Dear Friends,
It seems to me that most individuals practice the doctrine of self interest rightly understood but all States do not. The doctrine of self interest rightly understood is simply that behavior that comports with the betterment of Mankind is in ones own self interest. Many firms follow this doctrine because it is a form of smart capitalism. But all States do not.
The doctrine of self interest rightly understood was coined by De Tocqueville to explain the difference in the American ethos and the perception of the American ethos in Europe. In Europe the traditions did, (and in many cases still do), reign supreme. Cultural views of reality color the way people see themselves and others.
In Europe the perception of the American ethos was that of egoism. Egoism differing from the “doctrine” by egoism’s disregard for the consequences of meeting one’s needs, or wants, immediately. The egoist regards his or her self interest as trumping that of the rest of the world. This results in the Egoists not getting their needs met later. But the egoist sees not fault of his own. As such, when egoists are barred from total self interest by societal mores they go into politics.
Most people practice the doctrine in most places around the world. The prosperity of a region is a rough determiner of the percent of the population that actually practice this doctrine. Demonstrably so. In Japan despite governmental policies that create incentives for oligarchal capitalism, and the natural disasters that are endemic to that region, they maintain their economy.
But State entities never do. They practice naked egoism. States must do this because of the nature of government. Governments, even tyrannies, are political entities, (as we have argued before), as such they have forces within them that extinguish any altruistic notion and bend them to serve the interests of the Elite. If that leads to keeping a large firm from encountering competition, then that is the path, if altruism can be turned for a country to steal the extrinsic resources of another country, in the name of aid, then that will be the path, but what ever a State does, it is only in the naked self interest of it‘s Elite. As such it is egoist in nature and in action.
Take for example the capture of Osama Bin Laden. The US government at some point in time, we will never really know, discovered that it’s “ally” was harboring the US’s most wanted man within the Pakistani citadel of power. In the very neighborhood of retired generals and within sight of a prestigious military academy.
The Pakistani government claims ignorance but are indignant that the US government killed Osama on their territory without notifying the Pakistani government. Yet if the Pakistani government is so ignorant of the local whereabouts of such a powerful man in the Al Qaeda organization… How “safe” are the nuclear bombs in Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal?
Or on the other hand, large elements of the Pakistani government knew of the whereabouts of Osama but withheld the information, in naked self interest. They Kept him close at hand to keep him under control and pointed to the tribal region as the most likely hiding place. In many ways mealy mouthed and duplicitous. But in prolonging, intentionally, the conflict that threatens to spill over into a theological world war is utterly stupid. Naked egoism.
The US is no better. In what universe did it make sense to go in a take out Osama when they should have captured him, water boarded him for more info, taken all the info they could from the “mansion,” make sure everyone, (especially Osama’s family), were safely out, and burn the place to the ground, to keep what we know secret. Then have several operations ready, to move as soon as the new intel came in, to continue in a blitzkrieg fashion. Knock them off balance and keep on them until they fall. It isn’t rocket science.
But instead the US government went about the operation in the most mealy mouthed way possible. Killing him in cold blood and lying about it for days. Changing the story smacks of criminality especially when the government had real time knowledge of what went on in the raid. Saying we won’t “spike the ball” then visiting Ground Zero… Lying about how the information was gleaned is traditional spy craft but lying for political reasons is despicable…
Egoism was on display for us all to see. As it is in Libya as well.
