USA and The World

More than seventy years ago, around 1936, two Russian humorists, Ilya Elf and Eugene Petrov wrote a book entitled ‘Little Golden America’. They presented a picture of American culture in a very humorous yet realistic manner. America in those days was passing through a period of great trade depression and her industries were adopting a very hard advertising to sell their products. They gave an example of Coca Cola. You wake up in the morning and switch on the radio and hear it blaring out ‘coca cola’ is very refreshing, very energizing and very appetizing etc. You open the daily paper and find a full-page ad extolling the coke; you step out of your flat and a huge banner catches your eye with the same message for cola. You go to watch a movie and coca cola glares at you on the screen the first thing. You cannot escape coca cola till you are brain washed and begin to feel that you cannot do without coca cola and must drink it to refresh yourself whenever and wherever you want it.

They also mentioned how easy they found to take things of comfort like a car, furniture, fridge etc. on installment basis. As soon as one got a job he felt that these creature comforts are an absolute necessity for one’s existence and they go on a purchasing spree, of course on installment basis. Now it may happen, as it often does, one’s company may feel that the business is slack and decide to retrench the staff. The axe may fall upon you as well. Naturally one won’t be able to pay the installments and all the symbols of comfort are taken away from the individual. Unfortunately this type of consumerism is growing in the developing countries as well with all its advantages and draws. Now this culture is fast catching up. No one minds living with debts now. It’s the in thing now and the younger generation does not mind living with it as long as their pay packet takes care of the EMIs. The mantra is to enjoy your present to the fullest, without any compromises. Save and then spend seems to be an outdated concept right now.

The novel ‘Death Of A Salesman’ by a well-known American writer, Arthur Miller, illustrates another feature of the American culture. The hero is a salesman who earned good money for many years but with the advancing age his charm and efficiency declined. He could not give as much business to his company as he used to. Wherever he goes they find him unemployable or his remuneration is heavily cut down. The salesman is eager and hard working but he could not bring the old touch and sadly finds out that he doesn’t sound convincing enough to his clients any more. He is terribly dejected and his American dream of prosperity and happiness is shattered. The importance of brand products and one’s ability to push through any product in the market is no longer peculiar to America. Other nations do not want to be left behind and are catching up with the practice as globalization is the order of the day.

Another specialty of USA is its hegemonistic character. Before the World War I America led more or less an isolated existence. There was nothing special about her. No doubt America was vibrant. Her scientists, Edison, inventor of telegraph systems; Wright brothers, the aviation pioneers and Ford who built the car, placed America among the front ranking nations. After the World War II there was a new stirring in America. Her literature began to acquire a new vitality. Her novelists Sinclair Lewis and Pearl S. Buck and the dramatist Eugene O’Neil were awarded Nobel Prize for literature in 1930s. She has given a new dimension and poise to literature. American literature has a distinct flavor and it is no longer a mere extension of British literature. She was making tremendous progress in science and technology. Insulated by the two oceans she has been free from the threat of any outside attack and this has helped her to make all round progress at a tremendous pace.

The whole picture changed with the World War II as also the spread of communism. The whole of Europe as the main theatre of war lay in ruins. Its economy was shattered. On the other hand except for Hawaii Islands USA did not face the horror of bombardment followed by death and destruction. Her only rival was the Soviet Union and the socialist block of countries in east Europe. But these countries had paid a very heavy price in war and their economy was badly shattered. USA had emerged as the sole leader in the world. Its huge production machinery was intact. Through the introduction of the Marshal Plan America helped the war ravaged European countries and they were soon on the road to recovery. She earned notoriety for helping the old imperialist powers, France and Netherlands etc. in their efforts to regain their control over their pre war colonies, the French Indo China and the Dutch East Indies. But due to very strong people’s movement and their opposition all their attempts were foiled. France suffered such a crushing defeat at Dien bin Phu that in the battle against the Viet Namese only a 29-year-old nurse had survived to tell the tale. France also had to yield to Algeria after fighting to subdue her for some years. The British wanted to cling to Malaya but had to retreat.

USA intervened in the war with Viet Nam and to its utter shame had to bite the dust and ultimately withdrew her forces from there.

Now Iraq is proving another Viet Nam for America. Jim Rutenberg reports from Washington “Facing public dismay over the war in Iraq, President Bush recently somberly acknowledged the broad scope of American sets and missteps there.” He adds “The violence in Iraq has reached near record peaks.” There is eroding support for the war. The report continues “I Know many Americans are not satisfied with the situation in Iraq; I’m not satisfied either,” Bush said. A report from Washington says; “More than 200 active armed services members fed up with the war in Iraq, have joined the unusual protest calling for withdrawal of US troops from the country, organizers said on Wednesday.” “The campaign called the Appeal for Redress from the War in Iraq, is the first of its kind in the Iraq war and takes advantage of Defense Department rules allowing active duty troops to express personal opinions to members of Congress without fear of retaliation, organizers said.” (TOI, Oct. 27, 2006)

What is worse a report from Baghdad says: “Embattled Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki told the US ambassador that he was Washington’s friend but ‘not America’s man in Iraq”, ratcheting up his high – stakes and increasingly bitter dispute with the Bush administration, an aide said on Sunday.” (TOI, Oct. 29. 2006). Now America wants to withdraw her forces from Iraq as soon as possible. Her strongest ally, Britain is also forced to think to withdraw her forces as well.

America who used to consider South America her pocket borough is no longer so sure of their allegiance to her. These days Hugo Chavez, the President of Venezuela is at loggerheads with President Bush. There has been a pro-Left trend in Latin American elections. Over a dozen countries in south and central America have governments that profess left-of-center social and economic policies. Lula in Brazil, Michel Bechelet in Chile and Tabare Vazquez in Uruguay are social democrats. Most of the bloodless revolutions in South America are national revolutions. Their politics has revolved around the twin planks of social justice and economic sovereignty. The anti-US stand in the politics of the new Latin American Left is essentially economic. A parliament along the lines of European Union has been formed and there is talk of a common bank and currency for South America. The days of American Hegemony in the South are over. Nicaragua’s former Marxist guerilla leader Daniel Ortega bounced to power on Oct. 7, 2006 in a Presidential election victory that bolsters increasingly assertive anti-US bloc in Latin America.

America blocked entry of China to the UNO for more than 20 years. But realizing the folly of it President Nixon sent his special representative Kissinger to China. The result of the ping-pong diplomacy, as it is known, was that America had to mend fences with China and soon she was welcomed as a member of the UNO. The reality has been that the UN has never been able to defy the US on international security issues in all 61 years of its existence. The US has always had its way – whether it was China’s representation in the UN, General Nimmo’s report on Pakistani infiltration in Kashmir in 1965, giving genocidal Pol Pot representation in the General Assembly or the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

At present there are, two serious irritants to USA, North Korea who very recently exploded a nuclear bomb to the dismay of most countries of the world. The other is Iran. Her determination to refine ‘uranium’ is unpalatable. Though Iran says that she is doing it for peaceful purposes this refined uranium can easily be used to make a nuclear bomb. Most nations of the world including China and Russia do not want the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Iran is defiant and America has burnt its fingers in Iraq and she is extremely cautious from making another misadventure by attacking North Korea or Iran. As more and more American soldiers die in Iraq there is growing disillusionment in America and her people would not like to commit their soldiers in any kind of war abroad.

October, 2006
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‘There was a debate in England recently between the Prince of Wales and the cancer specialist Dr. Michael Baun. The Prince was complaining that alternative medicine was not given its due in U.K. and was extolling the virtues of coffee enema against cancer.

After some exchange Dr. Baun wrote an open letter to the Prince stating “My power and authority flow from 40 years of medical practice and 25 years of cancer research. Your power  and authority rest on an accident of birth.” (This letter in the British Journal Vol. 329. P. 118 can be accessed on the Internet.)