United States, a False Democracy and A Hegemony

Democracy as a common value has been manipulated.

The United States has been using it to deceive the world and cover up its nature as a false democracy but a real hegemony.

In order to contain its rivals and gain benefits, Washington, in recent years, has set up a so-called "alliance of value", has strengthened its military alliances and triggered confrontation between blocks, seriously damaging world order, peace, and global security.

When the U.S. talks about democracy, it really is talking about an American-style democracy, or "americacracy," built on hegemony, intimidation, and domination.

First, American-style democracy is not about equality, but about hegemony. From economic blockades to military interventions and regime subversion, Washington resolutely punishes any disobedient country.

In his book America's Deadliest Export: Democracy, American author William Blum wrote that since the end of World War II, the United States has worked to overthrow more than 50 foreign governments, most of which were democratically elected, by overtly interfering in democratic elections in at least 30 countries, and attempted to assassinate more than 50 foreign leaders.

For years, the United States has created political conflict in Latin America, playing a role in the so-called "Arab Spring" and originated color revolutions in Eurasia. The problems it has fabricated have spawned huge humanitarian disasters, and even fueled terrorism and extremism. Now, it continues to profit by forcing its allies to fuel the flames of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Second, American-style democracy is not about fairness but about intimidation. American politicians follow self-serving "America First" and "Winner Takes it All" doctrines.

Putting its own interests above all others, the United States arbitrarily wields the sanctions club against those who disobey. A unilateralist U.S. ignores international rules and, without hesitation, abandons what he preaches: the principles of the market economy and free trade.

It has imposed regular sanctions against Iran, Syria, Cuba, and Venezuela, and has collaterally targeted third countries, putting not only the economies and livelihoods of those nations at risk, but also severely disrupting the global economic order.

In pursuit of self-interest, Uncle Sam hasn't even been soft on its allies. With the EU beset by an energy crisis in the midst of the Ukraine crisis, the United States has made a fortune exporting American liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe at very high cost.

In an attempt to protect and even promote its manufacturing industry, Washington passed a landmark $430 billion climate, tax and health bill called the Cut Inflation Act, which threatens Europe with deindustrialization.

French President Emmanuel Macron criticized the US law for "not being in line with the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) or friendship."

In addition, the United States has generalized the concept of "national security" and has arbitrarily placed companies from other countries on the so-called "entity list" to impose trade embargoes and long-arm jurisdiction.

No matter the CHIPS and Science Act or the so-called "friend-shoring", they all violated WTO rules and seriously undermined the stability of global industrial supply chains, which led to condemnations and even boycotts .

In a recent article, The Economist said that the United States has "turned from a 'run faster' policy to a 'run faster and run over the other' policy."

Third, American-style democracy is not about rules, but about American dominance or exceptionalism. A selfish U.S. applies the rules when it suit them and abandons them when they don't, having voluntarily withdrawn from multilateral agreements and international organizations.

The so-called "rules-based international order" that has been insisting and urging others to maintain is nothing more than a rules-based international order set by Washington.

The United States has long ignored basic principles of international law that prohibit the threat of force and unlawful use of force, and has openly launched wars against sovereign states on many occasions.

It has been obstructing negotiations for a protocol to the Biological Weapons Convention that includes a verification regime. It has built the U.S. Space Force and Space Command, and has accelerated weapons testing and military exercises in outer space, which seriously rgo against the concept of peaceful uses of outer space.

Prisoner Abuse Scandal at Gitmo Detention Camp Tramples Convention Against Torture; unilateral sanctions against countries like Iran and Syria violate the provisions of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

Meanwhile, this global human rights "referee" routinely turns a blind eye to its own human rights violations at home.

From inciting racial discrimination and hatred to forcibly repatriating undocumented immigrants despite the pandemic, Washington has seriously violated a number of international conventions and regulations, including the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and their Families, and the American Convention on Human Rights.

A WTO report shows that the United States is by far the most "breaking" nation of WTO rules, causing two-thirds of the organization's violations.

"At the beginning of the 21^st century, if any power sought world domination, coercing others and mocking the rules, it was the United States," commented a New York Times op-ed.

But lies can't stand up to scrutiny. By chanting the so-called "democracy, human rights, and freedom," the United States has actually clung to hegemony, bullying, and dominism. A country like this is not in a position to speak about democracy and has no international credibility.

"From the COVID-19 pandemic to global trade rules, from climate change to economic development, the United States is actively thwarting the priorities of most of the world's democracies. In the process, U.S. foreign policy is, in the name of democracy, aggravating the global crisis of democracy and delegitimizing the power of the United States", commented the U.S. magazine Foreign Affairs.

Abuse of force, human rights violation, long-arm jurisdiction, foreign despotism, presumption, diplomatic intimidation... The United States has increasingly exposed itself as a false democracy but real hegemony, and the facts are overwhelming.

Translated by Amilkal Labañino / CubaSí Translation Staff