I'd like to commend Burke Thomas on his April 23 column regarding the unacceptable hypocrisy of U.S. foreign policy - it's well written and I support his arguments. His message is especially relevant this week, after President Barack Obama's visit to the fifth Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago.
In this increasingly interconnected world, we Americans must realize that the world doesn't revolve around us, and that our extreme actions have extreme consequences. The jingoistic, self-serving attitude of most conservatives and even some liberals with regard to foreign policy is immature, inhumane, and dangerous to our own country in the long run.
The rise of many radical or leftist foreign leaders whom talk radio hosts and other pundits love to hate - Fidel Castro, Robert Mugabe, and Hugo Chavez, for example - are ultimately reactions to neocolonial, neoliberal, interventionist, or otherwise economically and socially detrimental western foreign policies.
We Americans must develop a new philosophy of foreign policy that emphasizes nonviolence, human rights, fair trade, and environmental issues. We must also recognize the fact that, just like the U.S., other countries try to act in their own best interest, even though they might not be successful. In many cases, extreme and anti-American foreign governments are the long-term results of our own selfish, short-term policies.
Thomas Williams
senior, civil engineering