Interview: Expert says U.S. military hegemony causes global human suffering

This photo taken on July 15, 2023 shows a view of Qala-e-Shatir village, where the U.S. forces dropped cluster bombs in 2001, in Herat City of west Afghanistan's Herat province. (Photo by Mashal/Xinhua)

The United States should cut its military budget, end its practice of overseas military interventions, and promote diplomacy and dialogue as a way to resolve conflicts, an Egyptian expert said.

CAIRO, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The United States must end its use of violence and aggression and work toward creating peace and stability worldwide, a political expert based in Egypt has said.

"The United States has a long history of military intervention and expansion as it has waged war against Native Americans, invaded Canada, fought Mexico and annexed Hawaii," Mohamed Elchime, professor of political science at Helwan University in Egypt, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Xinhua Institute, the think tank of Xinhua News Agency, released a report titled Origins, Facts and Perils of U.S. Military Hegemony on Tuesday, with some experts joining the event in person and virtually, including Elchime.

After World War II, the United States has been involved in numerous conflicts, including the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War and the War in Afghanistan, Elchime said.

America also has a vast network of military bases worldwide, with troops deployed in more than 150 countries, the expert added.

The wars and military operations launched by the United States since 2001 in the name of fighting terrorism have claimed over 900,000 lives, including more than 335,000 civilians, according to Elchime.

"The 2003 Iraq War resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians, and the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan displaced millions of people," Elchime said.

Abdullah Ibrahim shows photos of his house destroyed by a reckless U.S. missile, which also left him disabled, in Salahudin province, Iraq, Jan. 4, 2022. (Xinhua)

The U.S. wars and interventions have caused immense human suffering and instability around the world, the expert said, adding that the United States must change its ways and adopt a more peaceful and cooperative approach to handling foreign relations.

He stressed that the United States should cut its military budget, end its practice of overseas military interventions, and promote diplomacy and dialogue as a way to resolve conflicts.

The stated use of U.S. military power is to deter aggression and promote stability, but its actions bring the opposite, Elchime noted.

He said America's military superiority always brings instability, conflict or arms races, with other countries seeking to match or surpass its capabilities. "It can increase the risk of miscalculation and accidental war, as the U.S. may be tempted to use its military power without fully considering the consequences."

He noted that the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 was widely seen as an act of aggression destabilizing the region. Its military presence in the Middle East has bred resentment among many residents.

Elchime told Xinhua that the impact of the U.S. military on international peace and security will depend on several factors, including the country's choices about how to deploy its military power. ■