Present at the Creation: Chiang Kai-shek, FDR and Churchill at the Cairo Conference during World War II.
President Romney wants a "mighty" military. President Putin might be willing to fight a nuclear war to take down American "hegemony." President Xi is asserting a Chinese regional hegemony that writes its own international law. The brutality of ISIS is making Presidents Assad and Saddam Hussein look like pillars of stability by comparison. Americans, or at least the D.C. elites, claiming to value straight talk recoiled — quelle horreur! quelle gaffe! — when President Obama said "We don't have a strategy yet" regarding ISIS.
Better, I suppose they are saying, to further wreck the country with more of the Bush/Cheney fire, aim, ready. As the tour d'horizon above shows, these are unquiet times, made more so for those who know what happened 100 years ago.
As social critic Jim Kunstler says, we're not the world's hall monitor. On the other hand, Pax America, for all its fumbles and stains, has ensured the longest period without a general war since the 19th century. This was no accident.
Most American leaders of the 1940s, Franklin Roosevelt foremost among them, believed Hitler rose to unleash the most destructive war in history because of American isolationism. Both in idealism and realpolitik, FDR hoped that a United Nations anchored by the five victorious allied powers would prevent a recurrence. (He had the foresight to insist that China be included in the Security Council). But it would be anchored by American power.
Stalin wrecked the hopes for the former, but the latter prevented a hot World War III. Our might was always based foremost on having the world's top economy, its gains widely shared, the greatest middle class in history, the commons...and relatively high tax rates.
But old orders come apart. This happened in 1914, when the alliance system failed to safeguard the integrity of the Ottoman Empire and Austria-Hungary, for example. Some argue that Britain made a capital mistake by entering the war. A German victory, they say, would have produced something much like the European Union — without Hitler. Most Americans in the 1920s and 1930s certainly thought U.S. was mistaken to go over there.
Now the American-led order is being challenged on multiple fronts. But we need to understand the world isn't all about us and our blissful and sometimes murderous ignorance
For example, Mr. Obama gave a cute brush off to Putin by dismissing Russia as "a regional power." But for all its problems, Russia is a great power and should be encouraged to act like a responsible one. Ukraine was a part of the Russian and Soviet empires for centuries. Crimea was "given" to Ukraine, a meaningless gesture (perhaps to atone for his role in the great famine) by Khrushchev in the 1950s.
We have no national interests in Ukraine. But it is reckless of us to dismiss Russia's interests in a new nation, on its border, that was once its province. Think how we will react when somebody gives us a bloody nose and part of the union is broken off and tilting to what we perceive as a hostile power? Ukrainians nationalists say they were conquered by the Russians. We did a fair amount of that ourselves, to 500 nations on this continent. It was similarly foolish to expand NATO to Russia's doorstep and use it in the 1990s to dismember Serbia, no paragon of virtue but, eerily, the flashpoint of the Great War and a historic Russian client
Then, China. As I've noted before, Chiang Kai-shek would feel happier about today's People's Republic than Mao. Americans need to know that China is surrounded by potentially hostile or unstable nations and for thousands of years was invaded and humiliated. True, we're not applying Chinese nine-dash-line principles to, say, the Gulf of Mexico. But only because we don't have to.
None of this is to excuse Putin ("You can take the man out of the KGB but you can't take the KGB out of the man"). Nor should we be Beijing's patsy as it whittles away against international laws and norms intended to ensure stability. As for the Middle East: We can't fix grudges going back to the seventh century; we have made things worse.
And don't think that the consequences of climate change, resource scarcity and overpopulation are not in the background, triggering conflict. The media just don't want to report on it.
Intellectual laziness, sunk costs, inertia and the interests of our oligarchs will propel us to continue a set of behaviors and alliances that seem unsustainable. It's rich to hear the people who argue that taxes must always be cut lamenting how we'll pay for new military hardware.
We're not thinking about, much less discussing, a Plan B. That may prove disastrous in the long run. It is proving ruinous already. Why should we send a dime to Ukraine or Israel or Saudi Arabia when our teachers are paid poorly, our streets are falling apart, we lack the rail system of an advanced, urbanized nation, and the middle class collapse continues?
Not a big Obama fan, ever, I do however see glimmers of hope on the horizon. Being an American, I am an optimistic fool.
Posted by: Hattie | September 05, 2014 at 12:11 PM
En Seguro, Right on Jon. great piece.
From your previous blog I repeat:
Ruben,and Emil, the ISIS is doing everything it can to draw the neo cons into convincing the US to go back to war. Same old plan that Osama Bin laden had.
Halliburton stocks are down.
Posted by: cal Lash | September 05, 2014 at 12:48 PM
Why should we send a dime to Ukraine or Israel or Saudi Arabia when our teachers are paid poorly, our streets are falling apart, we lack the rail system of an advanced, urbanized nation, and the middle class collapse continues?
We shouldn't!
Posted by: Jerry McKenzie | September 05, 2014 at 01:00 PM
Just read a comment by a border security analyst who said, "we're preparing to spend so much money on the border, that it would probably be cheaper to pay the immigrants to stay home".
I'm sure glad that once we climbed out of the trees, we discovered fire, sex and how to ferment liquor. Otherwise, the craziness would have been to much to bear.
Hand me that beer, would you?
Posted by: Ruben | September 06, 2014 at 10:40 AM
The Gippers plans.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/09/05/1327450/-Sorry-Republicans-We-know-exactly-what-Reagan-would-do-about-ISIS?detail=email
Posted by: cal Lash | September 06, 2014 at 10:48 AM
Headline on google news says "Obama delay on immigration causes uproar from Hispanics".
Hey, Hispanics, you don't bother to vote, so shut the fuck up.
Love,
Your voting Hispanic brother.
Posted by: Ruben | September 06, 2014 at 07:10 PM
Ruben U one of them Spaniard Land grant trust fund babies? They actually let you register to vote up there in Showlow.
Posted by: cal Lash | September 06, 2014 at 07:28 PM
Meanwhile back in Fascist America ran by the CIA with the the help of NSA and the country with police officers that look and act like Gestapo soldiers! No one is safe on the highways and byways of route 66.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/investigative/2014/09/06/stop-and-seize/
Posted by: cal Lash | September 07, 2014 at 08:04 AM
How your local police department (think Marines) will deal with college campus and Occupy protesters in the future.
http://www.vice.com/read/the-pentagon-is-giving-grenade-launchers-to-campus-police-904
Posted by: cal Lash | September 07, 2014 at 08:32 AM
The reason we are not hearing from Soleri is he has moved again and is out of touch with us fools.
http://www.vice.com/read/we-went-to-a-festival-for-people-who-wouldnt-mind-if-the-pacific-northwest-was-its-own-country
Posted by: cal Lash | September 07, 2014 at 08:40 AM
Plan I like in Indians: give them back Long Island;
http://www.vice.com/read/this-tribe-wants-to-kick-rich-people-out-of-the-hamptons-903
Posted by: cal Lash | September 07, 2014 at 11:38 AM
Petro, what has happened to Ian welsh?
Posted by: Ruben | September 07, 2014 at 02:02 PM
Ian's working on a book.
Posted by: Petro | September 07, 2014 at 02:06 PM
Was at a table of 8 at a happy hour at a country club here in the white mountains.
Lady next to me said, "we need to get the country back to only the original , real Americans, then we can reevaluate who we should let in."
I said, "so you mean, the Native American Indians?"
The blank look on her face had more emptiness than you would find in interstellar space.
We talked about the weather after that.
P.S. She is second generation
Irish/English. (I guess she is under the impression her parents discovered America)
The good news. She never votes and is proud of it.
Posted by: Ruben | September 07, 2014 at 02:16 PM
My new state rep. Sylvia Allen, has in her district the petrified forest, who her god created 6,000 years ago to look like it is 30,000,000 years old. Pretty neat trick. I'm expecting very enlightened legislation to come out of this cult pea brain.
(Sad face)
Posted by: Ruben | September 07, 2014 at 03:27 PM
Ruben, Country club?
Guess when U got the bucks U can get in the door?
Posted by: cal Lash | September 07, 2014 at 04:09 PM
Not a member and they have cheap happy hour food and drinks. You just have to put up with conversations like I described above.
Posted by: Ruben | September 07, 2014 at 04:22 PM
I've been amazed...
Even our knee-jerk liberals seem to get the fact that ISIS are vermin to the core. (If you are of the Kucinich elven ilk -- please substitute in "morally challenged" for vermin if it makes you feel better.)
All in all I think Mr Obama is playing this out perfectly:
• Bomb the vermin here and there to protect dams and Americans.
• Give it time... so every asshole jihadi on the planet hops a plane to Turkey and crosses into ISIS to fight for the woman-hating† phantom known as "Allah".
• Meanwhile work on building a coalition to squash the vermin by-and-by. This is a problem that demands a coalition.
This may be the best of all possible scenarios in regards to caging, confining, and killing the world's worst conservatives (Moslem fundamentalists).
It is absolutely wonderful that these stateless Terrorists now have a state of their own. Especially a state where there are not a lot of trees to hide under.
† Islam: how to Beat Your Wife
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Tw7WhH_aQ
Posted by: koreyel | September 07, 2014 at 04:26 PM
Arab satire of ISIS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5nigZzgf4Y
Posted by: cal Lash | September 07, 2014 at 04:39 PM
From "Aggressive Police..." link:
“All of our home towns are sitting on a tax-liberating gold mine,” Deputy Ron Hain of Kane County, Ill., wrote in a self-published book under a pseudonym. Hain is a marketing specialist for Desert Snow, a leading interdiction training firm based in Guthrie, Okla., whose founders also created Black Asphalt.
Hain’s book calls for “turning our police forces into present-day Robin Hoods.”
More like robbing the poor to help the rich. We've fallen back into a feudal system and we're pretending we haven't. Bring on the 10th Crusade!
Posted by: Jerry McKenzie | September 08, 2014 at 09:08 AM
Here you go Jerry I posted this on Jons site on October 30, 2008. I think I updated it but heres the old version.
http://www.roguecolumnist.com/rogue_columnist/2008/10/gunslingers-sheriffs-and-the-militarization-of-law-enforcement.html
Posted by: cal Lash | September 08, 2014 at 09:49 AM
Well planned ADOT ditch freeways become rivers.
At 600 feet higher than Sky Harbor me and the Superstitions are doing OK.
Posted by: cal Lash | September 08, 2014 at 10:39 AM
Tribal memories, antagonisms, hatreds, perceived losses, distrust of all none-members is not easily overcome by lines drawn on a piece of paper by individuals who, once done, leave those remaining to their own devices.
We haven't come that far; it is just that the weapons have become better and more deadly.
And while it is true that we should not be a hall monitor (so to speak) if those who want to run in the halls and cause problems have no monitors, what is the eventual result.
Clearly our needs at home are massive and redirecting that wealth overseas leaves the domestic scene impoverished. Yet, the unintended consequences of ignoring the problem and seeking a solution may be far worse.
What may be at issue is who is seeking the solutions and are those making well reasoned decisions or at they trying to put bandages on the pig and pretend the problems will go away
Posted by: Richard Rea | September 08, 2014 at 01:49 PM