premise that the market, not Allah, determines the worth of everything, so from their viewpoint capitalism and democracy are forms of idol worship. They argue that Islam could be the third way and is the best way, because it places human life in submission to the authority of Allah.
In conclusion, a world without America would be one in chaos and confusion. There would not be a balance of power. There would be war between the strongest and the weakest nations. History will judge America as a great gift to the world and a model to the nations. Still, people hate America and are especially ungrateful for the free rides that have benefited the global public good. America selflessly contributes time, effort, blood, and money. No country has contributed to our world so much to so many so often – while asking for so little in return. Even if individuals still hate America after all it contributes, given the chance, they will be the first one to buy the ticket to go America.
Dr. Aland Mizell is President of the MCI and a regular contributor to Mindanao Times. You may email the author at:aland_mizell2@hotmail.com