United States Foreign Policy

January 6, 2020

United States Foreign Policy

Padmini Arhant

I begin with United States foreign policy in the new year 2020.

Who is behind United States foreign policy?

U.S. foreign policy is designed and delivered by organizations viz. Council on Foreign Relations, Trilateral Commission and think tanks such as Brookings Institution, The Heritage Foundation, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, CATO and CSIS…to name a few besides influential lobbyists like AIPAC (American Israeli Public Affairs Committee), Ivy league and other university faculty including Washington based agencies serving specific agenda, ideology and doctrine predominantly favoring core corporate and key allies’ economic interests and strategic dominance respectively in different regions worldwide.

These institutions and organizations are categorized as conservative, liberal and other positions in political thought process though invariably leaning towards hard line neo conservative aggressive policy in politics to benefit military industrial complex in the invasion, occupation and colonization of nations and neo liberalism in economic front to facilitate oligarchy market penetration and expansion in global arena.

How do these organizations and institutions implement foreign policy?

Their members are routinely appointed by democrat and republican administrations in key cabinet posts and sensitive roles such as Secretary of State, National Security Advisor, US ambassador to United Nations and defense ministry to enforce hawkish belligerent policy to retain status quo.

These organizations especially Council on Foreign Relations referred to as mothership in promoting U.S. foreign policy by former Presidential Candidate and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was by no means faux pas from someone having close ties with the organization as other prominent members in United States and international politics maintain not barring media hosts and diverse entities sharing common strategy.

Any government and leadership not towing the line to U.S. foreign policy are listed adversary and accordingly targeted with the most favorite western action i.e. economic sanctions stifling economic growth and development to the point of no return alongside the entertainment industry indulging in spoof, a parody of the tragedy experienced by victims – none other than the significant population enduring immense suffering and misery.

The entertainment industry by far is the chief and cheap propagandists for politics displaying callousness as comedy to appease political establishment and nefarious elements behind human plight adding insult to essence of artistic value, the standard entertainment world is expected to represent and conform with decency and ethics ominously missing in the quest for constant fame and publicity.

Alternatively, any nation or people resistance to U.S. foreign policy is met with violence through military intervention or terrorism having become the convenient source of aggression since September 11, 2001 and adopted with full authority in 2011 starting the Syrian warfare generating ISIS, ISIL, Daesh, al nusra and IS as they are referred to now.

United States legacy in international relations – the U.S. central intelligence agency (CIA) together with Britain’s MI6 and regionally Israel’s Mossad involved assassinations of top government heads and toppling people choice democratic leaderships through those nations’ political and military coup d’é·tat in covert operation up until the beginning of the new millennium transformed into direct overt engagement by United States State Department and the White House exercising extra judicial executions arbitrarily exploiting political immunity on all crimes against sovereign nations and humanity at large.

United States and Iran relations – Iran’s democratically elected popular leader Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh overthrown by United States CIA and Britain’s MI6 primarily for Iran’s oil resources led to tumultuous political upheavals holding Iranian population hostage to western diktat is a continuous trend.

From waging proxy war through former western ally Iraq’s then President Saddam Hussain against Iran for eight long years using U.S. supplied chemical weapons to Iraq at that time to prompting Iranian revolution preempting western backed monarchy of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi exit and Islamic cleric and leader Ayatollah Khomeini entry to and from western shores simultaneously is a memorable chapter in Iran’s political history.

The western interventionism unequivocally responsible for Iran’s nuclear program although Iran has demonstrated discipline and self-restrictions in containing nuclear capability verified and acknowledged by western authorized UN inspections and report thus far unlike western and other nuclear states record on nuclear proliferation and enhancement as an entitlement. United States response to nuclear treaty either with Russia or latest withdrawal from Iran’s nuclear deal under Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) are in clear violation of the agreement.

What does the west seek from Iran?

Having imposed draconian economic sanctions against Iranian citizens and subsequently on Iraq designating their once ally ex-President Saddam Hussein as dictator, the bone of contention for hawkish foreign policy stalwarts is inability to rein control over Iran’s political, economic and social structure while establishing permanent military base in Iraq and other parts of Middle East with main focus on Persian Gulf exacerbates situation in the region.

United States and Britain’s policy accommodate undemocratic regimes in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and their allies in the region providing artillery and logistic support to curb democratic movements until today with Yemen reduced to killing field depriving the poorest in this north African nation any chance of survival and hope in the absence of political stability.

United States together with western and middle east allies have caused tremendous deaths and destruction with the introduction of terrorism as the means to execute western foreign policy major goal viz. regime change wherever and whenever possible.

In the past decade, in the wake of so-called Arab Spring, United States along with coalition funded, trained and militarized al Qaeda forces relocating them from Pakistan, Afghanistan and north Africa to the middle east. The NATO ally Turkey and strategic partners Saudi Arabia along with Qatar, UAE, Kuwait and Jordan…contributed to terror infiltration and manifestation in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Libya, Egypt spilling across middle east.

Iran as a Shia majority in the midst arguably surrounded by volatility and contempt from within and outside the region. Israel as a potent nuclear state with United States, Britain and EU extended defense infrastructure perceive Iran as existential threat is an open secret. The other states Iraq, Syria and Lebanon identified in the Project for New American Century – mission from U.S. foreign policy architects for destabilization and eternal chaos confirmed in the aftermath of brutal Iraq war by former President George W. Bush proudly declaring the mission accomplishment in 2004.

Not surprisingly, nothing has changed in U.S. foreign policy regardless of administrations in power. The unjustifiable economic sanction intensified under then President Barack Obama administration resulting in innocent civilian casualties despite International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and regular UN inspections reporting on Iran’s commitment to nuclear non-proliferation.

The western stance on economic sanctions eased under JCPOA was more a face saver on the western policy under the pretext of binding Iran on nuclear pact. As mentioned above, according to various agencies and organizations monitoring Iran’s nuclear activity, Iran never exceeded threshold in uranium enrichment and always allowed independent and western authorized agencies for inspection of facilities verifying Iran’s non-nuclear status.

Under these circumstances, prolonging illegitimate economic sanctions and trade embargo limiting Iran’s oil trade to neutral trade partners globally was an extreme measure from the United States with little or no regard for any international laws.

Not to mention lack of fairness on ethical and humanitarian ground as these actions inflict pain and agony on average citizens in any country aimed at instigating political uprising against the government for regime change.

Again, as no western nation ever subject to any economic sanction or trade restrictions except for being on the other side imposing such decisions on non-western nations until now, the harsh reality is hard to be recognized for those not affected in the tradition to cripple economy and punish population with starvation, poverty and disease.

Iranian citizens and entire Middle East region deserve peace, political stability and long overdue economic growth and development denied with western policy on economic sanctions, terror sponsorship and persistent influence to configure political landscape against citizens interest and welfare leaving them at the mercy of merciless policy and stagnant environment.

It’s time to relent to peace and foster better relations with all nations barring preferences and prejudice to benefit mankind as collective progress is the premise for sustainable prosperity.

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

Author & Presenter PadminiArhant.com

Prakrithi.PadminiArhant.com

 

 

 

Written by Padmini Arhant · Filed Under Featured, Middle East | Comments Off on United States Foreign Policy