Survival not to the Fittest but the Adaptable

There used to be a disease called 'Can't Havitis.' No one is sure when it was first observed, but it could have started in a schoolyard with a boy that went after a girl he can't have, or a girl that went after a boy she can't have, and so they suffered the Can't Havitis blues.

Well, my friend, you don't have to be a kid to suffer from the disease; some grownups are showing us they are capable of catching it too. Do you remember a time when the echo chamber of the Jewish swarm used to reverberate with calls to America not to pivot to Asia because America's place was in the Middle East where Israel (the center of the universe) resides? Well, guess what. Now that America appears it Can't Have Asia, the same swarm is suffering the Can't Havitis blues, and mourning the loss out loud.

Benny Avni tells us all about it in an article he wrote under the title: “Why Asia is 'pivoting away' from the US alliance,” published on October 24, 2016 in the New York Post. The writer begins by identifying the villain in this drama. He is President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines who “can cause all this consternation – and then some,” says Avni.

From all that Duterte has said and done since he was elected – some of which is described in the Avni article – it is evident that he has a tall agenda he wants to implement for his country. How well he will do remains to be seen, but what is certain is that he explains his agenda clumsily. Domestically, he launched a war on drugs, and was criticized for the severe measures he adopted. He was also criticized for his stance on foreign policy because of two reasons. First, he seems adamant on changing the status quo. Second, he seems to waffle on his relationship with America.

Calling Duterte mercurial and loose-cannon-in-chief, Avni says that the man first announced he wanted to separate from the United States, and wanted to enter into a new alliance with China and Russia, but then walked back on his separation bid. That, however, does not mean he'll walk back on the idea of forging stronger ties with China at least.

Avni explains that “the underlying dynamics in the region are strong … Duterte may be nutty but bowing to China may not be irrational for his country.” And he gives the details: China is using its economic prowess and growing military might to coerce the neighbors and dominate the region, says Avni.

But where does that leave the United States? Avni says that America conducted naval exercises with regional allies. He makes it a point to explain it was meant “to remind Beijing we're still the superior power.” What came of it was a shrug from China, which prompted America to tell the allies they must now turn to international arbitration. So much for the virtual pitting of America's military against that of China.

What else is there to do? Well, there are the economic considerations. But here too China seems in a good position to shrug off the might that America could bring to bear. In fact, “China is emerging as the big new boss on the block; its neighbors have no choice but to deal with it,” says Avni.

There might have been a chance for America to do something in this field, he goes on to say, but that is lost now because the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) that Obama negotiated with the Pacific allies is all but dead. This happened because both candidates in the current presidential election campaign have rejected it.

Now, my friend, guess what happened to our author near the end of his article. You won't believe it but he performed a mental somersault that will undoubtedly raise the hair of a million Neocons. Do you remember a time when those who adhered to that ideology would not say one good word about an opponent without running to the sink and wash their mouths?

Look now what Avni is saying about Hillary Clinton: “Pivot to Asia is still a good idea … Addressing that will be high on the next president's to-do list … Clinton, the apparent front-runner, showed an ability to pivot from difficult questions. She'll need to marshal her disdain to rigidity, pivot back to Asia and repair our shaky relations”.

The Neocons used to preach the doctrine of survival to the fittest. But they looked down the abyss and realized they cannot survive a fall this far down. And so they adapted to the new reality. There is hope they may evolve enough to become human, after all.