Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said yesterday that a new world order must emerge that moves away from what he calls world domination by the United States. This is nothing new; of course, as he usually refers to America as “The great Satan” while simultaneously explaining how Israel should be wiped off the map. Ahmadinejad also stated that the current world system is based on “injustice” and “discrimination” – rather interesting rhetoric coming from a dictator that executes homosexuals and tortures its own citizens. Just to be clear, I’m not talking about waterboarding terrorists with a doctor in the room – I’m talking about real torture...Tower of London style. Furthermore, Iran continues to be the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, contributing billions to Hamas, Hezbollah, and other Islamic Jihad organizations that murder or kidnap innocent civilians. For a quick example, consider Iran’s plot to assassinate Saudi Ambassador Adel al-Jubeir in Washington DC last year. It was fortunately stopped by US law enforcement and intelligence, but is emblematic of how the country conducts its foreign affairs. The same plot also had plans to attack other embassies and ambassadors. Let’s also not forget about how Sharia law is implemented in Iran. So with all this evidence, we should be asking what a new world order looks like for Iran. It’s actually not a complicated question. All that Ahmadinejad is saying is, “Leave us alone so we can keep building nukes and funding terrorism.” He just wants to be left alone to build up a nuclear arsenal and eventually try to hold Israel hostage or force them to give up Jerusalem.
The calls by Iran and other countries who label the US as oppressive or invaders are misguided and unsophisticated. Since the founding of our country, we have done more to help the cause of the oppressed and helpless than any other nation in the history of the world. Whether it is saving the planet from the tyranny of Hitler and Imperial Japan or providing hundreds of billions of dollars in foreign aid to developing countries, the US military consistently goes out of its way to help those in need. When the Berlin Wall came down and communism fell under President Reagan, there was no doubt that freedom had prevailed and that the US had freed millions of citizens from oppression. The same can be said for US involvement in the Arab world. Few people make the point better than Charles Krauthammer, who noted how the US military has gone to war six times in the last 20 years to fight for oppressed Muslims (Kuwait, Kosovo, Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere). It’s a profound statement and one you will never hear in the mainstream media.
With that said the US is far from perfect and will always make mistakes. In times of war, we sometimes have to get in bed with questionable individuals and regimes to do what is necessary to win. As the leader of the free world, it is a delicate balance that must continuously be reevaluated. But the broader “oppression” narrative that is constantly peddled by Iran and other European countries is completely invalid. They would be wise to first count the number of memorials paying tribute to fallen US soldiers on their soil before repeatedly criticizing our foreign policy. In terms of the current “world order,” I think our country has provided more freedom and opportunity to more citizens in the world than any other. I pray that this world order never fails and that the US can remain a shining city on a hill for the rest of the century.
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