It is a rare occasion when we try something and succeed the first time. Indeed, success is built on a hill of failures from which we learn what to do and what to avoid.
Each
attempt during which we try doing something, is called an experiment whether it
ends in success or in failure. America being the work of those who build it,
has been called an experiment; one that had its share of failures as well as
successes. What is becoming painfully clear, however, is that in the realm of
social interactions, be that at the domestic or foreign stages, America is a
slow learner. At times, it seems to have learned nothing, considering the
number of mistakes it tends to repeat over and over again.
Whomever
said that America will do the right thing after trying all the other things,
may have a point. But this is not something to cheer about because most of the
time, there is only one way to doing the right thing, and an infinite number of
ways to doing the wrong thing. In short, you may have to wait as long as an eternity
before seeing America finally come around and do the right thing.
An
effective way to guide someone and make them do the right thing, is to close
the easy options at doing the wrong thing. When they realize that doing the
wrong thing has become as difficult as doing the right thing, the chances
improve that they’ll choose to do the right thing. Fortunately (if you can see this
as fortune,) America is currently facing this tough a situation. The
circumstances did not happen by design, but happened naturally because America
abused all the easy options over the decades, and was left with only hard
choices from which to pick — one option being the right choice.
What
America is forced to do now, is choose between paying a high price for
maintaining the status quo, or paying a high price for scaling down its
tendency to intrude in the affairs of other nations around the globe. In either
case the ramifications are enormous, and the debate about them is endless. A
taste of that can be gathered from reading two recently published articles.
One
article came under the title: “Sorry, General McKenzie, it’s no to an endless
war on terror,” written by Dan DePetris, and published on April 24, 2021 in The
Washington Examiner. The other article came under the tittle: “Why America
Should Focus on Domestic, Not Foreign, Problems,” and the subtitle: “America’s
strategic distraction has favored addressing foreign threats and those
domestically with a foreign aspect, leaving a wide space for domestic extremism
to go unchecked.” It was written by David V. Gioe, and published also on April
24, 2021 in the National Interest.
In
his article, Dan DePetris is demonstrating how the power of inertia plays a
role in maintaining the status quo. The story he tells is that of the combatant
branch of the American military asking for, and receiving more money year after
year; a habit that has allowed the military branch to perpetuate, even expand on
whatever war it happens to be in at the time. Here is how DePetris expressed
that thought:
“General
Kenneth McKenzie said, ‘The war on terror is probably not going to end.’ Here
is the most senior US commander in the Middle East, admitting openly that the
United States is in a war with no expiration date. It is war with no clear
metrics of success, no limits, and apparently, no hesitation on the part of
those leading the effort. If what McKenzie is saying is true, US foreign
policymakers have committed US troops and taxpayers to unending conflicts
across the world”.
As
to David Gioe, his article shows how history has conspired to thrust upon
America a role that suited her well at some point in the past, but has turned
into a burden the country can no longer shoulder alone. Here, in condensed
form, is how Gioe has expressed that thought:
“In
1838, Abraham Lincoln observed that any existential danger to America would not
come from military threats abroad. Unfortunately, Lincoln’s wisdom was
forgotten across the political establishment. America’s focus on real and
perceived threats overseas has led to an oversight of domestic threats. After
WW II, America found itself in a new strategic context on the world stage, with
perceived security responsibilities for the global commonweal. While the Cold
War was resolved without violence between the superpowers, domestic extremism
was on the rise. However, the 9/11 attacks caused American politicians and
military leaders to chastise themselves for cutting military budgets after the
fall of the USSR. Reversing course, prompted a rapid expansion of the empire.
The story is the tale of how America’s conception of itself, its purpose, and
its history shape its choices and priorities”.
The
war hawks, the advocates of Pax Americana, the neocons, the Fifth Columnists,
the syndicate, and all those who benefit from a thriving military industrial
complex, are still there and they are rooting for America to remain on the war
path where it has been for half a century — and make their day.
It appears that these groups have lost the battle for now. Consequently, the best thing for the newly elected Joe Biden administration to do now, is to show the public what a peace dividend looks like; an inducement that will cause it to immediately mobilize and oppose any attempt by the warmongers to take America back to the dark days of forever wars.