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Leaders throughout the free world are confused al the
current directlon of United States forelgn policy. What wi/1 come
of Washlngton's new emphasls on human rights,
American-style morallty, and
"no
fear" of Communism?
by
Gene H. Hogberg
AMERICA,WAKE UP!
ou Americans conquered
space, but you are abandon–
mg your place on earth ....
You no longer seem able to distin–
guish between friend and foe."
That's how Morocco's King Has–
san assessed America's "nonpolicy"
toward resisting Communist inroads
in Africa. Earlier this year it took
forthright action by Hassan,
coupled with ass istance f rom
France, Belgium and other con–
cerned nations, to turn the tide of
battle in Zaire's Shaba Province,
which had come under assault of
Communist-led insurgents attacking
from Angola. Hassan's tough 1,200-
man contingent arrived in the nick
of time, just as Shaba Province was
within two days of being overrun.
The invaders had hoped to engineer
the collapse of Zaire's central gov–
ernment, which in turn would have
put Red insurgent pressure on bor–
dering pro-West and neu tralist
states.
When Zaire's President Mobutu
Sese Seko asked the U.S. for help,
Washington timidly dispatched a
cargo plane and tidbits of "nonle–
thal" aid. Mobutu, mindful of Viet–
nam, had not asked for troops, but
had expected something more sub–
stantial. He later exclaimed: "I must
confess we are bitterly disappointed
by America's attitude ... you won' t
face up to the threat.
lt
is your
weakness compared to their [the
Communists'] willpower and
strength."
AliJes
Mystlfled
America's free-world partners are
becoming bewildered at the reshap–
ing of Washington's foreign policy.
Perhaps they need look no further
4
WHERE
ARE
YOU
GOING
?
•
than the commencement address
President Carter gave at Notre
Dame Universi ty in South Bend, In–
diana, on May 12. On this occasion,
President Carter outlined "a new
American foreign policy" that his
Administration intends to vigor–
ously carry out. The President
claimed that we are now living in "a
new world." From now on, he said,
America must abandon its previous
" inordinate fear of Communism"
and pursue a more idealistic policy,
one that is based on America's "fun–
damental values." Central to this
idealism is the continua! emphasis
on human-rights issues around the
world.
The Carter Doctrine, as it has
come to be known, reaffirms con–
fidence both in democracy as a sys–
tem and in the inner qualities of the
United States in particular. Said the
President: "We are confident that
democracy's example will be com–
pelling .... We are confident of our
own strength .... Through fail–
ure"-an obvious reference to Viet-
nam and Watergate-"we have
found our way back to our own
principies and we have regained our
confidence."
Reading between the lines, the
optimism tbe President expressed
was obviously an optimism
hoped
Jor
but not yet realized.
Back to the Real World
There is no doubt that the new
"open" and "moral" foreign policy
(which Mr. Carter professed will
"make you proud to be an Ameri–
can") has struck a responsive chord
among many people in the United
States.
Laudatory as it may be in the
abstract, however, many analysts at
home and abroad, representing .all
ends of the political spectrum, are
skept ica1 that the concern over
human rigbts can be enshrined as
any kind ofworkab!e foreign policy.
One liberal American commentator,
William Winter, who is otherwise
very favorable to the new Adminis–
tration, asserts that "the Carter po1-
icy of speaking out on human rights
is doomed to failure. Freedom as we
know it exists in only about two
dozen countries a round today's
world. If the Carter Administration
seriously means to complain about
human-rights restrictions it will
have little time todo much else."
Moreover, to be effective a
human-rights policy must be ap–
plied impartially and consistently.
Yet it is the inconsistent, highly se–
lective manner in which Washing–
ton's human-rights policy has been
pushed so far that is alienating
America's friends around the world.
With the exception of the criticism
leveled against the Soviet Union over
The
PLAIN TRUTH August-September 1977