What to say to the world police

One of the reasons I admire the Euston Manifesto is its opposition to anti-Americanism.  In some circles, the fashion of bashing everything American has grown to tiresome proportions.  I am almost inclined to agree with the neocons  who suggest (according to the Economist) that "the allies are like irresponsible teenagers who bitch about their parents but enjoy living at home rent-free."

It's an important challenge of our time to strike a balance between shrill, over-the-top anti-Americanism and giving them carte blanche to sin. Both are counter-productive in their own way.  Complaining about honest mistakes that any dominant power is bound to make amounts to obstructionism.  It has always been easy to criticize those who strive to make a difference.  On the other hand, pretending that no mistakes were made sends the worst possible message.  It begets arrogance and guarantees that more and bigger mistakes will follow.

It's like a zealous police force: sure, we're better off having them, and we're better off trusting their good intentions by default, but this doesn't absolve them of responsibility for their actions. They are still subject to the law's restrictions; they are barred from infringing on our rights. And when they step over the line, they must be held responsible. It's essential that there be a watchful and enforceable control, precisely because we trust them with our liberties. Without such control, we are dancing on a slippery slope, with only a matter of time before someone comes along to abuse the privilege, claiming all the while that it's for our own protection. Most tyrannies the world over begin exactly like this. So when it comes to enjoying the benefits of a friendly superpower, it's wise to recall what makes a friendship last.

Comments

[Dejan Mircevski]

Here is a well-written example of the conservative POV, hitting all the requisite high points: America's critics are hypocrites, the liberals acknowledging them are masochists, and both are blind to the forest of goodness for a few bad trees.  This witty discourse breezes over such trifles as state-sanctioned torture and blatant, even righteous, disregard for human rights of non-Americans.

The article reaches for a well-worn excuse when it says "Yes, it is not perfect, this republic of ours."  That, however, was not the question.  The question was "Can it easily be made better?"

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