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Can we at least agree to be America again?

Apr 13, 2008 - 04:05:07 CDT

Forget the personalities. Let's talk about core national policies, especially those that involve America's place in the world arena.

At this moment, we don't know who is going to be the next president of the United States. In my view, John McCain is too old (and a little tired), Barack Obama is too inexperienced, and Hillary Clinton is too jaded and too ruthless. I like parts of each of them. I can live with any of the three. Any one of them, in my view, represents an improvement.

We may not yet know whom we are going to get, but I certainly know what I most want.

First and foremost, let's stop torturing prisoners. Period. The United States signed all four of the Geneva Conventions (1864, 1906, 1929, 1949), which prohibit "violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture," but also "outrages upon personal dignity, in particular, humiliating and degrading treatment." That would seem to cover the human pyramids at Abu Ghraib.

Yes, we live in perilous times. Yes, there are bad people in the world who are determined to destroy us. We know that some people are willing to use methods that are utterly repugnant to the idea of civilization (so shall we join them?). I know we cannot afford to be naive. But America is only America if it adheres to the highest ideals of the world, standards we have repeatedly and explicitly agreed to by way of binding international legal agreements, standards ratified by more than 194 nations worldwide. Why would we ever settle for less?

And let's not descend into casuistry to try to carve out some ambiguous legitimacy for waterboarding, belly slapping, naked exposure to cold temperatures, and other odious procedures. If Amnesty International and the Red Cross say it's torture, it's torture. Period. Any American leader who says our interrogation methods aren't torture should therefore volunteer to have them used on him or herself. That - in a nutshell - is the standard of humane treatment enshrined in the Geneva Conventions.

No more renditions. That's where we turn over a suspect to a "friendly regime," like Bulgaria or Egypt, and let them do the torturing on our behalf. The use of rendition enables us to declare righteously that we don't torture, at the same instant we are cheerfully delivering up a suspect to a regime that does not share even our diluted moral qualms.

Let's close Guantanamo. We shouldn't have a base on sovereign Cuban soil anyway, and this one has become a symbol of what the rest of the world despises about America. Even President Bush has said he wants to close Guantanamo. The Supreme Court has declared that, even in the Age of Terrorism, the United States cannot just lock up foreign nationals and deny them access to legal representation and due process. The principle of habeas corpus (that people cannot be detained without having access to some mechanism that can enable them to confront their accusers, explain their actions, and demand fair treatment) is one of the foundations of civilization. Why would we want to jettison a principle that central to our national ideals?

It really bothers me that we have reached the point where we believe there is one standard of human rights for American citizens, and a lower standard for other peoples. The Founding Fathers were not trying to carve out a secure space for the American people only. On the contrary, they were attempting to enshrine the rights of humankind - universal rights that are not granted by governments but rather recognized and cherished by all enlightened governments. Under that universalist code, an Islamic fundamentalist is as entitled to due process as a soccer mom from Salt Lake City.

Let's stop talking about the world as if it were a John Wayne movie. Terms like "axis of evil," "evil doers," "bad guys" and "you are either with us or against us" oversimplify the rich complexity of the world situation in dangerous ways. No nation is entirely good or entirely bad, just as no individual is pure saint or pure sinner. Besides, these labels depend entirely on the eye of the beholder. We rightly object when the Iranians call us the "Great Satan" or Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez calls George Bush "the devil." It's not that there is an equal legitimacy to all national styles or points of view, but there is rarely, if ever, a total void of legitimacy in another's nation's behavior. If I were Iran, I'd want nuclear weapons, too.

The world does not need any further polarization. We Americans must rise to a nuanced, mature, thoughtful and tolerant global consciousness. Enough name calling already.

Let's rejoin the United Nations, which is just one way in which we need to rejoin the global community of nations, including the International Courts of Justice and global environmental protocols. It was a terrible mistake to go to war against Iraq against the advice of our closest friends in the world: Germany, France, Canada, among others. Our closest friends pleaded with us to keep the pressure on Saddam Hussein, but to slow down until we could be absolutely sure we were not doing something rash.

How we ridiculed them for their caution.

If there is some threat to us somewhere that is so grave that it really calls for war, we will always be able to persuade the U.N. to bless our actions. If we cannot persuade our closest friends of the necessity of our actions, we are almost certainly in the wrong.

I agree that the U.N. is a very imperfect institution badly in need of reforms, some of them fundamental. So let's jump in and use our power and what's left of our prestige to forge a new, more responsible, more effective U.N. Unilateralism must cease.

Absent a specific court order involving a specific, identifiable threat, let's end all surveillance against American citizens immediately.

These are the things that ought to be done not in the first 1,000 days of the next administration, but in the first 100 days. Indeed, a prohibition on torture, rendition and unauthorized surveillance can be accomplished in the first 10 days.

Let's begin the regeneration of America's moral leadership in the world by looking unblinkingly into the mirror of the enlightenment principles by which we began our extraordinary national experiment.

(Clay Jenkinson is the Theodore Roosevelt scholar-in-residence at Dickinson State University. He lives in Bismarck. Contact Jenkinson at jeffysage@aol.com.)

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Comments

Norm wrote on May 12, 2008 8:27 AM:

" Well said, Clay. The truth is painful for some people to hear, but we need to search it out and listen to it.

I, for one, dearly hope that Barack Obama is our next President. He appears to have the wisdom and world experience to listen to all viewpoints. "

The Norsman wrote on Apr 20, 2008 10:00 AM:

" "Mr. Clay Jenkins, You need to leave your recliner and visit the United Stantes of America we live in today, it is the greatest country on this planet and the people of the United States give more of them selves and their wealth than most of your beloved countries from abroad. I have covered the countries of Canada and United States from east to west since 2005 and find the two countries of America to be prospering and growing in every stop made. You sir are an arm chair journalist (hahaha) with no concept of how much this great country has accomplished in such a short period of time and to suggest we revert to the ideologies of so many countries and continents which have seen their 1000s of years of development be raped and plundered (in so many ways) by the elitists who took away the right to self defense, the right of free speach and the right of self determination. You sir are the epitomy of why we need to continually struggle to maintain the frail freedoms your like minded liberal politicians continue to strip from us and fight for the rights as stated. You can rely on your government, I am going to rely on my responsibilities to the great United States of America and the brave men and women protecting your lack of responsibility you call Rights! Pack your panties and move to Europe Mr Jenkinson."
"

To Fred wrote on Apr 18, 2008 1:49 PM:

" Then it wouldn't be much of a debate, would it?

A debate presents opposing sides of a proposition or idea.

"

Fred wrote on Apr 18, 2008 11:53 AM:

" To For Rex, Harold, Fred: "We need more thoughtful voices like Clay's, not fewer! Everyone with a thoughtful, reasoned and articulate point of view gets to join the great debate."

As long as they agree with you, right? "

For Rex, Harold, Fred: wrote on Apr 17, 2008 8:58 PM:

" In 1888, James Russell Lowell lamented the anti-intellectual strain that already permeated American attitudes and civic life, by noting, in "The Place of the Independent in Politics," that many people then believed that "men of scholarly minds are ipso facto debarred from forming any judgment on public affairs; or if they should be so unscrupulous as to do so... they must at least refrain from communicating it to their fellow citizens."

We need more thoughtful voices like Clay's, not fewer! Everyone with a thoughtful, reasoned and articulate point of view gets to join the great debate.

"

Bob S wrote on Apr 17, 2008 7:34 AM:

" Great commentry in your last column Clay!
You are truly a scholar and a gentleman!
"

co wrote on Apr 16, 2008 9:26 PM:

" Wonderful piece, Mr. Jenkinson. I send many of your columns to friends
throughout the country. Keep em coming! "

Yes wrote on Apr 16, 2008 12:40 PM:

" It's the right question, Clay. Keep asking. Have courage, always. "

Halatbis wrote on Apr 15, 2008 1:13 PM:

" I am reluctant to respond to a posting; however the comments by Rasmus are in need of followup. His characterization of many of his fellow Americans is most inflammatory to say the least--maybe bordering on insulting. I can respect your views about America's role in the world, but your language and choice of words stifles consideration of your message. It would be interesting to be around a couple of decades from now and see what the judgment of history will be. Is it possible that the U.S. has instituted a major move to freedom for peoples of the world? And such a "lowly" person as G.W. Bush was the instrument? "

Rasmus wrote on Apr 14, 2008 9:08 PM:

" Clay, I do agree with what you say should be accomplished within 10 days. I am not hopeful. Too many in this country want to continue the swaggering, sneering, foreign and domestic policy that got us in this fix. They see nothing wrong in expanding the imperialistic policies and the assault on the US Constitution and, in their ignorance, proclaiming their "true patriotism" while questioning yours. "

REX wrote on Apr 14, 2008 3:13 PM:

" I AM America Clay. I never stopped, what happened to you? "

Mary K wrote on Apr 14, 2008 1:34 PM:

" Well, Clay. You'd better hope whoever the next president is knows a murdering, killing, blood thirtsy animal because not many of our citizens do. "

Harold Reimann wrote on Apr 14, 2008 11:01 AM:

" I know one thing Bismarck can do to help get America back. Get rid of columns from leftist educators like Jenkinson! "

Halatbis wrote on Apr 14, 2008 8:34 AM:

" The United States has this notion that we need the approval of Europe--France, Germany, Belgium, UK, etc.--and their agreement with our decisions. "Europe" has looked down on us since the days of 13 colonies on the frontier, that hasn't changed. We are buddies when they need us. I see much of Europe as a very soft society that no longer has the will or desire to stand up for anything if it requires work or effort or sacrifice on their part. There is a term for that---"Freeloaders". "

REX wrote on Apr 14, 2008 6:00 AM:

" LL It has also been said'"We are the people our parents warned us about." "

Fred wrote on Apr 13, 2008 1:42 PM:

" Awe Clay, just give me a hug.... You sir, are a dangerous man. "

LL wrote on Apr 13, 2008 8:22 AM:

" Mr. Jenkinson, you wrote a good one this time and I agree with most of what you say, except the comment about Barack Obama’s experience. I believe his alleged lack of experience is what our country needs. Thomas Jefferson once said, "Experience hath shown, that even under the best forms of government, those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny." Barak Obama has said, “We are the ones we have been waiting for.” It is time we, the people, took back what belongs to us. "

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