A – M – E – R – I – C – A

 Don’t you feel as though you should start singing West-Side Story’s “America” – “I want to live in America,” or is that just me?

“Okay by me in America . . . Everything free in America . . .” Sing with me now!

The point is: America is the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Or is it?

Internationally known as the leader of the ‘Free World’, we like to pride ourselves on being the saviors of the world…well, maybe not saviors. Nevertheless, America’s role in the world is much like Captain America’s role in his Marvel movies: the superhero fighting for justice for all.

So what do I mean by the ‘Free World’? Well, a free state is one that takes on a mold of democracy, meaning the free world is the alliance between democratic and semi-democratic countries. America is the leader of the free world because we like to pride ourselves on being the first country to adopt a democratic government, even though that’s not necessarily the case.

Why do we care that America is the captain of the free world? Because it means that America feels responsible for taking care of and protecting multiple countries at once. However, America seems to have become the overbearing brother that little siblings want out of their life. Translation: most nations want America to mind their own business. Proof of this can be found in our past and present relationships with the Middle East: hot mess, anyone?

Yes, you all know what I’m getting at . . .

How can Obama defeat ISIL or ISIS if he doesn’t know what he’s dealing with? If politicians don’t make plans and don’t know what to do, why try to get involved?

America feels a responsibility to take action when countries are in conflict, when human rights are threatened, and especially when there is a possibility of influencing a democracy on a nation.

What can we take from this? Sometimes politicians don’t know what to do – there are lots of issues government officials have to deal with, so maybe it’s okay when they don’t always have the answers. What does this mean for the Middle East? Maybe they’ll have to figure it out for themselves…

On September 10th, President Obama addressed his position on what he wants to do in the Middle East. His response goes as follows: America will fight for countries that fight for freedom, and in efforts to contain terrorism, will use counter-terrorism strategies to diminish ISIS.  What are these counter-terrorism strategies he speaks of? Don’t worry, it’ll all make sense soon, pinky-promise.

Using counter-terrorism strategies can consist of anything from using drones to having American troops on the ground. Now the question is: why is Obama being so vague? If you were being watched by the world, wouldn’t you want to be careful with what you say, especially if your enemy is ready to make a move at any point?

In a way, it is both worrisome and comforting that the President has yet to make a decision on America’s role in the Middle East. If Obama makes an impulsive decision, American soldiers could be sent by the tens and hundreds of thousands to the East. If Obama takes time to make his decision, we can assume that he has spent a lot of time thinking about what is right and what is wrong for this country.

Maybe more of us just need to have faith in our Commander in Chief: sure, Obama hasn’t been a perfect president, but America is still here, alive and well. But do Americans really want to get involved in another war in the Middle East? What will it accomplish?

America: the land of the free and the home of the brave. We fight for freedom, but it seems as though we have become a country that no longer fights for its own freedom, but for other state’s freedom. Have we forgotten what it means for us? How will the rest of the world benefit from our democracy and freedoms, if we can’t take care of ourselves and trust our own government?