“Take US out of the UN!” the bumper-sticker seemed to shout at me.
Why? I asked myself. Why is the UN so threatening to the U.S. that some of our citizens are demanding that we unilaterally pull out of it? Granted, from where I sit, I know very little about the inner workings of the United Nations and I am sure that there are dealings that go on within it that I/we would not be too happy to hear about. If we only knew! But pull out altogether, why be so reactionary?
Then there is the news about China’s President Hu Jintao visiting the U. S., with an official State Dinner and all. Is China to be the next great Super Power of the world? Is the U. S. in irreparable decline? History informs us that no Kingdom, Empire, or Nation-State lasts forever. And they certainly do not stay on top forever, even if they do have longevity. It wasn’t too long ago in recent history that the United Kingdom could brag about the sun never setting on the British Empire. The sun continues to rise and set, but where’s the British Empire now?
Exaggerated rumors about the decline of the U. S. are perhaps just that. Yet our present two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, coupled with our economic crisis of the last two years, doesn’t help us. We can only do so much. And we most certainly cannot do it alone, not in today’s global climate.
Which brings us back to the question that the bumper sticker puts to mind: What is wrong with our participation in the United Nations? Let me put the question another way, “What is so right about US pulling out of the UN and going it alone?”
The beginning stages of the downfall of any nation, empire, or super-power is when it begins to believe that it really is an invincible super-power needing no one but itself and its own resources, to assert its will and maintain its superiority over others, not unlike that arrogant attitude that says, “You’re either with us or against us.”
Arrogant short-sighted self-will is no more fitting for a kingdom or nation than it is for an individual. We have great wealth and a great amount of natural resources in this country. But we don’t have it all, and we certainly are in no position to control everything that goes on in the world, just because we are rich and powerful. We need to cooperate as much as any other nation, perhaps even more so if we are going to maintain a leadership role in the world. A leader is no leader if, when he says “follow me,” no one follows. Likewise, a nation is no super-power if when it says, “follow me,” other nations simply scoff or remain non-committal at best.
It is right to be proud of who we are as a people and a nation. But it is wrong to be arrogant and strident in our attitude and dealings with other nations. The world does not belong to US. We cannot act as if we own it. And neither do we have the freedom of choosing Isolationism as an international policy. The reality is that our prosperity needs and truly depends upon goodwill and a good economic relationship with other nations, including China. To keep economic stability and goodwill with other nations requires mutual respect, shared responsibility, and a balancing act of give-and-take. As we all know, all relationships require a lot of hard work to be lastingly successful; this is no less true for international relationships than it is for personal ones.
If we are in decline, it is not because we do not have the ability, means, or know-how to maintain international political influence and a cutting edge global economy. No, if we decline it will be a direct result of our own arrogant attitude and the fallout of a short-sighted self-will that is coupled with a high-and-mighty, heavy-handed treatment toward foreign nations that should have been treated with more honor, respect, and consideration.
No one likes an arrogant brute who not only thinks he knows it all but acts as much. Let us get off our high horse and accept the fact that we need the goodwill, support, and respect of other nations, large and small. And to get it we must give the same in return. America must not only stay in the UN it must learn to respect the other nations in it. Likewise, we Americans must face the reality of China’s increasing power, economic growth, and influence, and deal with it. But let us do so with wisdom rather than brawn, and respect rather than arrogance; and maybe, just maybe we will not see our decline for many years to come.
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