Twenty years ago, the United Nations World Court found the U.S. guilty of war crimes, virtual terrorism, against Nicaragua. The U.S. subsequently denounced the World Court and rejected its authority over its affairs.

During Bush’s first term, he and the Republican legislature passed a bill that withdrew the nation’s participation from the International Criminal Court (which tries individuals, not states, for war crimes, etc.) – a move which simultaneously kept our leaders safe from its jurisdiction while undermining our international prestige.

When people acknowledge the actions of our government, they should be able to see why the international community criticizes our foreign policy so severely. We appear hypocritical, holding the governments of developing nations to standards we, ourselves, dismiss as quaint.

American activity is scantily publicized in the U.S. media. We hear a little about Abu Ghraib, but punishments are doled out to the lowest ranking soldiers involved, and everyone dismisses the incident, conveniently diverted from the ghastly details of the Fallujah invasion. We don’t want to see our leaders on trial in international court, so we’re not made to see it. Instead we’re given wars on “drugs” and “terror” – news which fuels our need to feel morally superior to a faceless enemy and keeps us tuned in through the commercial breaks.

There may be just reasons for everything America does. The point is not that we should agree with the critics, but that we need to investigate our government’s actions before forming our opinions of U.S. foreign policy.

Josh White, Turner