ETHNOCENTRISM

During November of 2003, while on a state visit to Europe, President George W. Bush took the opportunity to justify the war with Iraq. By doing so, he was hoping to ease tensions with European leaders. During his 39 minutes speech, he asked, “Who will say that Iraq was better off when Saddam Hussein was strutting or killing, or that the world was safer when he held power?" He also mentioned how it is important for democracies to confront terrorists, saying “In some cases, the measured use of force is all that protects us from a chaotic world ruled by force.”

Ethnocentrism is the tendency to believe that one’s own group is the most important and therefore, superior compared to all others. When applied to a nation, ethnocentrism causes it to feel that because it is superior compared to other nations, it must accomplish its duty to make the world into a better place, to help other nations to become as great as it is. This is evident during colonialism when Europeans, who considered themselves to be superior than the “savages” they met in Africa and the Americas, tried to impose their lifestyles unto other races.

From the speech, one can imply that Bush is affected by ethnocentrism. He believes that the U.S. knows what is good for Iraq. By removing Hussein from power, Bush claims that the world has become a better place. The important thing to notice here is the question for whom- for Iraq or for America. Also he claims that sometimes it is necessary to use force to protect innocents from a chaotic world ruled by force. By using force, however, he would be doing exactly what the rulers of a chaotic world were.

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