If England is a nation of shop - keepers, America is a nation of marketing wizards. They are so good they will sell you their tomorrow's product today for cash and deliver the product next year by which time an improved version of the product will already be in the market. This often happens with their war machines. After all, today they are world's number one “merchants of death”.

Look around the world and you will find America's involvement everywhere, either in the form of covert or overt supply of military weapons or in the form of humanitarian aids, supplying food, clothes, medicines and materials for constructing roads, bridges, houses, temporary shelters etc. By adopting these tactics, they would in time align the foreign policy of those countries in America's favour. They will justify their intervention or involvement in the name of establishing democracy by overthrowing dictatorship or to wage a war on terrorism.

Not surprisingly, Americans, because of their military might and geographical positioning, are saved from any war being fought on their land. There was, however, an imminent danger of war being fought on American territory during the cold war period with the Russians, the other super world power in a bipolar world. With the dismantling of Communism in Russia, even this possible danger has vanished. Unless we consider 9 / 11 terrorist attack on Twin Towers in New York as war fought on American soil.

So it is America's time and America's choice. Many Third World countries seem to be bending backwards to please the Americans — the “Uncle Sam”. And Uncle Sam, as a marketing man, who is capable of selling a refrigerator to an Eskimo living in his Igloo carved out of ice and a woollen suit to an Arab living in the Sahara desert, is busy manufacturing war machines like guns, bombs, rockets and combat planes that are all past history belonging to the Cold War period or even Second World War. Compare these outdated lethal weapons with its own laser guided bombs, stealth bombers, GPS fitted missiles and robot soldiers etc. Wow!

It is, therefore, not surprising that recently the US Senate was divided on the issue of manufacturing outdated F22 fighter jets which are considered a relic of the Cold War. The law - makers who defended this $ 1.75 billion project argued that it would create as many as 25,000 jobs. And the market? Well, the Third World, the developing world like India, the rogue States like Pakistan and other countries where there are civil wars. They are ever ready to pick up these weapons. Fortunately, there was a 58-40 split vote in the US Senate that shot down the project. Thank God, we are saved from buying this junk.

Another distinct feature of America's foreign policy is to pursue what is good for America, no matter it is not good for the world. It could be Nuclear Non - Proliferation Treaty (NPT), World Trade Organisation (WTO), General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), End-User Inspections as in the Indo - US Nuclear Accord, Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) [the paradox is that the highest stock - pile of WMD is found in America today!], war on terrorism, the Kyoto protocol on environmental pollution or human rights abuses. These are noble and humanitarian issues but in pursuing them if America's interest is in jeopardy, then... think afresh.

When these issues are in direct conflict with the American self - interest, then Uncle Sam is ready to wink at such violations and turn a Nelson's eye on these problems faced by other countries. For example, the human rights group Amnesty International has criticised Saudi Arabia for its counter - terrorism policies. What are these policies? They are secret arrests, torture and unfair trials. According to Time magazine, some 3000 suspects remain detained in Saudi jails. What does America do about this? According to Amnesty International representative Malcolm Smart, "These abuses have been allowed to take place behind a wall of secrecy." Why? Because of the West's (which includes America) dependence on Saudi oil.

The sinister moral lesson is that human life suddenly becomes less important for Americans in that its own interest in Saudi oil takes precedence over everything else.
The same can be said about America's concern for environmental pollution. While it is one of the highest emitters per capita and India is among the lowest, still America had the audacity to ask India to reduce emissions. I had written about this earlier in this column.

No wonder India was inveigled into signing that controversial Indo - Pak joint statement at Sharm – el - Sheikh.

It is said, Saudi Arabia which is said to finance some of the terror groups operating all over the world, does not use the word Taliban or Al - Qaeda while addressing these terror groups. When it comes to dealing with these terrorists in its own country, the Police and judiciary call these terrorist groups not by their internationally known names but as “deviant groups”. Well, what is the purpose of this kind of rigmarole? Maybe, America knows but keeps it under wraps because of its hidden agenda of not enlightened self-interest but sinister self - interest.