American foreign policy and values

United States of America has done a wonderful job in embellishing a society with what has come to be popularly known as the 'American way of life'. Through decades of uninterrupted evolution, has flourished a community embedded with good feelings together with other congeniality. This is evident in Dr. Ahmed's kind neighbour who proffered help quite spontaneously. Examples of such gestures are abundant in the United States. Conveyed by media, Hollywood movies and real life instances such niceties are being typically associated with 'American' values.

It would be quite appropriate to construe that any given society, if fostered like the American one, would manifest the same qualities. Somewhat like 'Biryani': cooked with the right ingredients whether in a desolate place like 'Grand Canyon' or in any other place of the world, the dish will be as savoury as ever and enjoyed by those who taste it and be referred to as any other Tom, Dick or Harry's 'Biryani'.

Among various mechanisms, American foreign policy too plays a significant role in promoting, protecting and fostering the American way of life and therefore, essentially its interests. In fact counter-productive and detrimental to American interests would be incorporation of American values in American foreign policy. Such an act would be akin to sharing goodies with other than own kind and in turn defeat the whole purpose of sheltering the values. Like Dr. Ahmed much as we would like to see the values in their external policies, a complacent State Department would probably discard the suggestion as superfluous. By virtue of being the greatest economic and military power America can afford to orchestrate policies and impose its will without values accompanying its foreign policy. If this affordability is the cause behind anti-American sentiments then obviously it is either being grossly misunderstood or deliberately ignored.

A rather carefully and painstakingly woven rug forms the basis of a solid foundation on which dwells the great 'American Dream' stuffed with material wealth. Once the rug is pulled out from beneath the feet of content Americans, Dr. Ahmed's kind neighbour would perhaps soon be driving a jalopy instead of the 'humongous SUV'. Other factors contributing to a content life would also disappear. Under these subordinated circumstances, would the same neighbour have been equally kind? Discontentment breeds ill feelings just as contentment tends to fertilise good feelings in humans. Maybe relevant here is a rather insightful popular vernacular saying: 'to a hungry, the world is all prose (not poetry)'.

Religious overtures will function as long as an atmosphere resides conducive to practising. A candid attempt has been made to both unravel and analyse what may inhere beyond the apparent. Through revelations we can both appreciate and understand basic human nature. Nothing more, nothing less.