FIGURE 2.12 Photo Essay: Power and Politics in North America Political freedoms are well protected and democratization is at a relatively high level in North America. On a global scale, it is often argued that the United States uses its power to promote political freedoms and democratization. There is some truth to this. On the other hand, and as just one example, some U.S. officials who planned the Iraq War point out that U.S. strategic and economic interests influenced U.S. foreign aid more than the promotion of democracy did. Nongovernment analysts point especially to the desire to control Iraq’s oil resources and those of its neighbors. If the main U.S. interest abroad were the promotion of democracy, then sub-Saharan Africa would be a major focus of U.S. foreign aid and military installations, especially given the many violent conflicts that plague this region. As the map below shows, sub-Saharan Africa receives relatively little aid and has few U.S. military bases. Nevertheless, the United States has increased its presence there in recent years. 2.12a Courtesy Tara Walton/Toronto Star via Getty Images, 2.12b Courtesy USAID, 2.12c Yoshikazu Tsuno/AFP/Getty Images, 2.12d Courtesy Till Muellenmeister/AFP/Getty Images, 2.12e Courtesy Thony Belizaire/AFP/Getty Images