It was in 1498 when Christopher Columbus persuade Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain to finance his voyage for discovery of Asia and India. When he reached South American mainland and the coast of Mexico, he bumped into some local population, who professed the faith of Islam. Since the expedition of the Musalman’s was not sponsored by any wealthy ruler, the Musalman’s exploratory trip westward went into oblivion of history. America since then has been busy in consolidating themselves financially and Economically, they were still ruled by the British pioneers who had the colonial expertise. A foreign rule is always abhorrent to the local population and so were the British’s in America, as they were in Africa, India and the Far East. A leader in the personality of George Washington appeared on the American scene. He was able to get rid of the British rulers in 1781.
America for Americans or Americans for America was cardinal principle adopted by George Washington in raising America to their present stature in world politics. The Americans keep themselves away from wars, this is evident from their role in the two World Wars in Twentieth Century, one was the Great War of 1914-18 and the other was the Second World War of 1939-45. The American foreign policy is pragmatic and they can and they do twist it to suit the requirement of American interest.
An American never says No, this is a cardinal principle of their business and this is also applicable to their government policy. The Great War of 1914-18 ended in the treaty of Versailles, which was signed in a railway bogey. However be that as it may America also reaped the harvest for the winners without participating in the war with men and material.
The position in the Second World War was much more different then what it was in first Great War in 1914-18. It was the personality of Sir Winston Churchill, which dragged President Roosevelt of America also into the war efforts against the axis powers of Germany and Italy, but only with lip service and military hardware, the famous lend lease arrangement between America and the allies namely Great Britain and their colonies and Russia and France is still on record. If nothing else, America has earned a lot in terms of money in the two world wars, for that matter where ever two nations fought on the globe, the Americans are ready to sell their military hardware to both of them, as it happened in Iran-Iraq war, the pity is that both the warring nations cited Kalma and cut each others throat. Any fight anywhere in the world is a boon for the Americans, who open their military hardware market for any body who can pay for it, this is pragmatism � America for Americans and Americans for America.
When Adolph Hitler started his ex-communication campaign against the world Jewry America reaped the greatest harvest by opening its border for every Jew fleeing to America for succour, this gave the Americans the great Albert Einstein, the German Jew who handed over the formula of Atom Bomb to the Americans, he knew the horrors perpetrated by his discovery and cried Oh I should have been a carpenter instead of a Scientist. This was actually, this discovery, which put an end to the 2nd World War in august 1945. Two Atom Bombs thrown at Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended the story of the 2nd World War.
Pragmatism is evident in the foreign policy of America, the most lucid example is the Shah of Iran, he used to be the American policeman of the East during his hey days, when he fell from power in his own country, he fell from grace in America, so much so, that he could not get a surgery performed in America because that may annoy the Iranian Revolutionary, who threw the Shah of Iran out. India has never been a friend to America a policeman in east is still needed for Americans. So now the Americans are flirting with India and wooing them on their side. This is how the American diplomacy runs.
At the end of the 2nd World War, Great Britain, Russia and America represented by British Prime Minister Clement Atlee, President Truman representing America and Josif Stalin representing Russia at the Pots Doom conference to divide the spoils of war. American diplomacy was quick to teach the lesson of Empire building to Russian rulers and sell the American military hardware to them to maintain the same and earned a lot of money from the Russians. This ended in the liquidation of the Soviet Empire. Americans strongly believe in economic power that rules the roost and it is through economy they want to rule the world and they do rule the world. When one has a lot of money to spare, there is no dearth of sycophants who work for him and so has America. This is how the Americans war against terrorism is being fought by other for the benefit of America, who is the number one beneficiary of this so-called War against Terrorism.
General Alexander Hague, who was at one time Commander of NATO forces and later Secretary of State, has stated that 40 % of the American army is addict. The great thing, which America has done during the 200 years of its coming into worldwide recognition, is that they have equipped themselves with the economic power, which can buy up the world. They have realized right in the beginning that guns, which are not supported by economic power do not win wars and they do not waste armour in bringing countries under their control. Empires do not remain under control because of the latent desire of the units not to remain under subjugation for an unlimited period of time.
The Americans realized that economic control and economic subjugation is more effective than military control, this has been more than evident in the emergence of Bangladesh, when the armed might of Pakistan could not keep them under their flag.
George Bush Senior, the father of President George W. Bush re-iterated the idea of New World Order during the Gulf War of 1991. This idea was first sponsored by Mr. Wendell Wilkie, the presidential candidate in opposition to President Roosevelt in his third term. This idea is again an assertion of American might is right. This philosophy of might is right has laid the foundations and given rise to terrorism, which again is being fought by the same philosophy � The mightiest is right. Prima facie the Americans are out to subjugate the world but their tactics have changed in as much as they have taken to arms instead of entering into dialogue, which they preach all over the world directly and through the United Nations Organisation. Where the Americans want to play an in-effective role the hand over the matter to UNO and where they want to play decisive role they do it themselves, as in the present War against Terrorism.
It has been proved beyond any shadow of doubt that economic war is more effective then military action. America today celebrates its 226th Independence Day and being the mightiest nation of the world, it will behoove well for them to let other nations celebrate their Independence Day also in a befitting manner with happiness, self-esteem and respect for their sovereignty. It would be in the fitness of things if America turns fundamentalist to serve the Christian of the United States of America. And let America complete the mission of John F. Kennedy, the late lamented President of the US, who had a vision for America but was removed from the scene untimely by an assassin. War without bloodshed is diplomacy and diplomacy with bloodshed is war. Behind these two systems of capturing any territory is the money that makes the mere go. So let us all live in peace and let others live with peace and freedom.
Mr. Ali Ashraf Khan is a Pakistani Businessman and Ex-Politician who bid good bye to politics in order to concentrate on more useful service benefit of the political intrigues prevalent in the National Political life of Pakistan. He frequently writes for English and Urdu newspapers in Pakistan.
