Hypocrisy
Does not win friends or influence allies


When I taught US History at the university, I would begin the discussion of foreign policy by noting the importance of seeing ourselves as the rest of the world sees us. Right or wrong, their perception is their reality when making judgements and setting policy.

I also noted that every nation has always acted in its own self-interest, although sometimes it may be in its self-interest to do the right thing. The unparalleled power of the US makes our actions vitally important to the rest of the world. While others do not expect us to act against our interests, they are disgusted when we proclaim moral superiorty for those interests. We can't fool them, so it is dangerous to fool ourselves.

The LATimes editorial, The wrong weapon in the wrong place , by Jonathan Tucker, discusses the consequences of claiming justification for morally reprehensible acts, specifically in the use of white phosphorus, which clings to the skin and burns to the bone.

The Bush administration has justified the U.S. military's use of white phosphorus on the grounds that it is a tactically effective weapon with potent psychological effects, and it has noted that WP is not banned by any treaty to which the United States is a party. But this legalistic hairsplitting obscures the real issues. Using an incendiary weapon in Fallouja, where combatants and civilians were intermingled, was a serious mistake on three counts: It was morally wrong; it was counterproductive to U.S. policy goals in Iraq; and it was blatantly hypocritical, fueling the international outrage against the United States that is a potent recruiting tool for jihadist terrorists.

[ . . . . ]

The Bush administration's most compelling rationale for the 2003 invasion of Iraq was that Saddam Hussein had used poison gas in violation of the Geneva Protocol and that he was continuing to stockpile chemical and biological weapons in defiance of United Nations resolutions. It is therefore the height of hypocrisy for Washington to claim the right to employ white phosphorus in a manner that most of the civilized world considers illegitimate, while lecturing other countries about human rights.

Arguments of military necessity and legalistic evasions distract from the real issue, which is U.S. moral leadership. The shameful abuse of detainees at Abu Ghraib, the scandal over covert CIA prisons overseas and the use of white phosphorus in Fallouja are all of a piece. They reflect the loss of a moral compass by this administration, which has turned the United States into a rogue state in the eyes of the world.

Since we have a very diverse population, the only thing that ties us together is the sense of being American and faith in our form of government. Inhumane acts not only threaten our interests abroad, they threaten our social fabric. No matter which party is in office, it is our duty to protest when our government falls far short of our ideals.

I'll now step down from my pulpit.