National love Amerika
Matt McCarten is brilliantly sharp in yesterdays Herald on Sunday...
Fawning frenzy seeks to win back US favour
Our political leaders wet themselves with excitement when US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's offsiders signalled we were officially forgiven for refusing to host their nuclear ships in our city harbours.
Ever since we snubbed visiting friends arriving in nuclear warships, our country's elite (who believed we had to be footrests for the American military), were forced to settle for small occasions when one of our political leaders got a "door stop" conversation with a senior US politician.
Such trysts made front-page news and media analysts pored over the hidden meanings of any utterances.
We were persona non grata in the Lange era. But over the years we've done our best to make it up. Eventually, we charmed our way back and were thrilled when then US secretary of state Colin Powell anointed us "very, very, very good friends".
The reason we had to wait so long for forgiveness is that the US didn't know how to get over their humiliation. I was at the State Department in Washington a few years ago where a senior official just couldn't understand why New Zealand would risk US displeasure over a nuclear ships ban.
She said what really rankled was the way we crowed about our anti-nuclear stand to the world, and didn't we realise the US couldn't let us be seen to get away with it?
There is an irony at work here isn't there? John Key, a man whom the 'unauthorized biography of John Key' within the NZ Herald tells us had no real stance on any of the social justice issues that helped shape and define NZ (btw - I love how the Herald claimed it was 'unauthorized' as if John Key had no idea it was occurring and thus seemed 'objective' - the NZ Herald couldn't roll out the red carpet fast enough could they in the lead up to last years election?).
The 'unauthorized biography' tells us Key had no political positions on nuclear free or the Springbok tour, he was apolitical apparently, and yet here he is benefiting from the courageous stances of other Prime Ministers who were prepared to put principles first by getting invited to the anti-proliferation summit which he had no position on while these fights were being fought.
If Key were to put principles first now, he would actually tell the US that we do not want to do military exercises with them! What other super power have involved themselves in illegal wars based on a pack of lies in the last decade? Why would we want to weld ourselves to an immoral Military Industrial complex? Sure John Key's favourite photo op, Barack Obama, is now the President, but Amerika is still in Iraq, losing a war in Afghanistan and stepping up the civilian killing drone remote controlled death squads in Pakistan.
Why would we want to do military exercises with Amerika now? Won't that in fact detract from our position of influence within the global community as a fair voice within the UN? The very statue of respect that other Prime Ministers have courageously built is being sold off by a merchant banker who didn't lift a finger to fight these fights and reconnect us with a country that will actually make us a target.
Why buddy up with a super power that within the last decade lied about weapons of mass destruction to illegally invade another country? If John Key had the courage of previous leaders he would turn down military ties with the US, not increase them.
posted by Bomber @ 9:18 am
10 comments
10 Comments:
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bomber - don't think it is the military options opening to us that will be thrilling the Nats. More than likely Tim Groser is having orgasmic fits at the trade possibilities that re aligning ourselves with the States provides.
Is this the very same Amerika that is almost single handedly providing material and logistical relief to the Haitians, as it did for the Acheans after the 2004 tsunami? Could it be that its role is a little more complex than you suggest? That having been said, it is a bit worrisome that NZ seems to be forsaking foreign policy independence for the mythical benefits of a potential trade pact.
I'm not saying that Amerika hasn't used its vast military power for good at times, I'm saying that National want to cuddle up to the only super power who lied about reasons to invade a country and that deviates from our independent foreign policy.
Bomber: That's the last administration, or do you permanently damn the USA for all of the deeds of all of the past administrations, in the same way you don't damn Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Japan or others?
Or did the fact the USA defended NZ in World War 2, and was the primary reason the Red Army didn't roll over all of Europe not a reason to treat it as a friend?
Witi, it's the same Amerika whose news media talks up the US aid to such diasters and ignores some of the ongoing support to a country like Haiti from countries Amerika doesn't like eg Cuba.
It's the same Amerika, that rushes to insert it's military and economic initiatives in international disaster areas before providing all the aid needed, so they can get a foothold in steering the country towards the US's own military and economic goals.
Funny how Amerika largely ignored Cuba's instant response of aid to Haiti, largely because Cuba already had medical people on the ground there.
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/01/15-6
Carol
I'm amazed that people are still so blind to this stuff. I trust you Bomber, to tell us what's going on and allow us all to make our own minds up. I do not trust this b(w)anker. cd.
Carol: Although the US gets some PR benefit from rendering humanitarian assistance, it gets zero strategic benefit from controlling a resource-poor country like Haiti and certainly received no such benefit from its assistance in Banda Aceh. In fact, one could argue that the military-led disaster relief provided the US in Haiti is a drain on resources that could be used elsewhere, and has the potential, if carried over long-term, to be a political albatross around Obama's neck. So I have to disagree with your universally negative assessment of the US role.
I do agree, however, that the Cuban relief efforts need to be recognised (as well as those of the Israelis). The Cubans have excellent disaster relief (and tropical medicine) units that they readily deploy to Latin American and African countries (and even offered to deploy in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina). Their immediate response to the plight of their Haitian counterpart is to be commended, even if the US media prefers not to.
The Israeli response--including sending a 120 member urban search and rescue squad--is in stark contrast to the limited charitable assistance offered by the majority of their Arab neighbours (and the Muslim world in general).
The larger point being, we need to give credit where credit is due in spite of our reservations about the regimes in question.
lol
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/stephaniegutmann/100022827/israel-builds-a-field-hospital-in-haiti-anti-zionists-not-fooled/
Bahrain: The government has donated $1 million to relief efforts.
Jordan: A Jordanian air force plane carrying a military field hospital and 6 tons of food and supplies left Amman on January 14. A second plane carrying Jordanian medics left the following day.
Iran: Iran's Red Crescent society sent 30 tons of humanitarian aid, including food, tents and medicine, on January 16.
Kuwait: Kuwait donated $1 million to relief efforts; the Red Crescent is preparing 100 tons of food, medical supplies, tents and blankets to fly to Haiti.
Lebanon: Lebanon is loading a plane with 25 tons of tents and 3 tons of medical supplies; it leaves tomorrow.
Morocco: Two planes carrying 24 tons of aid left the city of Kenitra on January 16. The Moroccan government has pledged $1 million in aid to Haiti.
Qatar: A Qatari C-17 aircraft loaded with 50 tons of aid left for Port-au-Prince on January 14. The Qatari government also sent a rescue team to set up a field hospital; the Red Crescent will sent another $100,000.
Turkey: Three cargo planes -- carrying search-and-rescue teams, a mobile hospital and aid materials -- left for Haiti on January 16. Another two planes left yesterday. Turkey has also donated $1 million in cash.
United Arab Emirates: The UAE sent two planes loaded with tents, and a team from the UAE's Red Crescent will arrive in the Dominican Republic tomorrow to buy $500,000 worth of supplies and truck them to Haiti. Another 50 tons of emergency supplies will be air-lifted from Abu Dhabi tomorrow.
And these are just the countries in our area of interest -- I didn't include majority-Muslim countries like Indonesia and Malaysia, which have also made contributions. Oh, and the Islamic Society of North America set up a fund for Haiti, too.
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