Cooling the situation, instead of inflaming it, the way GWB is hoping to do, is the only sane course
And just how do you plan on getting 5 Billion non-Americans to "cool it"??
US non-participation in Ruwanda didn't prompt those folks to "cool it" before the committed mass genocide against a rival tribe. And we sat back and did nothing. I'm sure you were applauding our non-involvement then, weren't you?
And we have relative few military bases in Africa.. So why hasn't that continent prospered?
I read about 15 pages of Chalmer's book and his prologue... It's a whole lot of gobbley-gook and rehashed cliches that seemingly bear little resemblance to reality.
Where the reality lies, unfortunately, is that the US has attempted to meddle as little as possible, while still being able to confront Soviet and Chinese ambitions in the ideological cold war. But now the bi-polar political system has broken down and the US is unwilling to exert its global supremacy. And into that political void formerly known as liberation theology and marxism, these economically dispossessed and hopeless people are rallying around extremism and/or nationalism.
Chalmers would do well to pay more attention to demographic trends than his mis-begotten perception that somehow the US should become more isolationist and pull back from its committments, rather than continuing to try and maintain a "lid" on the seething social pressures growing around the world.
If the US pulls in its horns, there will be nothing to prevent such petty dictators and extremist non-state actors from doing what they will.
What I gleaned from reading the first part of his book reeks of Chamberlain's "appeasement" policy... Don't confront, or attempt to create change.
Just "cool it" and everything will be alright.
The way I look at it, there's not much the US will be able to do alone. It will require Europe, and the rest of the large powers, to work together to maintain stability in the face of this population explosion in the undeveloped world. But doing something, even if it results in "blowback" is better than doing nothing and later finding ourselves having to engage a better prepared enemy who has been permitted time to solidify their positions of power.
The global situation is not the responsibility of the US. IF anything, it's because we may have done too little. We're not responsible for the 3% birthrates, where people are having children they can't feed. Nor are we responsible for the fact that so many nations chose to beat up upon one another, rather than taking care of their people and developing their economies.
I guess we could have invaded all of them though, and made them shape up.
Like always Raymond... you offer only complaints, but no logical solutions. And no one's telling you to leave, we're inviting you do so, since living in the US makes you so miserable.
Hawk |
