Sheldon Richman: Foreign Policy Failure Everywhere
Could it be that these failures may be successes to the custodians and profiteers of American empire?
ISIS franchises are emerging throughout the Arab and Muslim world. Libya, which America and NATO "liberated" from Col. Gaddafi after prodding by then-secretary of state Hillary Clinton, is in militia-ridden hell and is now a haven for ISIS sympathizers. Despite President Obama's assurances that America's combat role in the unceasingly violent Afghanistan is over, we know it is not. Meanwhile in Europe, the U.S.-instigated coup in Ukraine has not had the intended effect of making Russian President Putin skulk to his corner in fear of the global hegemon.
Well done, Messrs. Obama, Bush, Clinton, Bush, Reagan, Carter, and on back. Each faithfully pursued the geopolitical and economic interests embodied in the idea of American hegemony, writes Sheldon Richman. We see the results: slaughter and incineration abroad (often by remote control), humanitarian catastrophe for homeless survivors, and American deaths and injuries far outnumbering those of the 9/11 attacks. And then there are the fiscal costs to Americans. But all of these failures, argues Richman, may in fact be successes to the American empire's custodians and profiteers.