Australia as the United States

Niall McLaren is an Australian psychiatrist, author and critic. He is worried about his country. It is moving more to becoming like us vis-a-vis Islam and terrorism. You should read his article in Truthout. While his subject is Australia, it also describes the U.S. Some excerpts:

• There is the very clearest historical correlation for anybody who wishes to look at it: the more foreign intrusion and disruption there is, the more the locals will react with animosity. The more people's legitimate aspirations are suppressed by brutal, Western-backed autocracies, the more traction extremists gain. That is, of course, the definition of extremism: somebody beyond the edge of legitimacy, somebody adopting harsh views and methods that the great majority reject. But when the majority of people feel crushed, ignored and oppressed and believe their courteous requests to be left alone have achieved nothing, then an increasing proportion of ordinary citizens will say: "Break out the weapons." That is inevitable. If a foreign country occupied my homeland and oppressed us (and don't say it already has), then I too would eventually reach the point of exasperation. I don't see anything unpredictable or immoral about that. Did it not happen in 1776?

• The so-called, undeclared "war" we have been dragged into is the product of self-righteous, panicky people with an exaggerated sense of persecution and no ability to look objectively at history. That is, they are paranoid. Because of their bizarre views, paranoid people cause trouble, then they deny responsibility and use the victim's defensive reaction to justify further aggression. That is exactly the position of the West vis-a-vis the Muslim world.

• That's the polite interpretation; the harsher view is that Australia's Liberal government has latched onto a so-called "humanitarian duty" to push back against ISIL, ignoring other humanitarian needs just because this will distract people from its woeful budget and bind our country more tightly into the Five Eyes axis. I'd feel safer if we went back to being a sunburned country that nobody gives a damn about.