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It is surprising to me, sitting in my DWA classes, to hear my classmates refer to the U.S. as “they” when talking about our foreign policy. “When they invaded Iraq…” is not an uncommon beginning to a comment in class, and I have to say, I have a problem with this.
Now, I agree that our version of democracy is so removed from the people that it can hardly be called democracy any more; that we feel energized and patriotic every two years when we get to vote, but when candidates come back for reelection who we aren’t sure have done anything worthwhile, we still vote for them again. Maybe it’s just because they have that pretty little “D” by their name-or an “R” if it pleases you more. Maybe our governmental control, as citizens, is indeed limited, but U.S. foreign policy, no matter our opinion of it, is ours. It seems dangerous to deny this, and I think that we need to own up to our sins.
We have adopted an attitude of detachment from the actions of our government. This attitude seems contrary to the nature of our democracy. Whether or not we are a perfect example is beside the point; the fact of the matter is that the U.S. is the single biggest fan of democracy that has ever existed and taking an attitude of “they” as opposed to “we” challenges the very foundation on which this country was built. The whole point of democracy is a “government of the people, by the people, for the people” and when we begin to separate, to see the government not of ourselves, but of some ruling other, to see the decisions that they make not as made by us, but made by some other faction, we threaten to head down a very treacherous path. What is the next step if we begin to believe that our government is not accountable to us?
I do not believe that we have the best political system in the world. In fact, I am sure of it. I have spent too much time in Europe and read too much BBC.com to continue to swoon over American democracy. But I know that this political system is mine, and I know that this is what I must work with. I do not directly take credit, as an American, for what I believe to be ignorant and pigheaded foreign policy, but I do not separate myself from it. We, as Americans, cannot separate ourselves from it. Especially not as students of foreign policy, which, in a 200 level DWA course, I assume we are. I like to think that I study this because changes need to be made. And I don’t think that THEY need to make the changes, I think that WE need to do it. It will be hard, or seemingly impossible, but if we believed it entirely impossible, my dear fellow DWA students, we wouldn’t be here.
So please, I’m not happy about it either, but WE invaded Iraq. The responsibility for our mistakes is our own.
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