Upstarts like Al Qaida, Hezbollah, Al Fatah, Taliban, Somalian Islamists, Hamas, Al Sadr of Iraq, Tamil Tigers, Maoists and many more whom we do not know are in a position to rattle the world’s richest, strongest and best armed country in the world again. Like on many similar occasions elsewhere in the world, the terror groups are in a crouching position to pounce on our presidential elections and influence it.
Our forefathers ran away from persecution, political and religious. They established the freest society known to mankind. They provided us a constitution in which expression was free and opportunity to all to prosper according to their abilities. The world marveled at the ingenuity of our founding fathers. They looked to us for ideas to improve their societies and clamored to reach our shores to avail the abundance of opportunities. In sixties when JFK was assassinated and I was a student, even when we were 14000 miles away we fell sad and grieved. . Now when I talk to my friends from many countries they view us as bullies and trigger happy.
Our politicians and ideology addicts have contributed to this in a big way. The glare of Internet and speedy media has not been flattering to American politicians. They have been repeatedly exposed as lacking in knowledge and non understanding the culture of others. Bush gaffs are an industry all over the world led by John Stewart of Comedy Central. McCain’s is doing well to follow in his footsteps. His 100 years in Iraq gaff and Al Qaida in Iran are precursors of more to come.
United States may have set itself up by being the home of automobile and overlooking the benefits of a mass transit like rail. The great American road network along with Henry Ford and other motor car makers made our country one big oil addict. And a whole array of politicians including the Bush family and business leaders and opportunists became beholden to Middle Eastern sheiks and monarchs. The oil based economy leaves us dependent and without control over our own destiny. We may have to go to many more wars to fill our gas tanks.
We continue to struggle to understand the other countries and cultures. Why will a diplomat name his dog after an alien prophet? Why will Bush think that mission is accomplished by toppling a Saddam statue? We are waging a war but do not have enough people to speak or understand the language of Iraqis. Why the concept of suicide bombing is embedded in many religions and cultures? The task of reforming other cultures by foisting western democracies is too big for United States or anyone. It makes us only ugly Americans and neo colonists.
Michael Moore's "Bowling for Columbine" which documented our addiction to guns was topical. Guns not only kill more than 25000 US citizens every year but also set us up on a violent course in other parts of the world. Most of the insurgencies and conflicts are fought with American arms. Most of the terrorist leaders in the world today are virtually creations of our funding and equipment. The arch terrorist Osama Bin Laden was trained and equipped by us. Saddam was propped as a counter balance to Iran. Time and again smugglers and unscrupulous elements have funneled new and old arms to various outlaw groups. This continued spread of our guns and arms has contributed significantly to our loss of control of control of our destiny. We are being attacked by others with our own arms.
Autocratic rulers in the Middle East and other Muslim countries were heavily losing as their younger generation looked west for innovative ideas and education. The fundamentalist regimes in Muslim world were about to call it a day when our leaders decided to counter fundamentalism by their own fundamentalism. The hatching of a neocon plan to change the rulers they did not like and gerrymander the Middle East was the beginning the end of our diplomatic leverage in the area. This policy which expressly smacked of neo colonialism led to germination and raising the profile of terrorist monsters like Osama Bin Laden and others. The hopes of Muslim populace in autocratic countries were shattered as we built and supported monster dictatorships who are oppressors to this day. We virtually offered the young Muslim generation of today on a platter to Osama and his ilk.
The decline of our authority all over the world nosedived as we pushed our brand of democracy and morals all over the world. This was aided and abetted by the ceding of many areas of the government to monstrous corporations who turned a blind eye to exploitation of people in third world countries. They steered US to policies which undermined our moral authority all over the world. Our relationship with China and India is an example.
The Enron style crass capitalism in the last decade divorced the need to marry the basic needs
of human beings to seek order in their lives to generation of capital only. This widened the gap between rich and poor which is dangerous for any democratic society. Our export and propagation of capital attached democracy also resulted in fragmentation of Russia and Balkans. They are now ruled by oligarchs, dictators and autocrats. It gave birth to many extra constitutional non state entities like Al Qaida and rouge groups all over the globe. It bred disorder, strife and poorer lives for millions of people. It undermined our ability to come to the rescue of those in need. A lack luster US response to famines, massacres, genocides and ethnic cleansing point to it.
How we rebuild image in the world and reclaim moral authority in the world will have to wait for Bush to end his term, resolve Iraq and address the immigration puzzle with honesty and compassion. Meanwhile we will live in dangerous world and keep on praying for a Messiah.
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