“Doctrine of Good Intentions”

When it comes to human problems, one should understand how doctrinaire systems work. To make political marketing easier, such systems must present their enemies as wicked by nature. That was how Saddam Hussein – a defenseless target – was treated. Hussein was presented as a threat to our survival, being held accountable for the 9/11 attacks and ready to attack again. However, during the Ronald Reagan’s administration everything he did would be forgiven.
In addition to this enemy feature, any action taken must always be surrounded by certain aura of nobility. Never attack, just defend yourself. During World War II, Nazis and Japanese imperialist movements would say the same thing. It is a statement that before any enemy’s aggression, one must respond to defend himself but also out of altruism for the sake of the rest, and this is what makes the nation exceptional. Already in the 19th century, British colonialism would attire itself in that idealist dress.
However, on the grounds of this rhetoric, the U.S. has by now established various dictatorships, and we’d be really forgetful if we ever thought that the U.S. has planned to establish democracies in Iraq and Afghanistan. Like past imperialist powers, the U.S. is ensuring its own economic and strategic interests in the name of the great values.