The world is changing fast with new nations rising, other
nations drifting sideways and still other ones declining if not in absolute
terms, at least in relative terms. America
which used to be the undisputed world superpower is on the decline even in the
eyes of its own people who see their domestic lot diminish in absolute terms
even if they feel that America
is still holding relatively well internationally, but worry that the situation
will not last long.
If all that is true, the questions to ask are these: what
long term strategy should America
pursue? Will it settle for being the elder statesman to whom other nations will
turn and seek advice and guidance? Or will it become the sour old loser whose
cranky behavior will make the people of the world shake their heads in dismay
every time that the country strikes out pursuing another ill-advised
international adventure?
China which – according to Edward Luttwalk – has been rising
smartly economically yet behaving awkwardly in foreign affairs, seems poised to
be the nation that will most likely occupy a great deal of America's attention
in the future. Destined to become a superpower in its own right, China could certainly use American advice, but
it can also become a source of irritation causing America to respond in ways that
will damage its image in the world if not its commercial interests and the
respect of its allies.
In an article that came under the title: “China 's Military Adventurism is Ill-Timed,”
Luttwalk makes the point that Chinese officers are encouraged to act
provocatively towards America
and its Asian allies. This would be in sharp contrast to the way that the
relationships unfolded during the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the
American alliance in Europe . The Luttwalk
article also comes under the subtitle: “Beijing 's
smart economic policies hardly guarantee wisdom in foreign affairs. Just think
of Germany
before World War I.” It was published in the Wall Street Journal on December
30, 2013.
For China
“Everything changed in 2008” says Luttwalk. From a policy of peaceful rise, Beijing revived its
long-dormant territorial claims and started acting accordingly. This happened
because the Chinese saw the global financial collapse of that year as a
harbinger of collapsing American power, he goes on to say. But he laments that
before 1914, Germany
“had the world's best universities, the most advanced industries and the
strongest banks” yet the country lacked a strategic wisdom. And this, he says,
is what provoked the events that turned out badly for Germany and for
the rest of the world. He hopes that China will avoid repeating that
history.
It looks like the events of 2008 caught not only the
attention of the Chinese leaders but also that of the American people who –
like the Chinese -- changed their view of America in a fundamental way. You
can see it in the article that was written by William Galston under the title:
“A Decade of Decline in the America Dream” and the subtitle: “Today's volatile
mood is a reminder of the early post-Vietnam years.” It was published in the
Wall Street Journal on December 19, 2013.
Galston who is co-founder of a bipartisan group called “No
Labels” says that the “uneven recovery from the Great Recession [following the
2008 collapse] has left Americans discontented about the present and worried
about the future.” This sentiment parallels that of the Chinese leaders as
described by Luttwalk. Furthermore, quoting the Pew
Research Center ,
Galston goes on to say that a majority of the American people assert that the U.S. should
“mind its own business internationally.'” In this, they endorse the John Quincy
Adams's vision of an America
that “goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy,” a sentiment that is
also shared with an increasing number of people around the world.
So then, what happens when America retreats from the world? Do
chaos and calamity result? Apparently not; something that can be determined
from the article that was written by Vali Nasr and published in the New York
Times on December 30, 2013 under the title: “Iran ,
Turkey 's
New Ally?” Talking about the vicissitudes of Turkey 's
Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the author describes the unfolding
parallel history, and the ups and downs of Turkey over a span of time that has
lasted more than a decade.
And there never was anything in what transpired to worry
anyone. Here is a flavor of that: “Turkey cultivated ties with the
Arab neighbors. Turkish diplomats and businessmen … promot[ed] business and
broker[ed] political deals. Turkey 's
spectacular economic success and democracy were a model for the whole region.”
But because a good thing never lasts for ever, some things went bad for Turkey , and for
its Prime Minister. But then, the tide of history seemed to change again.
Here is what is happening now according to Nasr: “On the
foreign policy front, Mr. Erdogan's luck may have changed. Now that America and Iran
are talking seriously, things could be different … Turkey
sees benefit in serving as a bridge between Iran and the West.” What all this
leads to is the fact that the world is unfolding as it wants whether or not America
participates in the game. And so the question we must ask is what role should America play in
a world that is reshaping itself before its eyes?
The truth of the matter is that the world wants to partner
with America
and work to improve the lot of mankind. It seems to have found a partner in
President Obama. The problem, however, is that the American homestead is
divided on itself with a Congress that has been taken over by the foreign
influence of Jewish organizations bent on sabotaging everything the President
does that is deemed to be good for America and for the world.
Right now, a group of senators is laboring like relentless
dogs trying to subvert the regime of peace that the American and Iranian
executives are working to establish for the Middle East .
And so, it falls on the shoulders of the American people to tell those senators
they are dead wrong in what they do because they will only manage to turn America into a
sour loser.
Here are the abominable names: Bob
Menendez, Mark Kirk, Chuck Schumer, Lindsey Graham, Ben Cardin, John McCain,
Bob Casey, Marco Rubio, Chris Coons, John Cornyn, Richard Blumenthal, Kelly
Ayotte, Mark Begich, Bob Corker, Mark Pryor, Susan Collons, Mary Landrieu,
Jerry Moran, Kirsten, Gillibtand, Pat Roberts, Mark Warner, Mike Johanns, Kay
Hagan, Ted Cruz, Joe Donnelly, and Roy Blunt.