USA. The champion of democracy. The liberator. The defender of human rights. The protector. Victor. Hero. Advocate of the oppressed. Promoter of freedom. I do not think there is enough space for me to list out more profanities.

The Fact: the US government, along with their allies and foes, have been aggressively selling their brand of democracy to third world nations and developing countries.

The presence of the Lords of War in South East Asia is unnerving.

France, China, Russia and the scattering remains of masters of weaponry are firmly in the region. They sell everything, from submarines, patrol boats, fifth generation jet fighters to missiles, assault rifles and bombs of every design. These weapons are capable of blasting cities within minutes, ravage the jungle within hours and destroying population in the matter of days. All in the name of “bi-lateral defense ties” and the promotion of democracy.

Thailand’s military was using American weapons to blast the Red Shirts during the protest in Bangkok.

Indonesia attacked the communities of Aceh and East Timor, and committed carnage on the people of West Papua with American firearms.

The weaponry of the other Lords of War has not been forgotten on those staring blankly at anti-personnel mines and being caught in the line of fire, raked by bullets, amidst the savagery in Myanmar. The twisted sense of irony sandwiched between false proclamation of civil rights and bloodshed.

Democracy, or the imperialist version of it, seems to be the standard war cry for governments to suppress people who do not conform to their brand of ideology. Military technical assistance, funding, and the mass propaganda machine are offered to cement the close cultural ties between the US and their client-nations. It’s a matter of time before China’s presence within the region grows to counter the US, as the security of the region naturally affects their economical greed and ambition. We fail to see that the worse form of colonization is from our dependency to wage war on our people, or against the minority who differ from our way of life.

While members of ASEAN continue its morbid quest to upgrade their weaponry for defense and to ensure the continued “peace”,  human rights violation and abuses will be extended. The so-called champions of democracy will continue to supply these nations with the tools to enable and sustain this hypocrisy. One wonders why the governments do not condemn and enforce sanctions to show that such system of brutal governance is not acceptable. Rather than facilitating the principles of human rights and respect for life, these Dogs of War propagate military activity and paranoia of each other.