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I had my first lesson in “Might makes right” when I was in primary school. One of my peers in a class of about thirty kids made a name for himself because he was able to beat anyone who dared to stand in his way. He was tall and strong, the class bull. Most of our classmates made every possible effort to insure his friendship or at least not to be an easy object of his wrath.

I learned the meaning of “Might makes right” one day when the bully was dealing in a rather unfriendly fashion with one of my friends. “That is not right!,” I protested. That was enough—before I could realize what was happening, his might fell upon me and, with a sore cheek, I was reduced to silence. That was, of course, his way of proving that he was right.

Guess what most of my classmates thought about the strong boy. Some of them obviously wished to be like him: they were attracted not so much by him as a person, but by his ability to impose his own way. The large majority of the kids, however, despised or even hated him, but made sure that their feelings remained unknown to him.

Could it be that the reason why “people hate Americans” is that in the classroom of nations the United States oftentimes exhibits the kind of behavior that people associate with the idea that “Might makes right”? In answer to this question, let me make two comments.

In the first place, we must make sure that the question “Why do people hate Americans” is regarded as a real question, not as a statement of fact. If it is regarded as a question, the way is open for an honest inquiry into the reasons behind a very common attitude toward Americans in general. If it is regarded as a statement of fact, the natural reaction to be expected on the part of most Americans is a defensive attitude. Are we really willing to explore why so many people (not everybody, to be sure) around the world strongly reject the way in which the United States government, with the acquiescence on the part of a high percentage of American citizens, behaves with the rest of the world?

Willingness to explore this subject requires setting aside a myth which is accepted by the majority of Americans—that among the wealthy countries, the United States excels in generosity toward the so-called underdeveloped nations. The figures show that this is simply not true—in percentage of GNP, the United States ranks last among the main donors of foreign aid! To be sure, looking for evidence to prove or to disprove that this is so would be time-consuming, and let us face it: How many Americans are interested enough in these issues to invest time to find out the international impact of their country´s behavior? The common lack of interest among Americans in international issues leads them to a false perception of themselves and is beyond doubt one of the main reasons behind the arbitrariness which oftentimes characterizes U. S. foreign policy. Self-righteousness is conveniently supported by the capacity to remain oblivious to world problems, some of which are in fact the intended or unintended result of U. S. behavior.

The problem posed by this general lack of interest in what is happening outside the United States and in the negative role that this country frequently plays on the international scene is compounded by the kind of foreign service that can be expected of people who all too often are well represented by the figure that almost half a century ago William J. Lederer and Eugene Burdick described as “The Ugly American”. Based on real facts, their best-selling novel brought into relief the appalling inadequacy of the preparation required for the appointment of American citizens to service overseas. According to Lederer and Burdick, the serious deficiencies of the diplomatic system were clearly illustrated by the recruiting pamphlet issued by the State Department, which underlined the benefits of the diplomatic career but did not have “a single word which indicates the work will be demanding.” No reader can miss the irony of their conclusion: “It is a pamphlet designed to attract mediocrities. We believe it is successful.” The Ugly American shows that the distorted self-image and the accompanying parochialism that anyone visiting the United States today can easily detect as common American traits have a long history—they were patently present in Cold War times. The question is whether any improvement at all has been made in the recruitment of foreign service personnel in a world where human rights are openly violated under the guise of fighting terrorism.

In the second place, the main reason for the growing animosity toward the United States all over the world is what U. S. Senator J. William Fulbright has called the “arrogance of power”, which is closely combined with hypocrisy. The arrogance of power is clearly illustrated by U. S. foreign policy. The history of the relations between the United States and the Latin American countries is to a large extent a sad demonstration of the priority that the U.S. government gives to its economic interests over against the well-being of people living in these countries. Time after time, freedom and democracy have been and continue to be used as a veneer for an interventionism aimed at the preservation of special privileges for the wealthy and the powerful at home and abroad...

^[1] The expresión integral mission has been adopted by the Micah Network

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