Should The United States Be ‘The Policeman Of The World’? Many cliches are being used in reference to developments in Afghanistan: ‘endless war’, ‘Dunkirk moment’, ‘where empires go to die’, and references to the American withdrawal from Vietnam. The various cliches used to illustrate partisan opinions about Afghanistan, all have some validity. There is another old cliche that needs to be discussed: is America the ‘policeman of the world’?
The charter of the United Nations states that its purpose is:
…to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,
United Nation’s Charter Preamble
AND FOR THESE ENDS
to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbors, and to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, and to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest, and to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples…
United Nation’s Charter Preamble
The United States always should act in its citizens’ interest and always defend its people from terrorism. And while the United States should always pursue American ideals through diplomacy, immediate concerns about Taliban persecution of other religions, women, and the LGBTQ community along with other concerns about international terrorism should be addressed by the United Nations. That’s why the United Nations exists.
Thanks and a tip of the hat to DonkeyHotey for the image of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, aka Mullah Brother, who is a co-founder of the Taliban in Afghanistan and the incumbent President of Afghanistan. See more of DonkeyHotey’s art at https://www.flickr.com/photos/donkeyhotey/51382863636/.
