Manifesto

OK, I'm going to try again, but I'm not going to be as long winded this time. Which also means I'm not going to be as convincing or clear. So, blah.

I decided on the name LiberalImperialist because I do not feel that pacifism, moral relativism, or cultural equality are necessary parts of liberalism. Equality of people (not cultures), democracy, and freedom, however, are key features of my philosophy. Absolutely key to all three of those is education. I also believe in protecting the environment, and caring for those who need help.

There are cultures and regimes in the world who do not believe in these things. They do not support the equality of humans, oppressing women, for instance. They do not allow democracy, and they deny freedoms even to their "chosen" people. Heck, they don't care about the environment, either. These cultures and regimes are the enemy of everything a liberal should stand for.

So I say these regimes should fall. These places should be occupied and (re)built by American and Western troops. They should be governed by Westerners, until the educational and economic infrastructure is in place to allow them to govern themselves as a successful liberal democracy. I take Japan as an example. There are racists who claim that only Western culture even desires democracy and freedom. They are wrong. The Japanese culture could not accommodate democracy before WWII; they even tried it and failed, just like the current Arab states, just like post-colonial Africa. Only being beaten and occupied by Americans made democracy work in Japan. And they are much better for it! The plight of the average Japanese peasant before WWII was horrible. They lived in poverty and oppression, and never even considered that there was anything better. But after the American Occupation, life improved dramatically. And now Japan is a functioning post-industrial democracy.

So why can we not do the same with the Arabs? Why are they unique in being unsuited to democracy? They are not. They just do not know the way, and they are led by evil men who refuse to see it. So we must bring democracy to them, since they will not come to it.

Yes, Americans (and likely Britons, and Canadians, and Australians, and many others) will die in the process. But this does not make the cause unjust or unnecessary. The suicide bombers who kill themselves to kill innocents are not fighting for democracy, despite their evil leaders' claims of fighting for freedom. They die to further a cause which is as far from democratic or free as you can get. There is no justification for it. To die in the defense of democracy and freedom is not the same as martyrdom! It is a genuine sacrifice, made so that the future can be a better place. To say otherwise is to deny the nobility of every soldier's death since the American Revolution. I claim it goes further than that. I claim that to die in the extension of democracy and freedom is no less noble!

That's most of what I wanted to say. I think I'll rant more later.