Staff Editorial: Military Actions Demand Transparency

Just last week, the U.S. entered another war, stretching its defense between three countries: Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya.

While most people barely felt the impact of another war, the U.S. is now putting more money and troops into the Arab world.  America has already fired 120 missiles as of three days ago. Each missile has cost nearly one million dollars.

However, we cannot claim that this is solely a benevolent gesture to halt the oppression.

In an era when so much of our military involvement revolves around invasion to gain resources under the guise of promoting democracy, it is hard to distinguish between justified and unjustified warfare.
Knowing that Libya does not pose a military threat to the United States, we cannot possibly be dropping bombs for the purpose of self-defense.

In the case of Libya, America’s aims appear to be twofold.  In part, we hope to make an example out of the country. By supporting the righteous anger of the Libyan people, we show our support for their democratic struggle. Neighboring nations and their people might then see the United States as a defender of the oppressed.

On the other hand, our pursuit of oil has driven us into wars in the past, and there is no reason to assume that is not a factor in this instance. If America can win over the region’s trust, perhaps we can foster relationships that would facilitate our continued purchase and consumption of oil.

The U.S. needs to be clear about its goals and stand behind its foreign policy when entering into a country’s domestic dispute. The U.S. government needs to be honest with the American people to build and maintain its own citizens trust.