Respectful Reply To Tom's Response

Hi Tom,

I will ask John Francis to post his essay; I don’t have an electronic copy. In response to your questions, "If not the USA, who?" and “who the preferred alternative without fault would be?” let me try a brief answer. I look forward to discussions with you.

The central question is not who to replace the US, although there are possible answers there, but to first recognize that the US has been and is on a destructive path that: harms our own democracy and security, the lives and well-being of other peoples of the world, and indeed through pollution and proliferation, the well-being of the biosphere; and then to join with others to modify our behavior to avoid further catastrophe. That is what people like Chalmers Johnson, Andrew Bacevitch, Amy Goodman, Noam Chomsky, the late Howard Zinn, and many others tell us is necessary. This may sound like peace and apple pie but the point is to get us to consider what we might do rather than to hope this all will go away; consider together then act each in his own way.

Since the US plays such a huge role in the world, modifying our own country’s behavior for the better would bring immense benefits to all, and, of course, has the potential to change the behavior of other countries and peoples as they react to us.

Of course, there are no pure “alternatives without fault” -- even though there are some more moral actors that we could certainly try to emulate; but the fact that there are no “alternatives without fault” doesn’t relieve us of our responsibility for the behavior of our own country.

“If not the USA, who?” suggests that perhaps some roles are necessary and that if we do not play those roles, others may take our place with less desirable results. Let us consider which roles we play that are necessary and positive and support them, and those which are unnecessary and harmful, especially those related to military and economic hegemony, and modify them. The world is not a safe place, but, for the most part, we are making it less safe, in our actions and example.

Also, there are many moral actors in the world, not to speak of all of those who have been harmed by us, who would be happier if it were “not the USA”.

(One answer as to “who?”, among others, has been suggested by General Romeo Dellaire, the UN General during the Rwanda genocide, in his book “Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda,” who argues that it would be salutary for secondary powers such as Brazil and Canada to participate more and play more of a constructive role. But that is secondary, the responsibility is on us as individuals to act.)

Does this come close to answering your questions?