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