I have been keeping an eye on world reaction to the Russian invasion of Georgia and the the USA condemnation of Russia. I heartily recommend that you use your browser to look at sites such as the British Broadcasting Network, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, etc. It has been most interesting, and saddening, for me to read the almost universal catcalls that have been directed at the USA.
If you remember, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said, “In the 21st century, nations do not invade other nations. If you want to rejoin the community of civilized nations, end your invasion now!” The charge of hypocrisy is almost universal. Typical of the condemnation is this quote, “After violating international law with its own invasion and ongoing military occupation of Iraq, how in the name of logic and morality can the United States criticize Russia for doing exactly the same thing it has done on numerous occasions?”
I expect another round of this type of talk now that Russia has recognized the two breakaway provinces of Georgia as independent countries. It might help us to remember that this is precisely the same scenario as that in Yugoslavia, in which NATO (under our leadership) has recognized breakaway provinces. In fact, if you read outside the USA, you will find that Georgian troops were indeed harassing “Russians” in those two provinces.
This reminds us of that saying that what is good for the goose is good for the gander. We cannot expect to behave one way, solely because we are the USA, and expect that other countries have to follow a different international philosophy because they are not the USA. If we wish to be an ethical influence on the world, then we must have a coherent international philosophy which we consistently follow. It is inconsistency that leads to charges of hypocrisy.
However, it is not sufficient that our international philosophy be consistent. After all, Machiavelli was quite consistent. If we wish to be considered ethical and moral, our international philosophy must have some ethical and moral underpinning. Here I would suggest St. Augustine. As he struggled with the subject of war, he developed the beginnings of a just war theology. His work on The City of God also struggled philosophically with the underpinnings of ethical government. We could do no worse than to plumb the depths of the Fathers in some of these areas. With updating (for things like democracy, which did not exist during the time of the Roman Empire, and our concern for universal human rights)Â they could provide the beginnings of a sound ethical foundation for us.
If, however, we continue to believe that just being the USA gives us rights that other nations do not have, then we can continue to expect a falling influence in the world and continuing charges of hypocrisy. The choice is ours.
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