We have a saying in México that it not easy
for the mouse to sleep in the same bed with the elephant. The mouse, of
course, is México. The elephant is our neighbor to the north, the US.
And the elephant is thrashing around quite a bit of late, without
regard to how many mice will get crushed.
One thing that I learned in life is that it is bad business to go
around making enemies needlessly, no mater how strong you are . . . at
that moment. But the way the elephant is behaving shows he does not follow
this principal. As one commentator here said recently, when President Bush
attends the upcoming Summit of the Americas in Argentina, he will find
himself in a room with no friends. Poll after poll shows that the Bush
administration is sinking in respect across the Western Hemisphere. But
obviously, the elephant does not care.
Some examples come to mind. México has become the 100th nation to
ratify the International Criminal Court treaty. And the price to México is
liable to be high. As US policy stands countries signing this treaty must
have an immunity clause that would only turn over US nationals to the
World Court with the permission of the US. This doesn't cover just US
military, but all US nationals including even business contractors.
But when I migrated to México, I accepted the fact that I would be
judged under Mexican law, just as a migrant to the US has to accept that
he would be judged under US law. That is the way is has always been.
It should also be remembered that Bush, after taking office in 2000,
"removed" the US signature from the ICC treaty. The US objections to the
ICC treaty make sense to the Americans. There are issues on political
matters concerning the military aspects of this treaty. Especially after a
recent indictment filed by a Spanish judge concerning US troops in the
Iraq war. There is a great fear of political agendas rather than justice
being the main direction of the court. Possibly one of the other problems
might be the US fixation with the death penalty. Now the US has only a few
allies in the death penalty: China, Africa and the Muslim world. Nice
company the elephant is keeping.
As it stands now, a number of Latin American countries have already
seen US aid cut because they would not sign the sweeping immunity
agreement. In México's case, there was a recent 11.5 million aid package
to be used for México to help build up better law and order. This was an
intelligent action by the US as better law enforcement in México helps the
US who shares that long border with México. And we note that recently
there has been much more cooperation between the two countries in regard
to extradition matters in crime solving. But never mind, this will all
come to an end because México has signed the treaty without the "immunity"
clause.
Too bad the elephant didn't use more of his persuasive powers to come
to an agreement on the treaty in the first place.
Also overlooked are the military training programs that the US has
always conducted for its allies in the world. I wonder who will be
teaching military training to Latin America now? China, Venezuela, or
possibly Iran?
A US State department official, speaking on "background" said that
every country should be able to either sign the ICC treaty or not, as
their national interests dictate. But now, the elephant seeks to punish
those who do not see the world as they do. And a lot of Latin American
countries feel that the elephant is acting like a bully.
Beyond this, there are items of appearance. President Bush has now
threatened to use, for the first time, his veto power to try to block an
amendment to a military spending bill. And what is this reason? The
amendment, supported by members from both parties, outlaws the condoned
use of torture on military prisoners. The main sponsor is Senator John
McCain; a Republican who knows what torture as a military prisoner of war
is all about. This amendment would ban torture by all US agencies
including the CIA. And after the Abu Ghraib fiasco, this refusal by the
administration doesn't do the US image any good. But the administration
says that this amendment would hamper the prosecution of the war on
terror.
It should also be noted that most of the civilized world, including
México, has signed the UN sponsored anti-torture treaty.
From the outside, looking at the US, it seems that there is a lot of
"Do as I say, not as I do" in the US message to the world. And it runs the
gamut with preaching not running budget deficits, being kind to business,
maintaining law and order and obeying World Trade rulings . . . when they
favor of US interests.
Looking back at my training, I was told to lead by example, not by
force. That is if you want anybody to follow you.
But these are the problems you get into with too narrow of a focus
for your actions. And it can lead to a very lonely existence.
Remember the old joke in the US? "Where does the elephant sit?
Wherever he wants to."
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Richard N. Baldwin T., a HispanicVista.com (http://www.hispanicvista.com/)
contributing columnist, lives in Tlalnepantla, Edo de México. E-mail at:
R1041643422@aol.com
By
Richard N. Baldwin T. /HispanicVista.com