There are two ways by which moral authority can be gained.
There is the kind that sits on a pile of achievements; and there is the kind
that sits on a bubble of verbal hot air. Every nation has individuals with the
moral fiber that allows them to build a pile of achievements which speaks for
itself. When these individuals pronounce themselves on a subject, their own
people and the whole world listen to them.
A good example of this would be the late Nelson Mandela of South Africa
who was heard by everyone even though he did not threaten anyone should they
fail to hear what he had to say. He did not even ask anyone to listen to him
because his example was attractive enough to make it so that people everywhere
in South Africa
and the rest of the world recognized the validity of his message, and wanted to
hear it. The truth is that Mandela enjoyed moral authority at a level that was
unprecedented even though he had no armies and no weapons.
Unfortunately, every society also has individuals with a
record of achievements that is so empty; they seek to fill it with bluster.
They soon learn that they can only impress very few people if any at home or
around the world. If they have clout of some sort, they use it to threaten
others, and force them to listen to what they have to say. If they possess no
such clout, they develop it in their imagination by constructing verbal threats
that may scare one or two for a short period of time, but no more. Soon after
that, even these people come to realize that there is nothing to fear but their
own gullibility, thus break loose from those who exploit them by scaring them.
There was a time when America and everyone who spoke in
her name were of the first kind. Such individuals were respected and listened
to carefully when they spoke. People around the world tried to guess what America wanted
them to do, and they did it on their own in the hope that they will be noticed,
and taken in as friends. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case because America has
chosen the wrong kind of moral leadership. The consequence has been that
anything which comes out the mouth of an American is now considered hot air –
not worth listening to or getting excited about.
This is how and why even prestigious publications that used
to reflect America's sterling reputation are now calling on America to
threaten, and to play the part of barking dog – even if the dog cannot bite.
You get a sense of how this game is unfolding when you read the piece that was
written by the editors of the Wall Street Journal under the title: “The Stakes
in Ukraine ” and the
subtitle: “The U.S. should
warn Putin not to stoke violence in Kiev .”
It was published on December 9, 2013 in the Journal.
The editors do not seek a solution to a problem they do not
even know exists, they being a big part of the problem. But you begin to sense
that something is wrong when you see them lament about “America 's indifference” to what is happening in Ukraine ; and then encounter this passage: “The
West's leadership role used to fall to the U.S. ,
which during the Clinton and Bush years actively helped Ukraine become
a stronger state. Now the U.S.
has lost interest.” This is what they wrote, but they offered not a word of
elaboration.
So you ask: What exactly did America do then that it is not
doing now? Still, they give no direct answer but offer an approach for a future
course of action that would go like this: “The Obama Administration can make
clear to Mr. Putin he will pay a price if he stokes violence or promotes a
crackdown. It would also help if Obama found his voice on behalf of freedom.”
That's it, then. These editors want their President to threaten the Russians
and bark at them. This is the moral authority that is left for America to put
into practice.
It is a moral authority that has been developing in America since
the rabbis brought the news to this land half a century ago. They claimed to be
the great teachers who will educate the American public on everything that made
the Jews the greatest beings in the history of the Planet. Some people believed
them, especially those in the Congress, who became their moral disciples and
diehard followers.