5.1.4 The Imposition of Liberalism

What does to "impose" liberalism mean?


"A napalm strike erupts in a fireball near U.S. troops on patrol in South Vietnam, 1966 during the Vietnam War", manhhai, flickr.
CC-BY-SA
To "impose" something means to enforce it, or make it compulsory. Is it possible to enforce liberalism? Can rights and freedoms somehow be "inflicted" or forced upon people?

Consider the principles of liberalism again. How can any of them be forced on people against their will? Think about democracy and capitalism along with:

  • Private Property
  • Rule of Law
  • Individual Rights and Freedoms
  • Competition
  • Economic Freedom
  • Self-Interest

Liberalism is "imposed" when people are made to accept principles that are different from their own values or beliefs. You have learned that liberalism was imposed on Canada's First Nations when they were expected to adopt a western education system and give up collective land use in exchange for the ownership of private property.

Liberalism has been imposed on people when religious beliefs establish different rights and freedoms for men and women.

Liberalism was also imposed on former communist nations that have valued collective responsibility and economic equality by imposing individual responsibility and private ownership.

Liberalism might be imposed of several reasons, and today's world has many examples of liberal societies imposing their ideology on others.

©ADLC



Read "Bringing Liberalism to the World" on pages 318 to 322 of your text Perspectives on Ideology.

Recent events in Afghanistan and Iraq provide two examples of the imposition of liberalism.


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"Scouts from 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne), pull overwatch during Operation Destined Strike while 2nd Platoon, Able Company searches a village below the Chowkay Valley in Kunar Province, Afghanistan 2006"© Courtesy of the Afghanistan Task Force

Afghanistan

Afghanistan has been a disputed territory for generations. An autonomous territory until the British attempted to take it over during the 1800s, it became a monarchy for much of the 20th century. This time was marked by assassinations until a bloodless coup resulted in a short-lived republic. A proxy war by the United States and the Soviet Union raged from 1979 to 1989 when an estimated 600 000 to 2 million people were killed and 5 million became refugees. The military action of the two superpowers left thousands of weapons in the hands of the Mujahideen or "freedom fighters".


Afghanistan under the Taliban

From 1996 to 2001, Afghanistan was ruled by the Taliban, an Sunni Islamic political group. Although the Taliban had its political roots in the system of tribal councils in which decisions were made by consensus, in reality the Taliban is ruled by Mullah Omar, a religious leader who has the power to make all decisions with little or no input from anyone else. Under the Taliban, Afghanistan followed Sharia law as outlined in the Islamic sacred text, the Qu'ran.

Under the Taliban, a woman could not leave her home without a male supervisor, female children could not attend school, and historic religious monuments were destroyed. Images were banned, including diagrams in medical texts and lectures. As reported in the New York Times, the following were banned: "pork, pig, pig oil, anything made from human hair, satellite dishes, cinematography, and equipment that produces the joy of music, pool tables, chess, masks, alcohol, tapes, computers, VCRs, television, anything that propagates sex and is full of music, wine, lobster, nail polish, firecrackers, statues, sewing catalogs, pictures, Christmas cards."

Another Islamic fundamentalist group, Al Qaeda, and its leader Osama Bin Laden, moved into the safe haven of Afghanistan, calling it the only true Islamic state. From their base in Afghanistan, they planned and carried out many terrorist attacks around the globe, including the 2001 attacks (9/11) on the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.


A brief news review of NATO involvement in Afghanistan 2001-2014


"War in Afghanistan: a decade of conflict", The Telegraph, You-tube 

 



Operation Enduring Freedom

The military operation called Operation Enduring Freedom was deployed by the United States, Great Britain, and coalition forces that entered Afghanistan in response to the attack on the World Trade Centre. This was done under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Claiming that their own security was at risk, in October 2001 the NATO military forces deposed the Taliban and attempted to stabilize the country for liberal democracy. This type of government was foreign to Afghanistan, and for different reasons, rejected by many individuals and organizations. The Taliban still has a great deal of power and continues to try to regain control of the nation with leadership based on Islamic principles.


Soldier with Afghan Children 2008
Courtesy Distributed Learning Alberta

    Human casualties

    Estimates of the casualties resulting from this war are difficult to determine. The initial attack killed thousands of civilians and Taliban, and the continued fighting has led to many more deaths. Estimates of civilian causalities from 2001 to 2010 ranged from 6000 to 30 000 deaths-most from Taliban roadside bombs and suicide bombs and hundreds more from coalition airstrikes. By early 2010, more than 1700 soldiers from coalition forces had died.

    The Invasion of Iraq in 2003

    From 1968 to 2003, Iraq was ruled by the Ba'ath Socialist Party. Although other political parties were allowed to operate, the system was set up so that the Ba'ath Party was the only one that could really hold power. Under Saddam Hussein, who became president in late 1970, Iraq was committed to socialism, the restoration of pride in Iraq's past, the unification of Arab states in the Middle East, and the development of a secular society in which women had equal rights. Hussein was also a dictator. His army invaded Kuwait in the Gulf War of 1990, an invasion denounced by the United Nations. They were driven out quickly by a US-led coalition. Shortly after Operation Enduring Freedom began in Afghanistan, the United States began to challenge the legitimacy of the leadership of Iraq.

    Operation Iraqi Freedom

    Based on their unsubstantiated belief that Iraq was building weapons of mass destruction, the United States, Great Britain, and some allies invaded Iraq. Claiming that the people of Iraq desired freedom from the oppression of a brutal dictator, the coalition eventually captured President Saddam Hussein who was later executed by the new democratic government of Iraq.

    The invasion of Iraq not only brought an end to its political system; it also destroyed the nation's infrastructure and destabilized its economy. From 2003 until 2010, more than 100 000 civilians were killed with some estimates ranging as high as one million. The Iraqi government estimates that by 2010, Iraq has at least five million orphans in Iraq-more than half the children in that country.


    "No Exit" by Andy Singer



    Watch Crash Course History on the American role in fighting terrorism below. Pay careful attention to how a liberal democracy attempts to promote liberalism abroad and the consequences. Did it make America safer? Did it spread liberal values?


    "Terrorism, War, and Bush 43: Crash Course US History #46", CrashCourse, You-tube

     



    In both cases, it can be argued that "liberalism" was imposed by an outside force. Although U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney at the time stated that the US forces would be greeted as liberators and that the war with Iraq would be short,this remains a highly controversial debate. It may be true that many citizens in each of these nations were oppressed and desired a change of government, but neither of these nations requested military intervention. Both countries were devastated by military operations and continue to face challenges to their leadership.

    As you read take notes on the following:
    • Does the imposition of liberalism reflect the will of the people?
    • If so, which people? Can the imposition of liberalism be justified?
    • Should liberal democracies violate liberal principles to promote liberalism abroad? And if so, in what circumstances?

    Watch the Academy Award winning film "The Hurt Locker" to see a soldier's perspective, or the documentary "Afghan Star."
    Try to find any of the following Iraqi films:
    • "Iraq in Fragments"
    • "Abadan lam nofarekoh" ("Iraq, We Never Parted")
    • "Voices of Iraq"
    • "In the Shadow of the Palms", the Canadian documentary
    • "Zero Dark Thirty" (Rated R)

    • How much should the "liberty" of a country cost in terms of human life?
    • Do you believe in the old saying "Give me liberty or give me death"?
    • Do you agree with the cartoonist above, who suggests that the freedom obtained by the people of Afghanistan and Iraq really means the freedom to have nothing, not even security?