Analog February 1989 [antikvár]

INTERNAL AFFAIRSStanley SchmidtIf you've been paying the slightest attention to newspapers and similar media in this country in recent years, you've probably noticed a great deal of public and private activity with the openly avowed goal of bringing about large changes in the internal conduct of other countries. A good deal of official foreign policy is devoted to such activities as supporting the regime of Our Administration's choice in this or thai Central American country (or overthrowing one that Our Administration doesn't approve of). Both government actions and private protests by groups of concerned citizens seek to exert pressure toward the abolition of apartheid in South Africa or the improvement of human rights in the Soviet Union.In at least some of these cases, mostAmericans, at least, would find it hard to dispute the worthiness of the goals. But the methods raise a most interesting complex of questions (and I'll confess right at the start that I have more questions than answers). When, if ever, are matters directly involving only the government and citizens of one country a legitimate concern of the government and citizens of another country? If such legitimacy does exist, what kinds of action can country B legitimately take in regard to the internal affairs of country A? What long-term significance might the trend toward growing acceptance of .such "internal" meddling have?If. indeed, it really is a trend. Trying to decide what's best for people somewhere else, or even trying to do .something about it, is hardly a radically newAnalog Science FictioniScience Fact