How the Mighty are Falling

What do I know? Nothing much, I fear. But as it has become clear that many of our elected officials apparently know perhaps even less I have decided to continue blogging, at least for the present.

Let me begin with some comments on our foreign policy (if, indeed, we can be said to have any coherent foreign policy). Let’s begin with Syria. There is an international meeting to discuss the future of Syria. Iran, the primary ally of Syria, was not invited to this meeting. Well, actually, they were invited by the head of the UN, but the U.S. (all powerful and god like) intervened and had them disinvited. Does this make any sense at all? Of course not, the future of Syria is not going to be decided unilaterally by the U.S., in spite of Secretary of State Kerry’s declaration that it must be so. Kerry, announced before the meeting began that President Assad had to go and could have no role in a future government of Syria. In order for Iran to participate in this meeting (in which they have a vital national interest) they would have to agree with this outcome in advance. In other words, agree to our already decided upon outcome or you cannot participate, no matter what you like or what your national interest might be. Is this not stupid, imperialistic, unreasonable, arrogant, and unacceptable to not only Iran but the rest of the participants? Of course it is. And the U.S., in effect, is being told, rightly so, to go “piss up a rope.” Our attempt to continue our hegemony in the Middle East is failing, just as it has already failed in Latin America. The American empire is beginning to implode. Our vaunted military superiority has repeatedly failed, in Korea, Viet Nam, Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere as we cannot defeat even peasants armed with small caliber rifles. Our estimated 5000 nuclear warheads are as useless as the proverbial “tits on a boar.” Is it any wonder that Iran doesn’t even want such useless and expensive weapons? I hesitate to say it, but the Iranians are much smarter than we are.    

Speaking of Iran, we seem to be doing everything in our power to avoid a diplomatic solution  to their non-problem of nuclear bombs. Even while the negotiations are going on we have Kerry still threatening military action against them should the negotiations fail, and, more importantly, many Congresspersons insisting on devising more sanctions against them should they fail to live up to their agreements, thus risking the failure of the attempt before it can proceed.  This assumes, of course, that Iranians are untrustworthy, cannot be believed, do not want a diplomatic solution, and are not acting in good faith, all false assumptions based upon apparent racist beliefs about Arabs even though Iranians are not Arabs, and Arabs are themselves, of course, not without honor and decency in spite of American stereotypes.

There is another strange situation having to do with our attempt to negotiate a peaceful solution to the Iran question. President Obama, the elected leader of our nation, along with much of the military and others, wants to attempt a diplomatic solution to the question of Iranian nuclear activity. But many member of Congress insist upon trying to impose more sanctions on Iran, sanctions that might well kill the diplomacy prematurely and, in fact, lead to war. The primary opponent of a diplomatic solution is, of course, Israel, who not only opposes the attempt but has lobbied for war against Iran for years. It is not beyond imagination to see a situation where Congress could impose crippling sanctions against Iran, thus ending the diplomacy, and eventually leading to unimaginable hostilities in the Middle East. But if U.S. policy, represented by the President desires diplomacy, and the Congress, representing Israel, does not, where does Congressional loyalty lie, with Israel or the U.S.? And if their loyalties favor Israel over the U.S. is that not potentially treasonous? This begs the question for the moment of why so many Congresspersons in the U.S. continue to uncritically support a nation known to be internationally criminal, racist, genocidal, apartheid, and imperialistic. What is even more unbelievable is that some want to pass legislation requiring the U.S. to support Israel should that country unilaterally attack Iran, essentially putting U.S. foreign policy in the hands of another country! If this is not insanity I do not know what you might call it.

Paradoxically, as the U.S. Empire slowly collapses around the world, as it surely will, the U.S. itself will grow increasingly better. When all that money comes home, the phony “defense budget” shrinks, and we begin to actually rebuild our infrastructure, tackle global warming, education, unemployment, poverty, and yes, even health care, there could be an amazing, even unprecedented  American renaissance.  This certainly will not happen if Israel is allowed to dictate our policy in the Middle East and the mindless Congressional hawks get their way.

  “There is some good in this world, and it's worth fighting for.” 
J.R.R. Tolkien