Most people probably don't talk about geopolitics and world events with family members. Who wants to have an argument with your own mother about politics? Perhaps that is why I still remember when my mother talked about the dissolution of the Soviet empire circa 1990: "...it all seemed so easy!"
After all, most of her life had been spent during the "Good War" and its aftermath, the Cold War with the USSR. It must have seemed strange to her to realize that the world had suddenly become something quite different from what she had known.
So too it must seem to people, say, 35--45, whose adult years have been spent during the era when Washington DC was the great Uni-power, the mighty Hegemon of the world. It was a time with no "first world" military opposition. Washington could take over any country it wanted, on the flimsiest -- and phoniest -- excuse. The financial cost meant nothing -- they just borrowed whatever they needed.
I was astonished when the news came out that Russia was becoming overtly involved in the Syrian civil war. I'd gotten used to the Russians being "non-players." Surely Putin must be taking advantage of the presidential election year in the USA. The financial markets and the real economies are falling these days. The president in Washington can not risk making this worse by having a major confrontation with Russia. The best he can do is make it look like this is Washington's idea, and that the Russians are doing our dirty work for us.
If the Russians behave well, they might get eager cooperation from the Shia axis from Lebanon, to Syria, a Shia-dominated Iraq, and Iran. Just imagine the enormous and deep hatred of Washington that must exist there and elsewhere in the Mideast! The outcome could be a Mideast, or even a world, that has learned how to fight back against the open-ended cruelty of Washington.
It isn't often that 'world news' looks hopeful. For the sake of all those miserable people in countries destroyed by Washington, let this be one of those times.
After all, most of her life had been spent during the "Good War" and its aftermath, the Cold War with the USSR. It must have seemed strange to her to realize that the world had suddenly become something quite different from what she had known.
So too it must seem to people, say, 35--45, whose adult years have been spent during the era when Washington DC was the great Uni-power, the mighty Hegemon of the world. It was a time with no "first world" military opposition. Washington could take over any country it wanted, on the flimsiest -- and phoniest -- excuse. The financial cost meant nothing -- they just borrowed whatever they needed.
I was astonished when the news came out that Russia was becoming overtly involved in the Syrian civil war. I'd gotten used to the Russians being "non-players." Surely Putin must be taking advantage of the presidential election year in the USA. The financial markets and the real economies are falling these days. The president in Washington can not risk making this worse by having a major confrontation with Russia. The best he can do is make it look like this is Washington's idea, and that the Russians are doing our dirty work for us.
If the Russians behave well, they might get eager cooperation from the Shia axis from Lebanon, to Syria, a Shia-dominated Iraq, and Iran. Just imagine the enormous and deep hatred of Washington that must exist there and elsewhere in the Mideast! The outcome could be a Mideast, or even a world, that has learned how to fight back against the open-ended cruelty of Washington.
It isn't often that 'world news' looks hopeful. For the sake of all those miserable people in countries destroyed by Washington, let this be one of those times.
Comments
I just read that he has declared a no-fly zone over Syria. What kind of arrogance is that? Only the US of A can declare no-fly zones!
Chris
Even its response to the outrageous provocation in Ukraine was rather mild.
All in all, I think the people in the Mideast will be better off with Russia more involved, rather than be at the mercy of the mighty Hegemon on the Potomac. It is better to have two rival asshole-countries involved in your own country than just one asshole-country. At least the invaded country has the option of playing off the two invaders against each other, as the Thirteen American colonies proved at Yorktown.