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General Tommy Franks, Commander-in-Chief of the United States Central Command, spoke to the Houston Forum today about the United States' efforts in Central Asia. Mauryzia Wong reports:
STORY: Few Americans think of their nation in imperial terms. After all, the U.S. was founded when the 13 colonies rebelled against the British Empire. The reality is what writer Gore Vidal and conservative commentator Pat Buchanan have called the American Empire. An empire as geographically diverse and far-reaching as the British Empire of modern times [18th C-20th C] and the Roman Empire of ancient times. Like the British and the Romans, Americans seek to impose their views and values upon other cultures. Just as coins bearing Julius Caesar's image could be found in Brittania and British-made Dettol could be purchased from Bombay to Jamaica, Coca-Cola can be found from Beijing [China] to Johannesburg [South Africa]. Unlike its predecessors, the U.S. empire maintains itself largely through strategic alliances referred to as "surrogate powers" rather than with forts and garrisons. Tom O'Brien, a history professor at the University of Houston, explains the history behind this: "This has been a long-standing policy of the United States. It goes back, again, to the years after World War II. And, you see this in a variety of regional military alliances that the United States helped pull together: the Baghdad Pact, which was in the Middle East, [and] SEATO, which was Southeast Asian Treaty Organization [they were] modeled on NATO, but with the idea that they would rely on particular crucial allies." Iran in the Middle East and Guatemala in Central America have been used in this role. Dr. O'Brien explains the criteria for choosing "surrogate powers" to act on behalf of the U.S. and at its behest: "We felt we could build a stable relationship with the local elites, and at the same time, countries that would have sufficient military power, partly through our assistance, to influence events in the region so that we would not have to intervene directly, time and again, in the affairs of these areas." [Note: due to editing problems, this actuality did not make it onto the final mix and subsequent broadcast]. Another manner in which the American Empire maintains itself in the 21st Century is through coalitions. [Note: due to editing problems, this sentence did not make it onto the final mix and subsequent broadcast]. General Tommy Franks, the Commander-in-Chief of U.S. Central Command, has a pivotal role in this area. He spoke to a collection of local business leaders at the J.W. Marriott today. During his lunch time presentation, he explained the significance of the US-led coalition in Afghanistan. "There are two interesting points about this coalition. The first point is that this is the largest coalition ever built by any nation. Secondly, it's larger today than it was last week. It was larger last week than the week before that, and the month before that, and the month before that. It is, it is remarkable in my mind because it talks to not only the staying power represented within our country, it talks to the staying power of the international community in the face of the threat we see ... How long? As long it takes." Reflecting on the historical context of "surrogate powers" and modern-day coalitions, General Franks' explanation of U.S.-alliances with Afghan warlords is particularly insightful. "We work with the central government in Afghanistan, and we work with regional leaders slant warlords, when it is in our mutual interest to do so." Questions have been asked about Afghanistan's role in foreign policy in this context. The central Asian country received little attention from the U.S. government from the end of the Soviet invasion in 1982 until after Sept. 11 with revelation of the Taliban's role in hiding Osama bin Laden. It did, however, make headlines in recent years when UNOCAL considered laying an oil pipeline from the Caspian Sea through the oil-barren nation to Pakistan. Internal instability, as evidenced in the controversial convening of the Loya Jirgha and last week's vice presidential assassination, has forestalled Afghanistan's role in the American commercial empire. According to Dr. O'Brien, the result will be U.S. interests in the region subsiding along with apparent threats of terrorism. Mauryzia Wong and Fred Schiff, KPFT News, Houston.
E-mail Mauryzia Wong and Fred Schiff at mw_houston@yahoo.com and fschiff@mail.uh.edu respectively.
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