Altruistic military interventions

[Os Cangaceiros]

A lot of times people will bring up so-called acts of altruism by the United States government in areas where access to strategic interests may be very murky, such as Haiti or Somalia, as a testamony to the USA's value of promoting democracy or whatever. It's easy to see what the strategic interest in a country like Iraq, or Venezuela, or Afghanistan during the Cold War was, for example, but not so much in a nation like Somalia. Leftists have varying opinions as to why this is...Negri for example put forth a rather famous one in Empire. I was just wondering what people's thoughts on this were, and what were some good references I could look at online.

[gorillafuck]

I don't see how Somalia is a particularly difficult example. If Islamists came in power in Somalia (they are very strong there), they would not be friendly towards the US and Western European economic interests.

[ComradeOm]

Leaving aside geopolitical specifics (such as a source of instability in Uncle Sam's backyard) the hegemonic position of the US is based in part on the perception or consensus that it is the pre-eminent Western power. Or 'Leader of the Free World' if you will. The global dominance of US capital requires constant engagement in the outside world and this leads, almost by default, to Washington taking the lead in multinational initiatives or 'humanitarian' missions and the like. If the US didn't do this and someone else - say the UN, EU, China or whoever - steps in then it challenges the image of America as the foremost democratic power

[piet11111]

I don't see how Somalia is a particularly difficult example. If Islamists came in power in Somalia (they are very strong there), they would not be friendly towards the US and Western European economic interests.

Somalia is close to the Suez canal and Iranian waters having it under Washingtons control would be a way to guarantee that the Suez stays open.

[Mather]

There has never been a single case in history of an "altruistic military intervention", Somalia, Bosina, Kosovo and Sierra Leone included.

[blake 3:17]

Human rights imperialism has generally been a failure for human rights.

I also woudn't give the US too much credit for being particularly smart in defending its own interests.

[Widerstand]

To paraphrase Lenin: The developed imperialist nations try to get every (semi-)colony they can.

[Red Bayonet]

Even Marx was not unopposed to imperialist military interventions. See Marx on "Progressive Imperialism in Algeria". Its enough to make you gag. But then,Karl was a product of his time;and we as Communists must strive to be something more than mere "Marxists".