As much as I’d like to, I can’t really blame the current world chaos on our president’s ineptitude. I mean, he is a complete deer in headlights in regard to world powers and events, but Israel’s attack on Lebanon and North Korea’s posturing can’t be laid at his door. He could, however, DO something diplomatic about it. Or maybe not. Let’s face it; he’s not the most respected world leader to trot down a red carpet. He’s blown his capital at home and God knows he didn’t have much cache abroad (aside from Toady Blair).
Even if he were wildly popular and vaguely intelligent, I’m not sure there is much that could be done with the tensions and sniping going on right now. But the escalation in tensions seems to me to be directly related to our bumbling into Iraq when we had no business butting in. Yeah, Saddam was/is an asshole. Yeah, he was a dictator who used threats, torture and violence to maintain his hold on power. But he was also major stabilizing factor in the most ridiculously unstable part of the world. Now that dependable influence is gone and Israel (realistically) is getting jumpy. Hezbollah and Hamas are emboldened. Iran is loving the idea of becoming a “world power.” Al Qaeda is recruiting like the USMC at college campuses but a lot more popular. I can’t say for certain that none of this would have happened if not for the destabilizing of Iraq, but common sense and logical speculation says no.
There are no solutions to this. We can no longer rely on “mutually assured destruction” that Papa Bush and his predecessors held to their hearts because our enemies no longer care about their own survival. Their hatred transcends that. We can’t just throw up our hands and turn our backs either. We are a global community. Isolationism is no longer an option, especially with our reliance on Middle East oil.
Maybe a heartfelt apology? We’re sorry about trying to conduct a modern-day version of the Crusades. We’re sorry we had so little faith in your abilities to govern yourselves that we felt the need to step in the way that hag of a third grade teacher used to step in to interrupt our rough and tumble games of King of the Mountain on the playground at recess. We’re sorry that the majority of our citizens, who are not offended or threatened by Islam, are drowned out by a paranoid and vocal minority who believe the Rapture is close at hand and only Jesus saves. We’re sorry we elected (twice!) a below-average, simple-minded good ole boy as our leader and representative to the world.
No? I didn’t think it would help, but I feel better getting that off my chest.
No comments:
Post a Comment