By Dr. Sawraj Singh
The short-sighted American policy of making short term gains at the expense of long-term interests is becoming obvious. In a very well attended seminar arranged by “the Democracy Forum” in London, “The role of education in combating terrorism,” the keynote speaker from Pakistan attracted the maximum attention when he talked about the American policy of inciting Islamic fundamentalism and radicalism in the students in the Madrassas, in the borderer area between Afghanistan and Pakistan. America made it easy for the Taliban to recruit these students.
However, this is not the only case of Americans inciting the religious fundamentalists and other extremists and fanatics. In the sixties, the CIA incited such forces and brought Suharto into power in Indonesia. These forces massacred more than half a million communists, leftists, progressives, and patriots. In the long run, the Islamic fundamentalists have turned against America and consider it to be their biggest enemy.
Recently, America aligned with such forces in Libya to bring down Gaddafi. However, Libya has been pushed to almost complete anarchy. One day, the situation there will become comparable to Somalia. The Islamic fundamentalists are bound to turn their guns against America and the West one day. In Syria, America is again repeating the same mistake. However, Syria is proving to be a much harder nut to crack because Russia and China are offering very stiff resistance. If the Islamic fundamentalists come to power in Syria, not only they will eventually turn their guns against America and the West, but they will also pose the greatest danger to the security and existence of Israel, which happens to be just next door.
While America was busy getting entangled in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria, the Chinese have been able to pull the rug from under America’s feet. China has defeated America in its own backyard. In the year 2000, China’s trade with Latin America was about 10 billion dollars. It is expected to rise to about 400 billion dollars by the year 2015.
Why America keeps repeating the mistakes? I feel the main reason for this is that the American law enforcing and intelligence agencies keep attracting mostly the extreme rightist, racist, and fascist-leaning recruits. Such arrogant people have a very narrow and prejudiced outlook. They only want to serve the monopoly capitalist and white supremacist class, instead of serving the majority of the American people.
The CIA has failed to accept the reality that no matter what it does, the present unipolar world under the American domination is very soon going to change go a multipolar world.
Just like the CIA, the FBI has failed to accept the multicultural reality of America and is desperately trying to preserve the white supremacy. Just as the CIA has weakened America in the world, the FBI is making America domestically weak by sharpening and deepening racial divisions. For example, the FBI knows very well that state agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services and the Medical Licensing Boards, in the state of Washington are practicing overt and covert racism. However, instead of helping to expose and combat racism in these agencies, it is becoming an accomplice in perpetuating and preserving their racist policies.
The FBI has a long and infamous history of persecuting the leftists and progressives as well as the minorities. Under J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI was the accomplice of the notorious Senator Joe McCarthy and destroyed the careers of hundreds and thousands of innocent Americans. The minority agents in the FBI have constantly complained of being discriminated against.
It is not just the Islamic fanatics who have been incited by the American agencies; the extremist and the fanatic element in other religions have also been encouraged. The conservative Christians in America are the most ardent supporters of the extreme rightist, racist, vengeful, and aggressive American policies. In general, America has supported and incited the most intolerant, rigid, and fanatic elements in all of the religions of the world.
America is trying to faithfully continue the major British policy of “Divide and Rule.” However, the is policy did not work for the British and they have been marginalized and degenerated to a fourth-rated and insignificant power which is completely dependent on America for its mere survival. If America is going to continue following the policies of the British imperialists, then its fate will be no different than them. The only difference is that where the British were able to linger on for a couple of centuries, America has very little time left; its hegemony is probably going to end in a decade or so.
The only way America can preserve a respectable status in the world is by accepting the realities of a multicultural society at home and a multipolar world outside.
Dr. Sawraj Singh, MD F.I.C.S. is the Chairman of the Washington State Network for Human Rights and Chairman of the Central Washington Coalition for Social Justice. He can be reached at [email protected].
