George Orwell\'s 1984: The Danger That Abuse

George Orwell's 1984: The Danger That Abuse Of Power Poses To Individual Liberty

There are several themes in George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four that are still relevant in our world today, which is evident if a process of analysis is used to draw parallels between the book and current day issues. One such theme is the danger that the abuse of power poses to individual liberty. Indeed, the preceding statement is as true of democratic nations like America as it is of totalitarian regimes. Take, for instance, the recent American war in Iraq or the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by the U.S. military. If instances of such abuse are left unchecked, it can lead to the death of individual liberty just as Orwell describes in his work of fiction.

True, Orwell's work was perhaps meant to demonstrate primarily the dangers of totalitarian regimes such as that of Stalinist Russia. However, it is interesting that Orwell also touches on the lengths that people may be willing to go to achieve the objective of attaining freedom. This is evident in Winston and Julia's agreeing with O'Brien that they would be prepared "...to cheat, to forge, to blackmail, to corrupt the minds of children...to do anything which is likely to cause demoralization and weaken the power of the Party." (Orwell, p. 305) Thus, Orwell seems to have implied that 'doublethink' can exist everywhere. Indeed, several critics have picked up on this fact to demonstrate the presence of 'newspeak' and 'doublethink' in American media and to imply that J. Edgar Hoover was the equivalent of 'Big Brother' during the Vietnam War (Raskin, 1983). Similarly, today, the questionable American invasion of Iraq can be said to be 'Big Brother' abusing its power and position, using the war on terrorism as a pretext.

Of course, there can be no denying that the American war has freed the Iraqi people from an oppressive regime, quite similar to the one described by Orwell. But the fact is that America went to war without the support of the United Nations. It is, therefore, not surprising that there are many Americans and non-Americans who feel that America was abusing its position as a world power. Further, it is quite clear that the Iraqis resent the American occupation, a situation that has not been helped by the media reports about the U.S. military abusing Iraqi prisoners. From this, it can be inferred that America ignored the wishes of the Iraqi people and the international community, thereby violating basic principles of liberty and the sovereignty of nations to decide their own affairs. Thus, unless America checks its fear of terrorism as well as its purported enthusiasm to spread democracy, it runs the risk of lending credence to Orwell's prediction of a world that accepts the principle that "war is peace."

To avoid a repeat of such abuses, it is important that the people of America themselves realize the inherent danger in the current policy and voice their protest strongly, asking for a greater degree of accountability from the Congress and the White House for both the war as well as the abuse of prisoners. The other solution lies in the international community resolving to stop America from taking such unilateral steps in the future. In fact, the best way to prevent the abuse of power and the danger it poses to individual liberty is if both the measures are combined to bring about sufficient change in America's foreign policy.