The Hypocritical Expediency of Statist Foreign Policy Monday, February 25, 2008
Part of the modern statist dogma is the sanctity of political boundaries. Within a political boundary lies the "sovereign" power of the State in question, and outside that boundary is the Other. The State is imagined as unitary and thereby acquires rights and powers that only actual individuals could ever exercise in reality. To violate the boundaries of the sovereign State is to violate the property rights of an individual-- thereby, the use of force in self-defense is justified.This is the doctrine underlying immigration regulation, for instance, and this is the excuse given for violently, if need be, repelling a potential foreign immigrant crossing the sovereign State's boundaries without its permission. This belief is also the justification given for statist warfare. To threaten the sovereign State, either implicitly through saber-rattling, or explicitly through penetration of the State's boundaries, is akin to attacking the sovereign, unitary State itself.
Therefore, I find the following news summary of the latest violence in Iraq from AntiWar.com to be perplexing:
Turkish forces continued to battle PKK forces in northern Iraq, as the White House urged Turkey to limit the incursion. The actual number of casualties is unknown as both sides are giving conflicting figures. At least 26 Iraqis were killed and 31 more were wounded in the latest attacks, but no Coalition deaths were reported.Three supposed sovereignties are involved here: the State of Turkey, the State of Iraq and the State of the United States of America. Normally, according to statist doctrine, violating a sovereign's boundaries is an act of war. The State of Iraq is, viewed as a unitary entity, being coerced by the State of Turkey.
Yet, all that happens is that the State of the USA "urges" the State of Turkey to stop. As for the State of Iraq itself, it seems to be unaware that it is even being attacked, or else unwilling or unable to do anything about it.
Where is the outrage? Where are the declarations of war by the State of Iraq or the State of the USA, its protectorate-master?
Statists don't seem to take their own dogma seriously. Why should I?
And of course, if the State of the United States of America really believed in the sanctity of sovereign boundaries, it never would've invaded the State of Iraq in the first place.
Labels: statism
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