I've got my own takes on the detainee bill and the warrantless wiretapping bill. But Matthew Yglesias at the American Prospect asks an interesting question: Has the U.S. become a rogue state?
A sample:
Other countries, of course, practice torture in violation of international law. As has now been clear for a while, we have been in their company for some years. The latest twist, however, is that we now won't show any shame about it. Rather than simply violating the laws to which we have agreed to adhere, we're repudiating them, simply denying that the standard by which civilized nations operate apply to us....
Consequently, the United States now presents itself as what amounts to the globe's largest and most powerful rogue state — a nuclear-armed superpower capable of projecting military force to the furthest corners of the earth, acting utterly without legal or moral constraint whenever the president proclaims it necessary. The idea that striking such a posture on the world stage will serve our long-term interests is daft. American power has, for decades, rested crucially on the sense that the United States can be trusted and relied upon, on the belief that we use our power primarily to defend the community of liberal states and the liberal rules by which they conduct themselves rather than to undermine them.
Agree or not, it's a thought-provoking read.
civil liberties, torture, terrorism, politics, midtopia
2 comments:
Ever since the Iraq attack of 2003 I have considered the Bush administration a rogue regime, and while Congress was far too full of rubber-stamping lackeys using 9/11 for political gain, I held hope that my country would resist the pestilence emenating from the Bush regime. His reelection in 2004 almost shattered that hope, until it quickly (and very oddly) became clear that most of America rejected Bush's ideology. We're not a rogue state yet, but if both the Senate and the House remain in control of Bush's party, I believe we'll be much closer to the opinion of Mr. Yglesias.
What really scared me this morning was the news that Bush has been given a broad power to designate 'enemy combatants.' Truly a scary thought with the people making up his regime.
- Caracarn
I've read both the House and Senate versions of the bill, and best I can tell only the House version contains the "enemy combatant" power as far as citizens go. One can hope that will be worked out during the reconciliation of the two bills.
Post a Comment