In contrast, it is hard to feel patriotism and risk dying for your country when the cause for doing so is not clear or defensible, and your country is not directly threatened. Since World War II, too many wars for too many causes, and for unclear and ill-defined purposes, have eroded feelings of patriotism in everyday Americans. This was the case when we attacked Iraq on the suspicion that it had weapons of mass destruction. The same would hold true if we attacked Iran to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons. And, today, even after nearly twelves years of war in Afghanistan, many Americans are still questioning why we got into that war in the first place.
Nowadays,
Americans are not conscripted to serve in the military, nor do they volunteer to serve out of
an abundance of patriotism. They join the armed forces mostly to get a job.
Most of those fighting in Afghanistan right now would prefer to be at home, if
only they could find a job and a better income there.
The
decline in patriotism in America has grown more pronounced as many Americans
have come to feel that their country has abandoned them. This is especially true of the lower classes, who are increasingly aware of the unfairness of the country's growing wealth inequality. As those who return
from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to poverty and joblessness in America frequently
ask: What did we fight for? How can you love your country as you do your father, if it does nothing to help you find a job,
secure a good life for your family, or enroll your kids in a good school?
Still, it is
not only the poor or the disintegrating middle class in America that feels less
patriotic; the top one percent feels the same. They think that the country is
taxing their income unfairly and giving their money to those who have not
worked for it or don't deserve it in the first place. In response, they are stashing their money in other countries to avoid paying taxes. This is not necessarily surprising. For many of the rich, all countries, including the United States, are only places to do business. Not
much patriotism there.
The diminished
patriotism in most developed countries can also be seen as an expression of
modernity. In the modern world, tradition, religion, family and country are now defining us less. We are expected to be
scientific, broad-minded and individualistic. Applying ancient rules of
religion, family and country is now considered backward and underdeveloped. Our
world is moving toward a more secular and universal liberal democracy.
One consequence of this trend is that it is
now becoming less and less acceptable for a civilized country to declare war
against another, no matter what the reason.
In recent decades, America's
inconsistency in pursuing its foundational ideals has diminished its citizens' feelings
of loyalty and patriotism. America always talks about human rights and often bullies small
countries over their human rights performance, especially when it is
politically expedient. But when human rights concerns conflict with
our interests, our ethical beliefs take a back seat nearly every time. The United States has plenty of
allies whose human rights performance ranges from questionable to awful. Saudi Arabia and China are not-so-shining examples.
America's moral failings were especially brought to light with the events of 9/11. After three thousand Americans were killed, the government felt it had to take some action that proved it was still the toughest guy on the block. The trouble was, there was no country to
blame or retaliate against, so we attacked Iraq, which had almost no connection
to our loss. As a result, the war failed to stimulate our feelings of
patriotism.
Worse yet, those who instigated that disastrous war were never disciplined or indicted. Nor were any of the senior officials in the Bush administration who authorized torture and renditions in either Iraq or Afghanistan ever faced with indictment or even serious investigation. And now, with the increased use of drones under Obama, and the frequent collateral killing of innocents, America may be coming close to losing totally both the dwindling patriotism of its citizens and its claim on moral authority in the world.
What does all this mean for the future? The United States better think long and hard about any future wars in which it chooses to be engaged. If our national interests are not directly threatened and our cause not clearly justified, the government may find it very hard to recruit young Americans who are patriotic enough to be willing to give their lives for their country, no matter what the salary. It may also find that the world at large, which is rapidly adopting its own values of liberal democracy, may well be far less tolerant of an America that seeks to dominate weaker nations for no other reason than its own self-interest.
