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A self-help guide for anti-imperialists
This self-reflection checklist is designed to encourage critical thinking & help examine whether your views are consistent with your principles, especially when dealing with complex geopolitical issues.
Ideological Rigidity & Cognitive Dissonance
1. Do you hold strong anti-Western or anti-imperialist views that shape your opinions on global issues?
2. When confronted with evidence of atrocities committed by regimes you support, do you find yourself dismissing or downplaying this evidence rather than re-evaluating your stance because it challenges your core beliefs about the West & the USA?
3. Do you often find yourself justifying the actions of regimes opposed to the West, even when those actions conflict with your principles on human rights & justice?
Manichaean Worldview (Good vs. Evil)
4. Do you tend to see global politics in a binary "good vs. evil" framework, where the West & its allies represent "evil" & those who oppose them are automatically seen as "good"?
5. Do you believe that anyone who opposes the US must be inherently virtuous, regardless of their actions or policies?
6. To what extent do you think this worldview might over-simplify complex geopolitical issues, potentially leading to support for authoritarian regimes?
Group Identity & Social Influence
7. Do you align your views with a political or social group that strongly opposes Western policies, even if it means defending regimes with questionable human rights records?
8. Have you ever found yourself defending a position primarily because it aligns with the views of your social or political group, rather than based on your independent assessment of the situation?
9. On a scale of 1 to 5, how much do you think your stance on certain regimes is influenced by the desire to fit in with a particular group or to maintain a certain identity?
Projection and Attribution Bias
10. Do you often attribute the world's problems primarily to US or Western influence, minimising the responsibility of other countries or regimes for their actions?
11. Have you noticed a tendency to excuse or overlook the negative actions of regimes opposed to the West because you believe these actions are a direct result of Western interference?
12. How often do you critically assess the actions of both Western & non-Western governments with the same level of scrutiny?
Historical Grievances & Mistrust
13. Do you have deep-seated mistrust towards any narrative or information coming from the US or its allies, regardless of the evidence presented?
14. Have historical grievances against Western colonialism or intervention led you to automatically side with any regime that opposes the US, even when there is clear evidence of that regime's human rights abuses?
15. On a scale of 1 to 5, how open are you to re-evaluating your stance when presented with credible information from sources you may not fully trust?
Moral Relativism
16. Do you find yourself adopting a morally relativistic stance, where the actions of regimes opposed by the US are justified or seen as less severe compared to the actions of the US & its allies?
17. Have you ever rationalised or downplayed human rights abuses by a regime because they were in opposition to Western imperialism?
18. How do you reconcile your anti-imperialist views with the need to advocate for universal human rights & justice, regardless of who the oppressor is?
After answering these questions, consider the degree to which these tendencies influence your views on global issues. Does your stance truly align with your core values, or is it driven by opposition to certain powers, sometimes at the expense of supporting justice & human rights?
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