Get some perspective

As expected, I received some harsh commentary on my last column. Mostly it was the stuff of angry, poorly reasoned first reactions. The majority of the criticisms revolved around one statement -- that the United States acts solely in its own interests, at every turn and at all times. They also reminded me that while I criticize "their" country, I sit back enjoying all it has to offer. This is true, to a certain extent.

But think about it for a minute. Why would the U.S. government care a whit for anyone outside its borders? This is not to say that the United States has not come to the aid of others in times of great distress. But it is not as though there was ever a truly altruistic thought in these actions. America has benefited greatly from every "selfless" action it has committed, but has benefited even more from the selfish actions it performs with great regularity.

As for my own enjoyment of the "American" lifestyle, every day here is a struggle for me. I know that my simply being here is a contradiction, that for every meal I leave unfinished -- too full to eat -- someone else somewhere else starves. Everything I consume wastefully has repercussions for others. But it is my hope that through being here -- and taking the opportunities presented to me to speak out -- I can have some positive affect. Even if only a few people stop to consider the impact that their lifestyle has on the rest of the planet I will deem my time here not to have been wasted.

What I have to offer in return to my critics is not proof of my claims of U.S. hegemony and self-absorbed supremacy. If you are truly interested in the answers to these questions, go do some research. It won't be difficult to find tons of information on the U.S. role in world politics since World War II -- you don't even need to look further than our very own libraries.

Rather, I give you the chance to get some perspective.

Sure, it is easy to criticize the U.S. government's foreign (and domestic) policies; they are all there in the open doing vast amounts of damage to the rest of the world as I write. It's easy to throw stones and make comments; it's easy to tear down and much harder to build up. But here's the rub -- the United States can no longer survive alone, and it needs to realize this.

While we still live in a unilateral world, scholars of these things tend to agree that the sole remaining superpower is not as super as it once was and could not survive long on a path of total isolation. The truth is that there is not a state in existence that could. No nation is self sufficient, and, as much as citizens of the United States like to think they are, they are wrong. A simple look at the U.S. balance of trade should spell that out clearly. The United States is a net importer of goods -- this means it does not produce everything it needs to survive and has to purchase commodities from other nations. Oil is a good example.

The United States imports more than 50 percent of its petroleum supplies. The 10 top sources for crude oil in 2000 were Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Canada, Venezuela, Nigeria, Iraq, Colombia, Norway, Angola and the United Kingdom. The United States imports more than 8.5 million barrels of oil a day from these and other sources. This is but one example among many.

Living inside the United States gives one a slanted perspective on world events. The government, the media and major corporations of all flavors endeavor to keep that slant angling in their favor. Even with the advent of the Internet and other sources of near-instantaneous information technology, it can be difficult to remove oneself sufficiently from one's own comfortable worldview to comprehend the wider scope.

But there is a simple and relatively easy way to get a different perspective -- study abroad. The perspective of those outside the United States is vastly different from that of anyone within. The hegemon makes the rules and ensures that everyone plays by them -- except, of course, the hegemon. But you can get around those rules by taking a sabbatical from the sedentary life promoted by the establishment.

The Office of International Programs and Exchanges offers about 100 programs in 46 countries to UW students. There's something here for everyone -- from learning Arabic in Egypt, to ethnomusicology in Zimbabwe, to arctic biology in Iceland.

So rather than criticizing me for my views on the United States, get outside and check out the lay of the land for yourself. There can be nothing lost and much gained by a broadening of perspective.

One of my critics told me that I need a better education on the history of America, but from what I see, it is the people of America who need a better education on the history of the world.

For more information about getting away for a quarter or a year, contact the Office of International Programs and Exchanges at www.ipe.washington.edu.