Exceptional AttitudeThis is an interesting piece
from CBC
News. Neil Macdonald examines the attitude of
American exceptionalism, and how this attitude is viewed by the rest of the
world, juxtaposing Taiwan and
[Clyde] Prestowitz, a former Reagan administration trade official, is a sharp critic of this attitude. One of his books about the U.S., provocatively titled Rogue Nation, is a thorough examination of how America lives by the doctrine of what is called exceptionalism, often to the dismay of its allies. He concludes with this: The fact is, the U.S. is the wealthiest and most powerful society in human history. It is a special place. An exceptional place. Or at least one with an exceptional attitude. There is a deep tension in the world right now between the reality of America being an exceptional place, and rest of the world's perception of it's exceptional attitude as gross hypocrisy. The larger contemplation of American exceptionalism is interesting. Now consider that the way the Hawaii analogy is presented represents another example of it. I think Macdonald is likely referring to this, an occupation of Kahoʻolawe by the 'Reinstated Government.' But he gives the impression that it would be almost like the 'Kingdom of Kahoolawe,' when in fact, their message was "we are claiming our nationhood and our national lands starting with the baby, Kaho'olawe." Starting... The point is that it is the entire Hawaiian archipelago that "represents a fundamental matter of sovereignty." The truly analogous situation would be to compare Taiwan to Hawaii, not only to Kahoolawe, an uninhabited island formerly used as a Navy/RIMPAC bombing target for a few decades. In choosing to illustrate American exceptionalism by only looking at Kahoolawe, McDonald, it seems, is making an exception. Update: further thoughts... In international relations terms, is this a unipolar or multipolar world? There is clearly one remaining superpower, and every country must in some way defer to that power. But there are other emerging centers of power that are challenging the unipolar model (e.g. Putin this week asserting Russia's disapproval of American unilateral and militaristic foreign policy). Do you doubt that world diplomats are aware of Hawaii's situation? At what point will members of the International community raise the Hawaii issue as part of their overall challenge to American hegemony? To some extent, that will depend on the situation here, and the development of the legal and political framework of independence. But what we might be advised to look toward is a point when the local organization and the international attention converge, when changes can happen much more quickly than we had previously thought possible. We may be well advised to consider that possibility and prepare for it. If and when it happens, it should be seen as an opportunity. All options for a sustainable and self-sufficient Hawaii without solutions being limited within a strictly American framework. Posted: Sat - March 3, 2007 at 09:31 AM |
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