The “Good Neighbour Policy” has always been a masterclass in branding. Under FDR, it was sold as a kinder, gentler imperialism for Latin America—less boots on the ground, more sugarcoated subjugation. By the 1990s, the rhetoric of partnership had gone global, and the U.S. was exporting its neoliberal agenda under the guise of aid, democracy, and free markets. Fast forward to 2024, and the Good Neighbour Policy has evolved into a full-blown global con job, with devastating consequences for the so-called "neighbors" who dare to step out of line.
Today, whether it’s starving Venezuela into submission, militarising Africa under the pretext of counterterrorism, or turning Europe into a vassal state through energy manipulation, the U.S. has perfected the art of exploiting dependency while smiling for the cameras. Let’s pull back the curtain on this "good neighbour" act and see it for what it really is: polite imperialism dressed up as benevolence.
Latin America: Same Rhetoric, New Wounds
Latin America was always the testing ground for U.S. imperial playbooks, and it remains Exhibit A in how the Good Neighbour Policy operates. Venezuela is the poster child for this kind of polite barbarism. After Hugo Chávez dared to use the country’s oil wealth for programs that halved poverty, Washington declared economic war. Sanctions under Trump were catastrophic—cutting off access to international banking, freezing assets, and blocking vital imports like medicine. Biden hasn’t just maintained these sanctions; he’s tightened them, all while pretending it’s about promoting democracy. The reality? Over 70,000 Venezuelans have died due to these sanctions, according to a 2019 report by the Center for Economic and Policy Research. But hey, that’s just the price of being a "good neighbour," right?
Bolivia, meanwhile, shows how quickly the gloves come off when resource nationalism threatens U.S. corporate interests. In 2019, Evo Morales was ousted in a U.S.-backed coup after he nationalised Bolivia’s lithium—essential for electric car batteries and a trillion-dollar industry dominated by the West. The interim regime, led by Jeanine Áñez, rolled back Morales’s policies, opened the door to multinational mining interests, and violently cracked down on indigenous protesters. Though Morales’s party returned to power in 2020, the message from Washington was clear: any government daring to put its people over U.S. corporate profits will pay the price.
Africa: AFRICOM and the Neocolonial Grift
Since the launch of AFRICOM in 2007, the U.S. has militarised Africa under the guise of fighting terrorism. But the real agenda is as old as colonialism: control resources, crush dissent, and secure geopolitical dominance. Take Somalia, for example. U.S. drone strikes, ostensibly targeting al-Shabaab, have killed hundreds of civilians, according to Airwars, destabilising entire communities and fueling cycles of violence. The result? A country in perpetual crisis, with no end in sight.
Then there’s Niger. For years, the U.S. has poured military aid into the country, establishing drone bases to "fight terrorism." But this militarisation hasn’t brought security—it’s brought anti-Western sentiment. The recent 2023 coup, which ousted a U.S.-backed government, shows how the so-called Good Neighbour Policy breeds resentment and instability. While Washington wrings its hands about democracy, it’s really worried about losing access to Niger’s uranium—a critical resource for Western nuclear energy.
Economically, U.S. aid programs often serve as Trojan horses for corporate exploitation. USAID initiatives push African nations to adopt policies that benefit American agribusiness, undermining local food sovereignty. The rhetoric is always the same: partnership and development. The reality? Dependency and plunder.
The Indo-Pacific: Containment in Friendly Packaging
The U.S. has rebranded its Good Neighbour Policy for the Indo-Pacific, where the real goal is to counter China under the guise of partnership. AUKUS, the trilateral military pact with Australia and the UK, is sold as a stabilising force. In reality, it’s a cash grab for U.S. defense contractors and a provocative move that escalates tensions in the region. Australia’s purchase of nuclear-powered submarines, at a staggering cost of $368 billion, isn’t about Australian sovereignty—it’s about making Canberra a forward operating base for U.S. power projection.
Meanwhile, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) is marketed as an alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). But unlike the BRI, which funds infrastructure, IPEF focuses on securing supply chains and enforcing intellectual property rights—policies that overwhelmingly benefit U.S. corporations. Nations like Indonesia and Vietnam are pressured to align with Washington, not because it benefits their economies, but because it isolates Beijing.
Even U.S. humanitarian aid is weaponised. After the 2021 Myanmar coup, the U.S. imposed sanctions on the military junta while funneling aid through "approved" channels that often bypass grassroots efforts. The result? A hollowing out of local sovereignty, where even humanitarian aid becomes a tool of geopolitical control.
Europe: Allies in Name Only
Even Europe, supposedly America’s closest ally, isn’t spared the Good Neighbour treatment. The Ukraine war has exposed how little the U.S. values European autonomy. By sabotaging Nord Stream 2—whether directly or through covert means—the U.S. forced Europe to abandon cheap Russian gas in favor of expensive U.S. LNG imports. The result? Germany’s industrial base is struggling, and energy costs are sky-high across the EU. While Washington crows about standing up to Russia, European economies bear the brunt of the fallout.
NATO, too, has become less about mutual defense and more about serving U.S. interests. Under Trump, Europe was bullied into increasing military spending, a trend Biden has continued. This isn’t about making Europe stronger; it’s about funneling more money into the U.S. military-industrial complex.
The Human Cost of Being a “Good Neighbour”
The true cost of the Good Neighbour Policy isn’t paid by governments—it’s paid by ordinary people. Venezuelans suffering under sanctions, Africans displaced by U.S. military operations, Pacific Islanders caught in the crossfire of U.S.-China rivalry—all bear the brunt of policies designed to maintain U.S. hegemony.
But perhaps the biggest cost is the perpetuation of a system that entrenches inequality, dependency, and instability. The U.S. doesn’t build partnerships; it builds pipelines for exploitation. And while the rhetoric of democracy and development keeps flowing, the reality is a global order where the rich get richer, the powerful stay in control, and everyone else pays the price.
Conclusion: A Neighbour You Don’t Want
The Good Neighbour Policy is a con—a way for the U.S. to cloak its imperial ambitions in the language of partnership and benevolence. From Latin America to Africa, the Indo-Pacific to Europe, the script is the same: exploit dependency, extract resources, and crush any challenge to U.S. dominance.
If this is what being a "good neighbour" looks like, maybe it’s time for the world to start locking its doors. The U.S. doesn’t want neighbours—it wants dependents. And as long as this polite imperialism persists, the costs will keep piling up for everyone except the empire.
No comments:
Post a Comment