The Myth of American Values
How the U.S. Backs Dictators While Preaching Freedom
The Myth of American Values
How the U.S. Backs Dictators While Preaching Freedom
We’ve all heard the sermon, The United States, beacon of liberty, protector of democracy, global guardian of human rights. If you’re like me, you likely had to say the Pledge of Allegiance daily, as well as watch jingoistic videos with the national anthem playing throughout your years in school. But once you start reading history, you realize that this tale of American benevolence is more mythology than fact. Like any good myth, it’s plastered everywhere, even when the truth is buried in blood and bank accounts.
If American foreign policy actually cared about human rights, we wouldn’t be handing weapons to war criminals, but that’s exactly what we’ve done — over and over again. It’s not about spreading democracy, it’s about maintaining power, expanding markets, and making damn sure that any country not bowing to American economic interests gets “corrected.”