A rumpled, self-deprecating figure with more of the look and manner of a barman than a seasoned diplomat, Eagleburger was guided in his approach to foreign policy by an antipathy to what he described as “modern-day American imperialism, which is the imposition of our standards of conduct on the rest of the world”.
This had led, he explained in 1988, to situations in which either “we end up feeling good about what we say, but with no ability to affect the outcome. Or we end up getting ourselves involved in issues which, when put to the test, we will not be prepared to carry through.”
Eagleburger’s scepticism showed itself most strikingly in the early 1990s in his resistance to pressure for America to become involved in the Balkans. In the 1970s he had served under Jimmy Carter as ambassador to Yugoslavia and, before taking charge at the State Department, he was deputy to Secretary James Baker and chief adviser to President Bush on Balkan affairs.
He gained a reputation as a strong partisan of Serbia, most controversially denying that Serbian paramilitaries and the Yugoslav National Army had committed atrocities in the breakaway republic of Croatia and in Bosnia. » | Sunday, June 05, 2011
My comment:
Lawrence Eagleburger’s antipathy to “American imperialism” and the imposition of America’s standards on the rest of the world, regardless of indigenous culture and its suitability for democracy, has landed America in deep trouble for far too long. And American administrations still haven’t learnt that their foreign policy needs to be substantially modified. The Americans’ dogged determination has got them nowhere; on the contrary, it has led to the Americans being hated in many parts of the world. Winning over “hearts and minds” is a meaningless pursuit with such pig-headed policies. The Americans’ love of raw capitalism and democracy blinds them to the realities on the ground. Simple fact is that democracy isn’t suitable for all; and not everyone wants to live in a democratic system anyway.
Long may Lawrence Eagleburger rest in peace. – © Mark
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