Humble Foreign Policy
It’s no secret that I listen to right wing radio. To me, it’s the ultimate performance art. In the last week, however, the bullshitty hypocrisy has been hard to find amusing.
Dubya ran on a faux Reagan platform of humility when it came to America’s involvement in international affairs based on specious arguments that Clinton had meddled needlessly, thus resulting in lost blood and treasure for no reason. I mean, c’mon! If people in Somalia and the former “Yugoslavia” or whatever can’t stand up for themselves, then fuck them. Right?
Well, apparently not. Apparently when an American President of the Democratic persuasion decides to exercise patience and wait for shit to play out in oh, I dunno, a sometimes sloppy and maybe even violent way? Somewhat like the century long struggle before Reagan got to say “Mr. Gorbachev! Tear down this wall!!”? Apparently that’s unacceptable.
Oh, how things change when Republicans want to reframe the argument. Happily, nobody gives a shit about their arguments anymore.
The human desire for freedom and self determination is inherent in all of us. Having clear examples of the experiences that define the struggle is what gives people the balls to take to the streets and fight for that human desire.
The Iranian people, dare I say youth, are not acting out and taking to the streets because of any fear they may (and probably don’t) have of facing down American military might. Instead, what used to be an inspirational abstraction, the idea of a free population in a Muslim society, is taking hold. The power of Western popular culture, bolstered by technology. A whole new world that no bomb or gun could ever match.