Global Power -- A PostGlobal Response
Here's my answer to the PostGlobal Blog question:
From where you write, who's gaining power, who's losing it, and who is coming in fast from the outside?
China has been the big winner in international politics, silently making its way as a global power in an emerging new cold war. The signs are all here, with second and third-world countries allying themselves with China in direct opposition to the US.
Meanwhile, while President Bush is losing the American popular vote, the US is losing the popular vote abroad. It used to be that in the American continent only Cuba dared to form alliances against the US, but now it's the popular thing to do. North Korea and Iran, strengthened since Bush's Axis-of-Evil speech, flaunt their defiance at the US and at the ever-weakening UN.
And who can blame them?
But there is hope for a peaceful existence for the citizens of the US, Venezuela, China, Iran, Israel, Palestine, and Iraq. That hope lies in bold leadership in all of these countries, and an active effort to reform the UN. Right now, though, all we have is opportunistic power-grabbers on all sides and a UN stuck with creating empty resolutions used cynically to bring forth an agenda of destruction instead of the promotion of peace.
The US veto power must be checked, as well as that of countries actively involved in supporting militant organizations. Otherwise, the cycle of violence will continue forever, and the real losers in the global arena will continue to be--as they've always been--the people.
3 comments:
Soon, America will be reduced to the status of the bully that punches your arm repeatedly while daring you to hit back... Wanna fight? Wanna fight?.
Eventually, someone is going to hit back.
There will be cheering in the streets from Ottawa to Tokyo, and the only losers will be the American people.
This country has gone out of it's way to position itself as the number one asshole in the world. We have people in power that view every other nation as uncivilized savages that are beneath us. The attitude sickens me and countries will hit back....with their wallet.
We have so much debt owed to so many places that if we pissed the wrong nation off just wreck us. All they would have to do is deny us credit and demand payment.
The bullying and the arrogance are probably not new. This goes all the way to Teddy Roosevelt. What's different now is the unjustified level of arrogance and the risk it brings.
It's one thing to abuse the UN veto power and invade random countries when you are the only bully, but right now--with the formation of anti-US coalitions, the growth of our debt, and the seemingly inevitable collapse the military--the US should probably rethink this arrogance.
As for the cheering, unfortunately people often cheer when their leaders tell them they have something to cheer about, but the losers in all wars and in all attacks are people everywhere.
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