Humanities 2319
American Minorities: Political Culture in A Global Environment
Lecture 7: The Great Experiment:
Our culture in the global community
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Over the last several weeks we have explored the concept of political culture, from its philosophical underpinnings, to its ability to gradually change and adapt to new ideas and influences. In this last lecture we will consider how American political culture fits into the global context.
According to Xiaobo Lü1, America has made five historical commitments.
The
first commitment was to a liberal political and constitutional order
that gave primacy to the protection of certain political and civil
rights among its citizens
The second commitment, consolidated between 1800 and 1836 (roughly)
to a belief that the only proper constitutional and political system
for America was democracy
A
third commitment was to the socioeconomic order of corporate
capitalism which was so powerful, opponents were swept away
The
fourth commitment replaced the third to some extent. Because
of widespread hardships which were engendered by the economy with as
little public control as the dominant political establishment would
allow, reform occurred. This reform took the form of
regulatory controls that would attempt to balance corporate
capitalism with the public welfare.
Even
while the domestic conflicts between capitalism and public welfare
were far from settled, America began to accept its responsibility
and duties as a world power in the international arena; this brought
about the creation of a large military establishment
These historical commitments remain strong and while the strengths of each individually tend to wax and wane over time, they continue to dominate how we think about ourselves as well as how American political culture is viewed by others.
Further, there has been a fundamental shift in thinking about how nation-states interact with one another which has been brought about by technological advances. The media, telecommunications, transportation and the increased mobility of humans have each and collectively influenced the tendency we each have to view ourselves as residents of the plant Earth, as opposed to residents of San Antonio, Texas or wherever it is that we presently reside.
America, during the 20th century has provided not only a haven for political dissonance, but an example to the world that democracy can work. However, for democracy to form and flourish, there must be requisite values held among the majority of its members. Specifically, there must be political equality present which provides that the majority of a population be allowed to express preferences; that there be effective participation, which provides that the body politic has opportunities to express those preferences, and finally that there exist enlightened understanding which requires the means and mechanisms for obtaining information are accessible to the body politic. Of course, the institutions established must, while reinforcing those values, be flexible enough to reflect attenuations (not diminutions to) in those values as well. America had traditionally ignored the larger global community in this respect but after the Great Depression and World War II America would find it in its interest to become more involved.
Following WWII, America was one of fifty-one countries that founded the United Nations. This multi-nation body's mission is to assist in peacekeeping and direct humanitarian aid work throughout the world. One of the first documents adopted by this body and its members was the Declaration of Human Rights. This document, modeled after our own and Great Britain's documents, set about to convey, in the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, "basic principles of human rights and freedoms" that all are entitled to possess. This document represents a strong statement respecting the rights of men and women, many of the countries which have signed it fail to live up to the spirit, let alone the actual language. These rights, although preeminent within our own culture, may be contrary to rights afforded within other cultures; and herein lies a difficulty.
The American political culture, while initially, only recognized white male property owners as capable political participants, expanded to include former slaves, Native Americans, and women; the same cannot be said of all nations, and some of these even purport to be democratic in style.
Since WWII, the United States has attempted to employ multilateral political and economic organizations in an attempt shape newly emerging states as well as those which were former colonies of varies empires throughout history with the overarching goal of promoting democratic and capitalist institutions. This goal, sometimes more subtly stated, is justified as one that promotes stability. The idea that democratic states
Unfortunately, the lofty political values Americans treasure and tout are often found to be in sharp contrast with the foreign policy decisions its government makes---this has been true even within our own domestic history as is well illustrated by the case of slavery, immigrants and women.
....what we know
The literature as well as history have shown us that democratic states are stable and peaceful, but where democracy doesn't exist should we create it? In some cases, it can be done successfully---for example, the case of the Philippines is an excellent example. Where failures occur, it is more the result of a lack of commitment.
At the end of World War II, you will remember that the United States and other allied powers attempted to develop democracy and reconstitute a stable, liberal economic system in Germany and Japan. Too, the United States assisted with significant financial aid and committed to the military defense of both countries. Post-World War II, the track record is less inspiring. 1983, when Reagan sent troops to Grenada to remove a Marxist regime with ties to communist Cuba or Panama, in 1989, when George Bush sent forces to oust Manuel Noriega from power; or even in 1994 when Clinton interceded in Haiti to restore Jean-Bertrand Aristide to the Presidency.
....do as I say, not as I do?
Americans, while possessing clear ideas about 'fairness' and 'equality' today, often find themselves equivocating on some matters of political culture. This equivocation is referred to as cultural relativism. Within our own political culture, slaves were viewed as sub-human and property at one point; women were seen as incapable and ill-suited for roles outside the home, and Catholics were viewed as morally corrupt and allied with the Pope, the majority of immigrants were all viewed as dangerous and potentially destructive to our culture. Clearly, however, American political and social culture was shaped by their inclusion. These groups and the ideas that Americas had about them also shaped how American political culture began to view cultures outside America, to varying degrees but primarily respecting the idea of 'human rights.'
If we consider the view held by Americans surrounding rights like freedom of speech and press, freedom of conscience associated with religious values, equality of opportunity and the rights associated with the treatment of accused criminals and their prosecution and imprisonment all figure prominently in our assessment of nation-states apart from our own. Our perception of how other nation-states treat their citizens can shape our relationships with them, dictating at times whether a 'stick' or 'carrot' approach will be taken by our government in matters deemed in 'our national interests'. For example, in the case of Kosovo where ethnic cleansing occurred, the United States in tandem with the UN, interceded; however, in the case of Rwanda, or Darfur, (please click on the video to watch it in its entirety) striking similarities exist, but American response was different. One must ask, "why?" There are a myriad of ways that crimes against humanity can be addressed, not the least of which is the through the UN Human Rights Council, economic and political sanctions can be imposed, or in the most extreme cases, military action.
Turning attention to the modern conflict facing America: Iraq. Rather than, as was done in the case of Slobodan Milosevic, indict Saddam Hussein for genocide and other crimes against humanity, America chose to invade Iraq and attempt to create a democracy where one did not exist. Unfortunately, because the requisite cultural values are absent, as are the institutions that are required for reinforcing those values there is little prospects for a stable and peaceful nation-state in the near future.
In 2004, Benjamin Barber wrote a book entitled "Strong Democracy" wherein he argued that democracy cannot simply be viewed from the context of governmental institutions, but from the context of participatory actions on the part of citizens. If we couple this, with those ideas of political equality, effective participation, and enlightened understanding, we can make comparisons and contrasts between political cultures outside our own.
This concludes Lecture 7
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1. Promise and Problems of Old and New Democracies: Essays from Political Science Quarterly. 2000. NY: APS