World Police = U.S.A.???

The topic I'm interested in is whether or not the U.S. should be the world police. There are a few main driving forces behind my interest in this issue. I'm not sure how political they actually are. I think the first reason why I am pulled to this particular topic is an article I recently read about a North Korean ship called the Kang Nam. The article was in the New York Times and it stated that the ship was suspected of carrying weaponry, missile parts or nuclear materials. The U.N. had recently placed sanctions against North Korea forbidding them to proceed with such actions due to a missile test that they fired out into the pacific. Our navy was following it. According to international policy our navy would have to ask permission to board the vessel for inspection. This was not something that the North Korean government would give. They also threatened retaliation if the U.S. chose to forcibly board the ship. My first thought was why is it up to the U.S. to board this ship? This ship isn't even in U.S. waters. It seemed like we were going out of our way to "police" the matter.

There are other reasons why I chose this topic but they may relate more to my own history over any political views. My own personal story on the topic begins in growing up in a middle class suburban home in Minnesota. My father was Hispanic, and my mother was Irish. Neither one of them had anything to do with politics. Neither one had any college education. However, they both were very hard working and very family oriented. They taught me and my siblings that we were all we had in this world. As a result, my family is very close. When we get together we stay up all night laughing and having a good time. I'm not sure if they were active voters. They told us on more then one occasion that all politicians are crooks and cannot be trusted. I grew up playing hockey and I love the sport. More often then not, I was the smallest one on the ice. I had to rely on my speed, low center of gravity, and above all to always keep my head up to survive in that sport.

I think I'm attracted to the topic because I've seen how hard my parents had to work to get to where they are now. This reminds me of other people around the world and how hard some have to work just to survive. My family closeness reminds me that there are other families out there who don't get to laugh and joke but have to flee their country from violent groups looking to take over land for a multitude of reasons. Also, being the smallest one on the ice means I was often pushed and knocked around. Fortunately, I had a lot of padding and spunk to help me get right back up when it happened. But there are people around the world who don't have "padding" to protect themselves. It would be like playing with out pads. That's a scary thought. So who is to protect all these people that don't have the means to protect themselves? It's these thoughts that make me feel we need to help those who cannot help themselves. We should be out there policing international bullies and deviants. We should be keeping not just our own citizens safe but others as well.

However, having been told that all politicians are evil makes me take a step back and think. The gulf war, and the on going war in Iraq were plagued with rumors that we were simply over there protecting our oil interests overseas. Is that really worth dying over? oil? Now I'm not sure how valid the stories are but it makes you wonder if we're out protecting human rights, or are we just protecting the ability for me to drive my car. I'd like to think that our actions are more humanitarian then that. Maybe by doing a little research with this topic I can try to make an educated decision for myself. Ultimately, I'll be trying to ascertain whether or not the U.S. has the ability and the honesty to be in a position to police the world.