American history should remind us of the dangers of overzealous interest in foreign affairs. Especially when the United States has a vested financial concern with another country, it should practice an ethical, perhaps hands-off, foreign policy. The lessons of Guatemala, Chile, and Nicaragua (to name but a few) should apply to the current state of affairs in Iraq. When the United States acts with self-serving interests its regime changes usually fail with dramatic and fatal consequences. Mass disenfranchisement is the unfortunate result of forced regime changes, contrary to the government's propaganda. Central and South America display prime examples of this unfortunate fact. Surely, when the United States has genuinely altruistic motives, interference may be deemed necessary. However, Iraq seems to be more a propaganda war than an actual war of necessity. Any supposed humanitarianism is overshadowed by the United State's oil interest in the region. Saddam Hussain serves as a convenient scapegoat; his political evils are real but the U.S. has no right to demand his abdication....
In general, militarily enforced regime changes by the United States should be rarely undertaken and only attempted in the absence of blatent avarice or self-interest.
Regime changes based on economic self-interest almost always fail to achieve humanitarian needs. Of all nations in the world, the United States should be acutely aware of the primacy of self-determination. This Star Trek-like "prime directive" is the bedrock of our nation. When the United States government interferes too much with the natural evolution of other nations, we undermine fundamental rights and freedoms. This is not to say that laissez faire is necessarily the way to proceed. Sitting by and witnessing gross human rights violations runs counter to our conscience. However, the global community must be taken into account. If powerful nations like France and Russia oppose military action in Iraq, the United States government has an obligation to listen. The United Nations in part exists to keep a system of checks and balances in place so countries like the United States don't abuse…
