Richard Garrison

US Comprehensive History

Dr. Jonathan Bryant

13 November 21!

"verthro#

$t is %&ite re'reshin( to be assi(ned a piece o' )iterat&re that provides

criticism to *merican 'orei(n po)icy o' past and present. So )on( (one is the idea

that the United States cond&cts itse)' ethica))y and 'air)y #hen dea)in( #ith 'orei(n

(overnments and instit&tions. Stephan +in,er-s "verthro# *merica-s Cent&ry o'

Re(ime Chan(e 'rom Ha#aii to $ra% disc&sses the severa) &()y incidents #here the

United States has e/pressed the dar0 side to #hat most *mericans perceived at the

time to be (ood %&a)ities. S&ch %&a)ities #ere to inc)&de economic prosperity

individ&a)ism evan(e)ism e/p)oration and e/pansion. $nstead the United States

has p&t into action (reed e/p)oitation care)essness &nin'ormed. here a)so seems

to be an &nder)yin( messa(e that the United States #hich its citi,ens are to)d #as

'o&nded &pon princip)es o' )iberty 'reedom democracy and the p&rs&it o'

happiness has become habit&a) in denyin( s&ch tr&ths to the instit&tions it has

overthro#n. Consider this %&ote 'rom pa(e 31! o' "verthro#

 here is no stron(er or more persistent strain on the

*merican character than the be)ie' that the United States

is a nation &ni%&e)y endo#ed #ith virt&e. *mericans

consider themse)ves to be in Herman e)vi))e-s #ords 4a

pec&)iar chosen peop)e the $srae) o' o&r times.5

 he most compe))in( case that describes the 'ai)&re o' *merican po)icy has to

be that o' the $ra% 6ar d&e to the sheer si,e o' the operation in terms o' manpo#er

and capita) the vast amo&nt o' misin'ormation and the )astin( rami7cations

'o))o#in( the invasion. 8ven recent events describe the ne(ative e9ects o' disposin(

o' the Saddam H&ssein re(ime to inc)&de a deve)opin( civi) #ar bet#een S&nni and

Shiite $ra%is the deve)opment o' the $s)amic State and the po#er vac&&m in the

idd)e 8ast re(ion. $' +in,er-s boo0 #as to &nder(o a revision it #o&)d have to

describe the po#er vac&&m in %&estion. $t-s obvio&s that the United States #anted

to create a sphere o' in:&ence in the re(ion by insta))in( a p&ppet state. $t-s $ronic

that $ran ;a nation that &nder#ent an $s)amic revo)&tion that disposed o' an

*merican 7(&rehead< has 7))ed the void created by a #ea0 $ra% and #ie)ds

considerab)e in:&ence.

"ne can ma0e a convincin( ar(&ment that the destabi)i,ation o' the re(ion by

the *merican invasion )ed to *rab Sprin(. he res&)ts #ere the overthro# o' the

&ammar Gadda7 re(ime in =ibya the o&stin( o' Hosni &bara0 in 8(ypt and the

 

on(oin( civi) #ar in Syria. o add ins&)t to in>&ry R&ssian mi)itary 'orces has come to

the aide o' *ssad there'ore estab)ishin( themse)ves as a p)ayer in the idd)e 8ast.

Never be'ore has an overthro# endorsed by the United States (overnment

has )ed to s&ch a )ar(e (eo(raphica) area bein( destabi)i,ed at once. Never be'ore

has the res&)ts been so cost)y in )oss o' )i'e and capita). *t )east #hen (overnments

#ere &ndermined in So&th and Centra) *merica it on)y a9ected that partic&)ar

co&ntry at a time.

 here are a)#ays para))e)s in history and the s&b>ect o' *merican 'orei(n

po)icy is no di9erent. +in,er ar(&e that the invasion o' $ra% mirrors that o' the

invasion o' the ?hi)ippines. his demonstrates ho# there has been )itt)e chan(e to

the nation-s core be)ie's on its doctrine.

 he para))e)s bet#een c+in)ey-s invasion o' the

?hi)ippines and B&sh-s invasion o' $ra% #ere start)in(.

Both presidents so&(ht economic as #e)) as po)itica)

advanta(e 'or the United Sates. Both #ere a)so

motivated by a deep be)ie' that the United States has a

sacred mission to spread its 'orm o' (overnment to

'ara#ay co&ntries. Neither do&bted that the peop)e #ho

)ived in those co&ntries #o&)d #e)come *mericans as

)iberators. Neither anticipated that he #o&)d have to 7(ht

a )on( co&nterins&r(ency #ar to s&bd&e nationa)ist

rebe)s. 8ar)y in the t#enty 7rst cent&ry ten decades

a'ter the United States invaded the ?hi)ippines and a 'e#

years a'ter it invaded $ra% those t#o co&ntries #ere

amon( the most vo)ati)e and &nstab)e in a)) o' *sia.

Un'ort&nate)y this assonance bet#een t#o events #o&)d on)y imp)y that $ra%

has a dar0 '&t&re ahead decades ahead.

 he #ea0est case 'or )on( term 'ai)&re had to be that o' Ha#aii. he on)y

reason that r&)es o&t a Ha#aiian 'ai)&re #as that the United States #o&)d ma0e the

is)and a protectorate and )ater a state. No# on)y traces o' #hat native c&)t&re #ere

Ha#aii remains. Ho#ever one m&st consider that the star0 di9erence bet#een

Ha#aii-s re(ime chan(e and that o' others #as orchestrated by *merican civi)ians

and not mercenaries emp)oyed mi)itary or direct (overnment action.