Why does America seem to (mostly) be on the wrong side of international freedom?

Interesting article from Reuters about the US' secret involvement in Yemen, where the US is actively supporting the corrupt and brutal Saleh regime.

Note the heavy emphasis on Al Qaeda even though the vast majority of the uprising is populist. Interesting, to say the least. I also noted that the article makes a very, very incorrect assumption about the role of US citizen Anwar al-Awlaki. In case I'm not being clear, this article is one of the more blatant pieces of propaganda I've seen lately.

 

I haven't followed much about Yemen, but are we actively supporting the government? I know we aren't really supporting the rebels, but I've gotten the impression we're more staying out of that one so we don't end up on the wrong side of history there - but using the conflict as an opportunity to go after AQ. The article mentions that we're in contact with opposition leaders too and they support continued strikes against AQ.

What is incorrect about the Anwar al-Awlaki thing? Again, I haven't followed the Yemen news much at all.

 

Saleh has been a longtime ally. However, the US has, as you said, moved to dissociate itself from what it described as an "untenable" situation around March/April. I don't personally think that a withdraw of support during an uprising 2 months ago excuses the US from 20+ years of political and military support - you may think differently. Similarly, going after AQ may be the stated goal, but I'm not sure I trust that inasmuch as that's a nebulous objective and akin to the whole "insurgents vs citizens" doublespeak from Iraq and Afghanistan.

He is not "the leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula".

 

The original poster asked a very good question that I ask myself frequently. It is very embarassing as an American to see Obama hosting the King of Bahrain who just crushed and imprisoned and tortured young folks trying to have more human rights and freedom. This was essentially done with the tacit approval of the US. We have the 5th Fleet there and we are pretty content with the dictatorship across the channel in Saudi. Similarly we were content with the dictator in Egypt for many years etc.

Every night I watch ABC News and for several nights in a row they have talked about how it is such a loss for the US that the dictator of Yemen who was our ally in the "war on terrorism" is on the ropes. It is said like all Americans should be distrubed by the dictator possibly leaving and nobody should give a damn about civil rights, democracy or human rights.

To anwer the original question as to why is complex. Thadeus is mainly correct: a crude form of immoral capitalism that values only money making. The forgotten lower 90% of Americans of course don't arguably gain that much for it. Many or just simple believers in the propganda fed them by Fox and their politico/preachers. Of course it is comforting to always see American as simply the best and most just etc.

 

Gotcha - I was thinking you were referring specifically to the current conflict where we supported the government over the rebels. We've certainly supported all sorts of unethical dictators throughout our history, Yemen included.

 

Agreed. So what should we do about it. I suggest that we withdraw support from them and let democracy reign so the fruits of the ecconomy could flow to the majority in these countries.

Of course we should try that here in this country, too.

 

I think that's a complicated question. After all, the US government's first and foremost responsibility is to the safety and well-being of its own citizens. While we believe in doing right, we ultimately are not and can't be the government of the entire world and there are limits to how far that effort can go in practical terms. There are times when doing what is ethically right and the safety of our own citizens conflicts, and what the correct role of our government is for that situation is a more difficult thing to determine. I don't know that there's a one-size-fits-all answer there.

 

That was definitely a travel.

 

Back to the question as to why America seems to very frequently on the wrong side of the freedom issue. Some times it is just ignorance.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...o-win-western-support.html#.TfPw1nMKnQQ;email

Middle East

Yemen defector says terror crisis was manufactured to win western support
The oldest military ally of Yemen's injured President Ali Abdullah Saleh has said the al-Qaeda terrorist crisis in the country was manufactured to win backing from outside powers.


Sometimes it is just that we are fed propaganda by American elites.

See: Exerpts from a speech by Glen Greewald on Propaganda in the media.

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2011/06/09/media_speech/index.html

I want to note one example, from today, that vividly illustrates many of the themes I discussed in that speech. It is found in the following passage from this Reuters article on Obama's escalation of the covert war in Yemen and his targeting of U.S. citizen Anwar Awlaki for assassination:


A U.S. official confirmed to Reuters that a U.S. strike last Friday killed Abu Ali al-Harithi, a midlevel al Qaeda operative, which followed last month's attempted strike against Anwar al-Awlaki, the leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.


Whether Awlaki has any operational role in Al Qaeda at all is a matter of intense controversy. The U.S. Government has repeatedly asserted that he does, but has presented no verifiable evidence to support that accusation. But what is not in dispute is the notion that Awlaki is "the leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula." He unquestionably is not, and never has been, as multiple Yemen experts have repeatedly noted. The Reuters claim is factually and entirely false.

 

Ironic. But who's watching?

 

Because we only look out for our best interests just like every other country does.

DD

 

That doesn't sound very promising. Makes me think of the earlier days of the US when political slander was a bit out of control. It's probably better for democracy to let slander go than to repress political opponents with threats of prison and murder. Will we be bombing the Maliki bunker twenty years from now?

 

The real capitalism is beautiful.

The capitalism in USA is a bad and fake one.

 

DD

 

My worst fear is that we have a repeat of the Saddam era but the Shiite version. Trust can never be restored after that much conflict.

For the US, we have to realize that it means tolerating closer ties with Iran. It is bound to happen unless something changes.

 

Saddam is one of the biggest tyrants of all-time. I don't see any Shia leader killing innocent civilians by the thousands like that lunatic did.

Don't worry. Your worst fear will not materialize.