Being a citizen of the US is likened to living in Vaikunt (the abode of Bhagwan Vishnu) for some; otherwise, you are living in a shithole country. Regrettably, a few commentators hold the view that the US’s greed for other nations’ resources is justified, only because the US has the military might to defeat any obstacle on its path.
The big question! Is there any need to fight for our rights as Guyanese and Trinbagonians? Maybe not! We can go the way of Puerto Rico, where the citizenship of it people is dubious. But that would not be a problem for many so long as they can see the US flag ‘flattering’ above their heads.
History is the best judge of man and those who have spines would always be remembered for their dignity and manhood. Patrick Lumumba of the Congo was murdered when he denied the multinationals access to his country’s copper mines. So too would be Saddam Husein of Iraq, Gaddafi of Libya, Mossadegh of Iran, and the list goes on and on.
Nevertheless, the US has learned its lesson from Vietnam and hence its hesitance to commit boots to the ground. When the body bags were returning from Vietnam and the conscription reached the universities where youths from middle-class families were being recruited, there was nationwide protests. It was only then that the Americans woke up to the reality of war!
The Ukraine-Russian war is being prolonged because the US with all its military might dare not commit US troops to the ground. The current social unrest in Iran is being viewed as an opportune moment to remove another ‘hostile’ regime. Nevertheless, the US would not commit its troops to the ground but would rely on its ally, Pakistan, to fight its war. With Pakistan having the largest peace keeping force in the world, and given the poor state of its economy, the government of Pakistan would gladly embrace this opportunity to earn a few dollars, thus casting aside its rhetoric of Islamic brotherhood!
The US is a bully and it has never been secretive about it. Donald Trump is only a puppet in this culture of aggression against anyone perceived as a threat to US dominance in the world. The business elite in the US strives on war which provides them with a huge market for military hardware. Unfortunately, this truth is ignored by some commentators who refuse to see this reality as they stand in awe under the US flag.
The reality is that the US is in economic decline. Its widening economic disparity combine with racism has engulfed the society with looming civil unrest. The huge national depth is another challenge as the US government is finding it difficult to meet its recurring expenses. The petro-dollar arrangement with Saudi Arabia was not renewed, thus explaining the US’s desperation to secure the oil wells in Venezuela.
The rise of BRICS and the emergence of the Chinese yuan as a currency for international trade is another major reason driving the interventionist policies of the US. The US must wake up to this reality of economic decline. History has taught that the army of Rome fell victims to the barbarians not because of a shortage of soldiers and ammunitions but because of the decline of the economy and the inability of Rome to pay its soldiers.
The US farmers are suffering from the backlash resulting from trade tariffs introduced by Donald Trump. China switched it $12B soya bean trade with the US to Brazil and Argentina. Farmers in the US are experiencing growing debts and the government is failing to address their plights. This is the real war that Trump must confront – to give his farmers and working families in the US a secured future.
But real development is not central to the thinking of a few commentators. Their concept of development is to be given immigration status to enter the US and being denied such status is the gravest sin a country can commit. In their eyes Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana are on the path of economic growth and prosperity because these countries were not banned from migrating to the US. What an achievement! The next step should be to appeal to the leaders of these two countries to declare public holidays to celebrate this priviledged status!
