All signs point to the effect that Joschka Fischer, who used to be foreign minister, vice chancellor and leader of the Green Party in Germany –– is fundamentally a good man. And like all good men who lobby to preserve what seems to function reasonably well, Fischer is arguing for the maintenance of the status quo in relation to the global balance of power. But is he right?
Fischer
wrote an article that explains his point of view under the title: “America
Remains Indispensable,” published on June 1, 2021 in Project Syndicate. The
article also came under a long subtitle that can be condensed to read as
follows: “The violence in the Mideast has laid bare the reality that of the
countries aspiring to be global power brokers, only America has the ability to
do so”.
But
the fact is that America no longer has the ability to be the global power
broker. It used to have that ability for a time after World War II due of its
performance in that war. But then America got involved in one disaster after
the other in many places around the world, and yet continues to poke its nose
in the affairs of others, mistakenly believing it retains the old aura of
omnipotence and benevolence. In fact, Joschka Fischer says as much in his
article. Here is a condensed version of the relevant passages:
“The
era of great power rivalry appeared to end with the dissolution of the Soviet
Union. But this assumption proved to be a grave error. US presumption of global
empire could not be sustained. The decades since the end of the Cold War have
been marked by a loss of international order as the United States exhausted
itself in pointless wars in Mesopotamia and the Hindu Kush, and has since
become increasingly self-absorbed”.
So,
the obvious question we must ask is this: How is it that good people such as Joschka
Fischer, continue to believe that America still has the ability to be a global
power broker? Well, Fischer has a lengthy answer, which can only be a partial
answer from the looks of it. It comes at the end of the article, and reads as
follows, put in condensed form:
“The
US cannot abandon the Middle East if it wants to maintain its role as global
power. America has no choice but to keep engaging with the Middle East lest a
regional brushfire escalate into a global conflagration with nuclear risks. As
in ex-Yugoslavia, America is the only power capable of guaranteeing peace.
Russia cannot assume this role. China has no interest in assuming the role, nor
could it. Europe is no longer a force to be reckoned with. Turkey is hampered
by the history of the Ottoman Empire’s role in the region. Iran and Saudi
Arabia are pursuing claims to hegemony within the Islamic world. Israel will
remain focused on its own defense. That leaves only the US. It is the only
country with the political mindset and technological, economic, and military
power to exert a moderating influence in the region”.
As
can be seen, this discussion is restricted to the Middle East, which is by no
means the only place where a brushfire can escalate into conflagration with
nuclear risks. And the reason why Joschka Fischer sees America as the only
power capable of exerting a moderating influence in the region, is that America
was there from the moment the troubles began. In fact, it can even be said that
America has been very much a part of the problem it is now trying to solve.
There
is a perfect analogy that expresses the situation concerning America’s role in
the Middle East. It is that of the do-gooder who was conned into helping a
stranger that seemed to be wounded, get back on his feet. In so doing the
do-gooder started a brushfire seemingly by accident. He quickly played the role
of fireman, and tried to put out the fire, taking instructions from the
supposedly wounded stranger.
Here
is the interesting part. To put out the fire, the do-gooder was given a hose
that is connected to a firetruck bearing the emblem of the stranger he is
trying to save. As it turned out, however, the firetruck was not filled with
water but with gasoline. Thus, instead of putting out the fire once and for
all, the do-gooder discovered he was fueling it. This is like the story of Israel
giving America a request for billions of dollars in cash and weapons at the end
of each Middle Eastern war, so that it may get ready to start the next war.
So
then, what should be the last word on this subject? Joschka Fischer’s last word
was this: “The worst outcome for the international order would be a continuing
US inclination toward self-isolation.”
And
that’s where I beg to differ.
By
Fischer’s own admission, America has done badly on the international scene
since the end of World War II. It did so because it went where it was not
invited. Meanwhile it maintains military presence in dozens of places around
the world where it is wanted and where it is not.
By
contrast the Soviet Union went into Afghanistan upon the invitation of the
government of that country. When things did not work out as planned, the
Soviets withdrew. Later, America went into that same Afghanistan to accomplish
a mission that took it only days to do, but stayed in the country for nearly 20
years. It decided to come out eventually, not because the military brass so recommended,
but because of a decision made solely by the commander in chief who saw his
country go down the drain.
As
to China, Joschka Fischer has remarked that it has no intention of going beyond
its neighborhood. What can be more noble than that?
What
all of this says, is that American intervention anywhere in the world, but
especially in the Middle East, has proven to be a toxic proposition on many
levels. Furthermore, the fact that America appointed itself policeman of the
world, causes it to undermine the efforts of the United Nations that should be
doing the work of policing the world.
This
leads to the conclusion that if the United States ends its unilateral
preoccupation of the world, and started working through the United Nations
instead of working against it, humanity will be able to avoid another Rwanda
from ever happening again.
And this is all that’s needed for humanity to start building a perfect world, muddling as it did through ten thousand years of civilization without American help or Jewish advice.