The only way to establish world peace is for the United States to stop its meddling in other countries and focus on what really matters to the American people – ‘Making America Great Again.’
The cradle of civilization, the Middle East, has been a battleground which has endured countless wars in the name religion, power and interests. Today is no different. We see history repeating itself with wars provoked and fought in the name of freedom and peace. Nowadays American foreign policy reflects its allies’ interests rather than the interests of the American people. There can never be true, genuine peace in the Middle East when the United States is contributing to, rather than resolving, the underlying issues.
Behind the headlines about terrorism and slaughter, living amid the wars and revolutions which plague the region, are millions of people trying to lead normal lives in an atmosphere of ongoing conflict. Most of those living in the Middle East have no more power to stop the violence or their oppression than we do in the United States to house our homeless or eliminate the crime in our streets.
Time and time again we see history repeating itself where, in the name of freedom and peace, wars have been provoked and fought for special interests. Through no fault of their own, the people of the Middle East find themselves caught up in the political rivalries and religious and ethnic tensions fueled by Western countries, whose constant games of tug-of-war are focused solely on their self-interests.
As Americans, we strive to be the best at all we do and we have a president in office who I am certain has the best interests of his people at heart. Yet I am certain that all actions made and taken by those appointed to his administration are not a reflection of the true wishes or values of the American people!
In a meeting that was closed to journalists this Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo boasted about the "essential rightness" that the US has when it comes to global affairs. The State Department released excerpts of his remarks, urging demoralized US diplomats to act firmly and aggressively as they carry out the Trump administration's foreign policies, reassuring them that the US cause is just.
But how just is the US when it’s constantly contributing to the Arab-Israeli conflict, rather than creating solutions? Pompeo went on to suggest that it’s the administration’s task to preserve our civilization of human dignity, individual liberty, democracy, national sovereignty, and the rule of law, and to challenge anyone seeking to take it down. He would be right were this actually the case. Yet it’s obvious that the reality of the current events speaks for itself – that’s why he feels the need to have this conversation with his staff. No amount of entitlement can justify the killing of innocents.
There is a time and place for everything – and I disagree with the timing and way in which the Trump administration decided to move the US embassy to Jerusalem. Although any country can decide where it wants to base its embassy, nowhere in our constitution does it give us the right to dictate to another country what its capital will be. Much the same way we would never accept another country to attempting change ours. There is a difference between doing something so you are seen to do it – and doing something for the right reasons.
The opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem on the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the State of Israel or, as the Palestinians see it Nakba Day – when 700,000 Arabs fled or were expelled from their homes during the 1948 war – proved to the world the US disinterest in fostering true, genuine peaceful solutions to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
It was another slap in the face for the Palestinian people, who already harbor resentment towards the United States for their failure to hold Israel accountable for their continuous oppression of Palestinians’ right to live in peace and stability. If the American government truly wants to foster peace in the Middle East it wouldn’t be continuously choosing sides, it would remain neutral to broker a fair peace agreement.
The events witnessed in the past couple of weeks with regard to actions taken by our government are designed to prove that a promise made is a promise kept – regardless of the ramifications those promises might have. Regarding the US decision to withdraw from the Iranian nuclear deal, I feel it was a bad choice because a deal is better than a no deal. It isn’t in anyone’s interests to withdraw from a deal without first having an alternative plan in place. The decision was followed through simply to fulfill a campaign promise to reverse all policies that the Obama Administration had implemented.
We cannot sit back and criticize the Iranians’ reactions in protest to our withdrawal from the deal when we know it was to be expected for the choices we have made. The US cannot expect others to obey orders when we ourselves disregard United Nations resolutions and International Laws, picking and choosing which rules apply to us and which rules don’t, depending on our interests and those of our supposed allies.
But what are our national interests as Americans? If it is national security and that of our ally Israel then we should be fighting terrorism alongside Russia and Bashar Assad in Syria – rather than supporting, funding and training terrorists. Our supposed allies in Saudi Arabia have proven time and time again that they are not to be trusted and will turn against us at some point as they have done countless times in the past. If it is in our national interests to be humanitarians then we should hold Saudi Arabia accountable for the genocide they are committing against the people of Yemen.
US laws are made in such a way where they either apply to some at the expense of many or are put in place to maintain control over a majority, while never questioning the decision-makers. We cannot allow ourselves as Americans to continue to be manipulated by political propaganda and media influence, which often plays to our emotions and fears. The reality is that the US has been fighting wars for decades – that aren’t even ours – to support so-called allies. That comes at a cost, not just tax dollars, but the lives of our military personnel and those innocent civilians who get caught in the crossfire. What world leaders don’t realize is that those who initiate wars and aggression are showing weakness. Our actions based on greed, self-interests and ego have gained us nothing more than chaos, uncertainty and instability – not just in the region but throughout world.
As American we need to lead by example. American foreign policy should reflect our principals as Americans. We cannot, and must not, dictate to the world what they should or should not be doing when we ourselves are not leading by example. We need to ensure that the needs of our people are being met before we go out policing the world. We cannot help others before we help ourselves. Our foreign policy should reflect what our domestic policy should be – a policy of unity, love, peace and harmony. A policy based on the true American values of mutual respect, hard work and sacrifice.
We as Americans have great responsibility to the world to be peacemakers and that message should be of genuine peace, not that which causes division. The only way to establish world peace is for the United States to stop its meddling in other countries and focus on what really matters to the American people – and that’s ‘Making America Great Again.’
Souraya Faas, for RT
Souraya Faas is a former US presidential candidate and a Republican candidate for Florida's 26th Congressional District
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The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.