Our New Global Responsibility
As I watched the news this morning, which showed Iraqi men roping a statue of Sadam Hussein, it reminded me of similar scenes shown of another regime: Communist Russia, where really, it all began.

With the fall of Russian-style communism and with it, the statues of Lenin, Stalin and the Berlin wall, a new era came into being. The threat to the world, posed by the restrictive government that held the USSR together, was spontaneously eliminated. Not by military force, but by crumbling from within. It crumbled, literally into pieces, of its own accord. Its nebulous foundation, which was built via force and control, finally gave way.

For generations, communism in its myriad forms, threatened to take hold of the world. The US of A, with its independent, freedom-fighting notions, viewed it as a continuous threat. And indeed the nuclear weaponry and military technologies amassed by the USSR, posed a violent threat to the world. Fortunately, wisdom prevailed and the USSR and the USA never once came to blows.

The dissipation of the USSR and its global threat, gave the world-at-large and nations in particular, the freedom to make more choices and changes without risking the destruction of the planet. The removal of the threat of immediate and eminent global annihilation has afforded the world and its governments with an opportunity to duke it out more directly and possibly more appropriately.

Communist Russia’s dissolution cast the US into a new role. We have become the only big kid on the block. And the unfortunate terrorist attack that occurred on September 11, 2001, woke us up and got us in the game. The US has essentially been a slumbering, bumbling giant in world affairs. We lumbered along, not wanting to rock the boat, lying low, keeping our heads down, attending to our own affairs, and for good reason.

It’s tough out there on the world playground, even if you are the biggest kid on the block, perhaps more so. Being the largest target, one is a lot more likely to get hit. And even though the younger kids might not like each other, they all secretly want to get a shot at the big guy. Although nations might hate each other, there’s one thing the can all agree on, they don’t like being disciplined by an outsider.

So now the real test begins. Not for the youthful nations on the globe, but rather for the freedom-fighting giant, the United States of America. If ever we have been tested, this is our moment. With our new-found status, we are thrust into the forefront of global affairs into making decisions, decisions, decisions.

We can no longer stand idly by, while the rest of the world dukes it out. Like it or not, we have been thrust into a position of power. We are the top dog in global affairs, the might, the force, the power, the authority figure, the teacher, the parent, the global representative. We need to set our house in order and conduct ourselves responsibly and carefully, fully weighing every decision and the consequences of our actions. We, as a nation, can no longer sit by while the others slap at each other. We have been forced into a world role, whether we like it or not.

It is our duty to live up to our own philosophy. As a global leader, it is our duty to represent ourselves in the highest manner possible, holding fast to our principles based upon freedom and equality for all, oppression to none. We need to set our own interests aside and make decisions and take actions that are truly for the best and highest good, because the world is depending on us. There is no room for greed, hatefulness, selfishness, egotism, fanaticism, vanity, excessive pride, self-absorption or isolation. It’s time for us to gather our dignity and strength and take a stand on a global scale for what is right, kind, decent, and good. I hope we have done right by the world so far and I hope we can and will continue to do so.

Christina Hazelwood
A hopeful American