When we on the Left voice opinions that are critical of anti-communism in general or American foreign policy in particular, we are often accused of 1) twisting facts to promote a leftist agenda, and thus ignoring evidence and 2) having an anti-American bias and, if we are Americans (like myself) a masochistic streak. In fact, neither of these claims is true. When I criticize A,merican foreign policy, I do so selective;ly, not blanketly, and I was forced to coem to tehse opinions agaisnt my own wishes. Like most people everywhere, I would like to take pride in everything my country does. In fact, when I discuss politics with people from India, for example (my family is from India) I generally defend America and its record. India, like America, sees itself as a special nation with an idealistic mission in the world. For example, my grandfather once pointed out that America was the only country in history to use nukes; I immediately answered that the use of atmoic bombs was eminently justified. I'd make the same claim today.
The weight of evidence makes it impossible for me to defend many other aspects of American foreign policy, in particular anticommunism.
America did behave shamefully and at times criminally in Vietnam, Bangladesh (they sent military aid to defend a genocidal military murderer of 3 million people against the armies of the world's largest democracy), Guyana, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Uruguay, Chile, the Congo, Indonesia, Laos, and many other countries. Their suppression of democracy, indigenous communsit movements, and socio-economic redistribution in these countries has been well-known for a long time.
I cannot defend any of these actions, and find them especially reprehensible that a nation founded on liberty and equality to crush liberty, democracy, and equality in these other countries.
However, the US has also done many good things that must be considered alongside teh bad things it ahs doen. It irritates me when people make knee-jerk criticisms of everything the US does. Some examples incldue the following, which should appeal to most leftists.
1) The US defended Nasser's claim to the Suez canal and threatened war with Britain and France, thus defending self-determination against the evil of colonialism.
2) The Carter administration, to its credit, did extend aid to teh Sandinista Front, encouraged independence for Zimbabwe, and placed sanctions on the vicious regime in South Africa.
3) America forced land reform and bank nationalization on teh El Salvador government.
4) America conspired to overthrow Trujillo in the DR, possibly teh worst Caribbean tyrant of modern times.
5) America conspired to overthrow the murderous Diem and his philosophy of "Personalism".
6) America, until Nixon took power, upheld the cause of Tibet against its colonial Chinese invaders.
7) America defended South Korea, whatever its faults, against an invasion by an opportunistic Stalinist. They then showed restraint and honor in refusing to take over North Korea as "the spoils of war".
8) America defends the cause of taiwan, which wants to be separate from mainland China.
9) America helped to bring down teh Stroessner regime in Paraguay.
10) America brought aid and protection, at least fro a time, to war-torn Somalia out of humanitarian interest.
11) We stood up to the murderer of Halabja, Saddam Hussein. Sure, we did fund him for a while, then we realized it was wrong and we took action against him. Knowing what he did, how can any leftist defend him?
12) World War II. Enough said.
13) America did bail out starving nations on occasion, like Somalia, Ethiopia, etc.
14)America's invasion of Grenada, although widely criticized, was wrong not because oit happened but because it happened for the wrong reasons. After all, the US did nout oust the popular communist Maurice Bishop, he was already dead. They took out hsi murderers, who everyone from Reagan to Fidel Castro detested. If teh US had intervened a week earlier and saved Maurice Bishop and grenadian socialism, would they still be criticized?
This evidence should be enough to convince anyoen that teh US is NOT an evil monolith that always does the selfish and oppressiev thing. Often it does teh right thing, as these examples should show.
