policy
October 19, 1989 • November 4,1989 MICHIGAN CITIZE 5
Opinion/Commentary/Editorials/Letters
ac. 'son Doctrine should' guide
One of the great ironies of
American history is the fact that
the United States, which was
suppo edly born out of a
-revolution- or struggle for self
determination, has consistently
been on the wrong side of social
revolution in the world
Indeed u.s. foreign policy
either overtly or covertly has
been a buttress for colonialism
and neo-colonialism
throughout the world.
The driving motivation for'
u.s. policy has not been a quest'
for democracy,' and human
rights, but the narro self-inter
est of U.S. businesses, and cor
poratio . The legacy of this
greed oriented foreign policy is
a moral bankruptcy particularly
it relates to Africa and the
Third World.
VISIO FO A VOID
It against the backdrop
of failed U.S. foreign policy that
Jesse J ckson boldly stepped to
the forefront during the 1988
pre idential campaign to
provide some much needed
vision and leadership on the
qu . on of the principles whiCh
should guide U.S. foreign
policy. '
Li e many of J ckson's
propo als, the principle are
imple and yet profou d i
terms of their power to tr
form America into a more
humane, righteous and
reputable nation. The "Jackson
Doctrine" consist of the foUo -
ing principles:
- Support And Strengthen
The Rule Of Intemation Law
- Promote Self-Determina
tion And Human Rights
- Support International
Economic Justice And
Dewlopment
As an adjunct to these prin
ciples Jesse Jackson also talked
about consistency opposed to
hyprocisyin U.S. foreign policy.
ILLEGAL IS ILLEGAL
In graphic illustration of
America's inconsistency and
hypocrisy in foreign policy,
Jesse Jackson pointed to the,
contradiction of America con-
emnin the I te Ayatollah
Khomeni for miniog the Persian
Gulf while Reagan was illegally
mining the ports and harbors of
Nicaragua. ,
Nicaragua took the United
States to the World Court ac
cusing America of a flagrant
violation of its sovereignty and
won the case. America dis
regarded the verdict and con
tinued its .illegal actions against
Nicaragua while continuing to
condemn Iran for its illegal ac
tions in the Persian Gulf.
The Jackson Doctrine
PrOclairns, what's illegal IS il ..
'HOMELESS!
./) \' V
:Ron
Danle
'VANTAGE f
: POINT
legal. U.S. policy must affirm
and uphold the rule of law, and
strengthen those international
bodies like the United Nations
and the World Court which can
help to creat an atmosphere
where respect for international
law am flourish.
On the que tion of self
determination, the Jackson
Doctrine essentially argues, that
the United States (or any other
nation) does not have the right
to impose its will on another na
tion, . or thwart the legitimate
aspirations of oppressed people
for self-determination. '
The character of self-deter
mination must be asserted by
the oppressed people themsel
'YeS based on their own history,
culture, and unique economic
and political needs.
The persistent pattern of
providing military assistance
and troops to support back
ward, rigbtwiog, dictatorships,
and oligarchies against the
workers, peasants, slU'dents .ia
tellectuals etc. must be
e Bedtime
tories for our
children
By Marian Wright Ed Iman
. Not long ago I was fortunate
enough to be with a Nigerian
poet who shared wonderful
tales from his homeland with
me each day.
As I listened, I gradually
recognized that the stories were
vaguely familiar, and that they
were very much like the stories I
had learned as a child. In fact
only the animals in the stories
had been changed! I was
amazed to think that these
African folktales had survived,
essentially intact, over all this
time and distance.
Then I realized that I
probably had not told these
stories to my own children. In
stead, like most conscientious
parents anxious to instill a love
of reading in their children, I
had been careful to make time
to read stories to my children.
But I had read them stories
from books.
Before the Civil Rights
Movement desegregated public
, libraries and caused publishing
companies to become more
sensative about racial
stereotyping in books for
children, sharing picture books
foreign
reversed.
Implicit in the Jackson
Doctrine is a respect for cul- ,
tural and ideological pluralism
and a sense of confidence that
people struggling to liberate
themselves from tyranny and
oppression will ultimately
shape systems of democracy
and human rights based on their
own culture and interests. .
In a radical departure from
prevailing U.S. practice in
foreign policy, Jesse Jackson
called for support of intern a
tional economic justice nd
development.
REAL SELF-INTEREST
I As opposed to viewing the
developing world through the
narrow prism of profit hungry
US. corporations, Jackson con
tends that U.S. interest, even
the self-interest of U.S. cor
pqrations lies in the creation of
a rosperous and peace ul
w rid.
Hence instead of heaping
he ty amounts of military id
on U.S. puppets regime te
cr ate afe havens for U.S. cor
po ate investors, U.S. policy
sh uld promote economic
gr<t�h i� developing �aiions:
_�asslve economic assrs
t not military aid should be
th pfaority A code of conduct
for U.S. corpor . om should
a1s be developed to prev nt
our children was a mu h
Ie pleasant experience, b t
no , thanks to Gwendol n
Br�ks, Ezra Jack Keats, Eloi e
aenfiled, Sharon Bell Math ,
J Steptoe and a host of other
ors, our children have ac
to boo that provide posi
'tive images and more accurate y
delct their realities.
t the same however, we.
rna have lost the art of telling
stor es, of teaching children 0
clos their eyes and imagine.
I is important to provide 0 r
chil ren with knowledge of t
Bibl and of c1 ic fairytale ,
but et's also tell them stori .
abo t Anansi t ' spider ,an ,
map to sh w them ho
si storie t aveled from
to the Cari bean and th
ern United tates .
sop's fables are fine, bu
Boo er T. Was . gton's jour-
ney om slavery to a college
pres dency, and Fannie Lou
Her's voyage f om life as
shar cropper to t t of the con-
them from exporting capital
and factories abroad simply to
exploit what amounts to slave
labor markets abroad.
The rights of worker to or-
. ganize in developing nations
should be a fundamental tenet
of U.S. foreign policy. As Jesse
Jackson puts it "slave labor
anywhere is a threat to or
ganized labor everwhere."
I cite these principles which
comprise the Jac on Doctrine
because it is essential that
African-Americans be on the
right side of social revolution in
the world.
As Martin Luther King
warned in 1967, "our nation has
taken the role of those who
make peaceful revolution im
possible by refusing to give up
the privileges and pleasures
that come from the immense
profits of overseas investment."
Martin Luther King was 'on the
mark, and so is the Jackson
Doctrine.
African-Americans must use
the Jackson Doctrine .as we seek
to refocus U.S. foreign policy in
the interest of world peace and
prosperity.
Ron paniels �eTVes as Presi
dent 'of the Institute for Com
'munity Organization and
Development in Youngstown,
Ohio. He may b contaaed at
(216) 746-5747.
science of a nati n are equalJy
imp rtant lessons. Let us tell
our children about Phylis
W�eatJey and at Turner, in
que and Tous ant L'Overture,
an help them to become as
f iliar with Harriet Tubman,
So ourner Truth, and Frederick
D uglass as they are with Sleep-
in Beauty, Peter Pan and n w
W ite. Our children should •
co e to think of the Under-
gr und Railroad in some ways
as he ultimate adventure story,
and Harriet Tubman as the
definitive Super-Her.oine!
� .
Perhaps even ore unpor-
tantly, we must teach our
children about our living heroes
and heroines, so that they can
gain a sen e that everything is
possible. Let's make sure that
they learn about Mae Jemi on,
the young M.D. who has been
elected for the U.. pace
Program.
Ler's teach them about
Dr.Benjamin Carson, who
worked through difficul
adolescence and b came chie
pediatrics surgeon at John
Hopkins. Help them to identify
pictures of Black women and
men of achievement in
new papers and magazine , and
then let them place them in a
b or n a bull tin bard.
Make sure to include local com
munity lead rs in th collecti n,
they are her es and heroine
too.