American Isolationism Growing
As a teenager growing up in India I had two different vision of what America was like. America I dreamed was a country that was modern and full of high rise buildings. It was also a country of huge farms where a cowboy could ride his horse (in the seventies and early eighteen the only English movies that you could watch in India were old “Western” and James Bond movies. My favorite Western was Mackenna’s Gold).
Both these myths are only partly true. American cities definitely have many high rises. But Americans for the most part like to live in large houses in the suburbs. Once night falls the cities are at the mercy of violent criminals, drug pushers and addicts. City maintenance and public transportation are major issues (this is in stark contrast to cities in Canada and Western Europe). Some sections of almost any major city in America are completely at the hands of the criminals and are more violent than Baghdad.
America does have large farms. But you are more likely to find a “cowboy” driving a squeaky clean but gas guzzling pick-up truck than a horse. There are more of these cowboys in densely populated areas than in rural areas (pick-up truck sales is an indication). Most of the farm work (particularly in the South) is done by Mexicans and not by the famed cowboys. Of course a cowboy is more than a person who tends cattle. It is a lifestyle. It is about independence, survival, the open range and most importantly isolation (one of my favorite Cowboy quotes is “don’t interfere with something that ain’t botherin’ you none”).
According to the latest Pew Research Poll, 49% of Americans polled said that the United States should “mind its own business” in international affairs. This number was 30% in 2002. For most of the immigrants to this country this is not surprising news. Americans buy and large are not interested in other countries and their cultures. This is not completely an American problem but one of the side effects of living in a large (three times the size of India) and self-sufficient country.
But unfortunately America is not just another large self-sufficient country. It also happens to be the biggest economy in the world and the only true global military power. American Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and trading with America are also the key driving force behind the rapidly growing economies of India, China and Brazil.
The same poll also shows that 44% of Americans say that “we should go our own way in international matters, not worrying about whether other countries agree with us or not”. Only 20% of Americans responded this way when this question was first asked in 1964. This tendency of isolation and “going it alone” attitude can have negative consequences not only for other countries like India and China but also for America itself. The poll numbers are surprising considering the problems America is facing in both Iraq and Afghanistan. In both these countries the final outcome would have been very different if other countries in the world contributed more to the war effort.
America has no choice but remain actively engaged in world affairs because its vital interests are at stake. There is some good news for India in these polls. 70% of Americans agree that Taliban’s growing strength is a major threat. Islamic fundamentalism propagated by the likes of Taliban is also one of India’s biggest threats. 53% of Americans also indicate that China’s emerging power is a major threat for America. A rising China is not a big treat to India economically. Indian growth is largely due to its domestic economy and not because of its exports. China and America have somewhat of a “death-hold” on each other at the moment (China holds trillions of dollars of American treasure bills but the Chinese economy depends on American consumer spending). India and China are not invested in each other to that extent yet.
Related posts:
- India and the American Empire
- We Two Ours Two
- Cheap American Consumer
- India Should Stop Complaining About American Aid To Pakistan
- Is the American Dream Dead?
Category: News & Government