面對北極熊催稿的壓力，機長我就先post這篇東西。它是我近日內完成的Academic Essay的結論部分。這篇Essay的題目是由美國總統布希(2001-)之國情咨文分析美國外交政策。
雖然有勉強湊數之嫌，不過想想會來機長駕駛艙的朋友們也有不少對國際政治、新聞時事是有興趣的（即使沒興趣的也該學著多少關心一點啦...）。我不敢說關心國際時事就一定代表有國際觀。但是可以肯定的事情是，久而久之你的常識一定會比較豐富。所以野人獻曝一下，大家就加減看吧。
（註：圖為陪同二老遊倫敦時於白金漢宮前所攝）
Conclusion:
Shortly after Mr. Bush began his second term, his newly-appointed Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and he himself visited the European Union. These European visits have generally been regarded as a “mend-the-fences” gesture after their serious divergences over the decision to go to war with Iraq. In the European tour, Mr. Bush also pledged to work closely with his European counterparts on many fronts, from Iran, Syria, Israel-Palestine Peace Plan, anti-terrorism campaign to post-war Iraq. In his 2005 State of the Union Address, Mr. Bush’s priorities on his foreign affairs agenda are still the reconstruction of Iraq, the uranium enrichment programme in Iran and the nuclear weapons in North Korea.
With huge military spending and frequent casualties, the U.S. will maintain its military presence in Iraq. Therefore, another unilateral military action against either North Korea or Iran is quite unlikely. According to recent developments in eastern Asia, it has been clear that Japan is shouldering a much bigger responsibility in the region. A more assertive Japan will leave the U.S. with more resources to deal with Iran, Iraq, the Middle East and other parts of the world. Japan shares the U.S. view that North Korea must stop its nuclear weapons programme and concede to international inspections. Japan also shares the U.S. view that while it has to work closely with China on the Six Party Talks, China itself is another strategic competitor, if not a threat, in terms of regional power equilibrium.
As for Iran, given the experience of the Iraq War, the U.S. has gradually adopted a more multilateral approach and worked with the European Union. In Mr. Bush’s 2005 State of the Union Address, he said,”…to the Iranian people, I say tonight: As you stand for your own liberty, America stands with you.” Judging from his words to the Iranian people and his urge for democratic reforms in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, it seems that Mr. Bush may expect some “peaceful evolution” in the Islamic community.
Another example to support this view is Mr. Bush’s immediate and encouraging response to the Lebanese demonstration demanding reform and elections. (Though the election turnout might leave another fundamentalist party to rule the country)
It may be agreed that democracy will bring prosperity, peace and security. However, prosperity, peace, security and even trust will only be realised in a full-fledged democracy. There are many elements for a democracy to mature and it has to be understood as well that elections do not equal democracy. Sometimes elections may lead to more corruption, bloodshed or even perhaps tyranny. Therefore, it would be wise for the United States to keep its commitment to shape an environment for a true democracy to flourish instead of leaving the scene as soon as it can. That wisdom needs time and money from its taxpayers thousands of miles from Kabul and Baghdad, for instance. In Bush’s latest State of the Union Address, he said,” The United States has no right, no desire, and no intention to impose our form of government on anyone else.” It is still too early to conclude how those areas in the world will develop before the year 2008 when Mr. Bush’s second term comes to an end. What we do know now is that the Bush administration has a whole world to convince and they can sell the idea better if what they said is what they have always believed.
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