Don Rumsfeld, recognizes the failure and ill preparedness of many historic institutions and ideas, except his own. The core of his argument is that a system of world trade is the best way to help the world’s poor, maintain peace, and allow for order in the world. History has proven this to be false, and the likes of Don Rumsfeld just don’t get it.
This mode of thinking starts to fall apart as soon as they find themselves using the term “like-minded nations.” With or against us: rallying cry of the Bush Administration, is the very divisive element that makes international trade not be the panacea that is desired.
Successful foreign relations have to be built on the idea, that democracy and capitalism are not the ultimate systems for nations to adopt. Only when we come to this realization, can we begin to adopt policies that have a chance of consensus.
The failure of the world post World War II world, is that for all its efforts at completing the industrial age, there has been a failure at distributing food & energy to the worlds population. Sadly the capitalistic model has created excess food quantities in many places while continuing shortages of food in others. And energy, needs little elaboration, for the scarcity of energy independent countries among those with the highest per capita income speaks volumes. The very scarcity of energy by the wealthy creates a strange dependence with the poor. A dependence at the root cause of conflict, war and human hatred.
The threat to the US does not lie with the existence of uncooperative leaders or nations on a mission to unseat our influence and stature, no our threat, is our inability to have independence on our treasured lifestyle. We borrow to live. We use others resources energy for our benefit. We don’t give back enough.
This nation should have three priorities:
- energy independence for ourselves and friends,
- military security for defense against those who would seek to take our property our injury our friends, and
- living within our means so that we avoid the unintended consequence of our debtors controlling our actions.
Signing the next trade agreement, expanding public relations campaigns so that the world will like us, propping up governments that support our ideals; these are ideas of a time that has come and gone. Sadly, the current administration does not seem to get it. The next I’m afraid, might not either.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/30/AR20071130018…
