Will a big event such as COVID-19 be
responsible for causing a major shift in the course of a nation? The short and
quick answer is no, it will not cause a major shift. But there will be small
changes here and there.
It is true that after something big has
happened and the dust that was raised has settled, the various players descend
onto the field and start jockeying in an attempt to find the highest position
on which to stand, from which to describe what they reckon has happened, and
from where to sell their vision of what should be done next. In fact, we can
see that the jockeying began to happen already.
Two authors have recently published their
views on the subject, and they show how far apart they are. The first author is
Richard Haass who wrote: “The Pandemic Will Accelerate History Rather Than
Reshape it,” the title of an article that also came under the subtitle: “Not
Every Crisis Is a Turning Point.” It was published on April 7, 2020 in Foreign
Affairs. The second author is Michael Rubin who wrote: “Iran's Military Likely
Can't Fight Thanks to Coronavirus,” an article that was published on April 10,
2020 in The National Interest.
Michael Rubin is known for being solely
driven by the maniacal obsession of exploiting everything he can lay his hands
on to maximize the effort of serving the interests of Israel. The destruction
of Iran being the fantasy that preoccupies him the most at this time; it is the
subject he chose to write about. Knowing that Israel will be crushed like an
eggshell under the boots of Iran if it tried something funny, Rubin wants to
motivate America, and have it “soften” Iran so that Israel may move in, stand
on the dead bodies of American soldiers and declare that it destroyed Iran
without American help, then walk in and claim the spoils.
But be careful now! Rubin and all those
like him in the Jewish establishment are well aware that the American people
have had it up to here sending their young men and women to die on foreign soil
for the depraved reason of serving the interests of Israel as well as serve the
treasonous American politicians who get quid-pro-quoed by the wealthy Jews who
grease their palms for being loyal to Israel by being disloyal to America, and
being nonchalant toward American lives.
And so, Rubin and all those like him in
the Jewish establishment no longer speak of the glory in sending American boys
and girls to fight evil forces that hide in foreign lands, or of the glory in
seeing the triumphant boys and girls return home to bask in the glory of
standing in a rolling convertible that moves through the streets of New York
being doused by a shower of ticker-tape.
No, that's not what the Jews are saying
now. Rather, they sing a different tune. What they sing to America is this:
“send your boys and girls to do useful field training by fighting Iranians who
are so weak, they will not fight back.” And the Jews expect that the American
public will take this insult and not recognize it for what it is. See for
yourself, my friend. Here is a condensed version of what Rubin is saying:
“If the Revolutionary Guards fight against
COVID-19, they will not retain combat readiness. Even if the Iranian leaders
adopt best-practices, it is too late to control the virus's continued spread.
It is likely that the Guard Corps and their families have suffered when Iranian
authorities put them in charge of the domestic response. Any outbreak among the
Guard Corps will have ramifications beyond military readiness. Those who served
to fight the pandemic and suffer long-term health complications will breed
resentment toward the government. The Revolutionary Guards will also likely
suffer future recruitment woes. Beyond eroding Iran's military readiness, the
impact of the virus on public perception will be huge”.
Unlike Michael Rubin who based his
analysis on what his imagination, his childlike desires and his wild fantasy
have shown him, Richard Haass based his analysis on what he observed in real
life. Here is a condensed version of what he included in the preamble of his
article:
“The world following the pandemic is
unlikely to be radically different from the one that preceded it. COVID-19 will
not so much change the basic direction of world history as accelerate it. The
world that will emerge from the crisis will be recognizable. Waning American
leadership, faltering global cooperation, great-power discord: They are likely
to be even more prominent features of the world that follows”.
It is between the realism that's dreaded
by some people and the fantasy that's rejected by most people that the battle
of words will be fought in the coming months.
Still, considering that even those in the
camp of Richard Haass will not want to see America withdraw completely from the
world stage, expect to see subtle calls for America to stay involved.
You can see an example of that in the
epilogue of Richard Haass's article. It went like this: “The more relevant
precedent to consider may be the period following World War I––an era of
declining American involvement and mounting international upheaval”.