CREATING AN EXISTENTIALIST CRISIS
All wars are the result
of gross incompetence and ignorance.
If an alien species were able to look in and observe what is
taking place on our planet today and compare it to what they have witnessed in
the past, they must be scratching their heads in disbelief at the antics
displayed by the U.S, Israel and Russia.
The unapologetic display of violence and war and the indiscriminate
destruction of civilian properties and lives and using military might to
demoralize and destabilize a nation. For
some unfathomable reason nations such as mine—Canada—are going along with the
phony rationale provided by the aggressors.
Without delving into past history to any great extent—forty six years
ago regime change in Iran was welcomed by its people because the then Shah of
Iran—known at the time as the peacock throne because of his lavish spending—was
not only corrupt, his was a regime of intimidation enforced by a security force
known for its brutality (and now they want to replace the current leadership
with the son!). And as far as Iran
having nuclear power that could potentially lead to nuclear arms development,
well, that monkey left the cage a long time ago and it is not up to us to
decide who is a rogue nation and who is not, who can have nuclear weapons and
who cannot.
Disrespect the
sovereignty of nations and reap the consequences.
I would like to point out the obvious and that the current batch
of aggressors could be labelled as having gone rogue. Invading other nations, indiscriminate
bombing, regime change, kidnapping, crimes against humanity, incarceration of
civilians, deportations, renditions, flouting international laws, sanctions and
the sorry list of misdeeds is ongoing.
If these nations cannot respect the sovereignty of other nations, then
nobody is safe and that includes Canada.
According to these bad actors any excuse will do because nobody is going
to stop them. Not yet.
When Nazi Germany started its expansionist drive it gave
Hitler the impression that the world feared his power and were unable and
unwilling to stop him. Hitler ignored
the simple reality that none of the ‘sane’ leaders wanted another world
war. Trump, Putin and Netanyahu are not
taking a calculated risk by taking advantage based on what they feel is their
superior position and strength, they are advancing on the delusional beliefs
that they can get away with it.
Ignorant, narcissistic fools, who, rather than paying attention to past
history lessons, are actually convinced that wars are winnable.
Creating a crisis
Why did I pick this particular heading? A nation can experience an existentialist
crisis brought on by natural disasters, climate change, epidemics, all of them
factors beyond anyone’s control. Our
species is struggling globally because of our numbers, needs and demands. A massive amount of government debt and
annual budget deficits are crippling programs and services. Combine this with religious strife, refugees
and mass illegal migrations, job cuts and loss of income and you create a level
of unrest within the masses that will soon turn into a highly combustible powder
keg. Throw into this mix a batch of
elected and self-appointed psychopathic leaders with massive egos and any lack
of restraint, and hello, we’ve got a world once more on the brink of war.
How quickly things can
change!
America after World War I and II became a global leader and
powerhouse, a lender of money (not borrowing), and the worlds’ biggest supplier
of consumer goods. Within less than half
a century they have turned that superior edge on its heads and are now the
dubious holder of over thirty trillion dollars of debt. Their military presence around the globe with
a million people in uniform permanently stationed abroad, combined with massive
military investments to provide them with the latest and most impressive lethal
weapons, has brought them on the precipice of insolvency.
Basically America is bankrupt and attempting to restore the
empire through threats, tariffs and invasions will only hasten the demise. America’s wounds are self-inflicted and
putting profits before people is the main reason why they find themselves in
this precarious position. Pure greed
encouraged the wealthiest Americans to abandon their manufacturing base in
exchange for the pyrotechnics of financial stock speculation. The number of questionable financial vehicles
in use resemble a Las Vegas gambling den.
It has made a select few people incredibly rich at the expense of the
average worker who has seen jobs evaporate and incomes stagnate.
A borrowed affluence.
America has kept up the pretense of wealth by keeping government
budgets, services and programs afloat on a sea of red ink. Ancient Rome suffered a gradual decline
because of relatively sparsely populated areas and a slow level of global
progress and the lack of an active and organized resistance. Communist Russia collapsed in record time
because of their expansionist drive, government overreach and ideological
stupidity. We are now living in an era
of interconnectedness where all the parts have to work in synchronicity to deliver
the goods and services people need to survive.
Because of our huge numbers and demands it is absolutely crucial that
trade and commerce work seamlessly together.
The days are gone that a single nation can afford to go rogue and
pretend that they can rule the world and do as they please.
War has never been a
solution.
The reluctance of the rest of the world to stand up against
Putin, Trump and Netanyahu has nothing to do with fear, but with the
acknowledgement that a global conflict will turn billions of people into
losers. These three crackpots are
advancing based on their egos and a total lack of empathy and
responsibility. Putin is trying to
regain control of a Russia that is kept afloat on a level of criminal
corruption that defies description.
Trump is pushed along by a delusional coterie of rightwing populists
desperate to protect and restore what America used to be and creating crisis
after crisis to confuse and distract the American public. None of these incompetents have a clue as to
what they’re doing.
Netanyahu is dealing with a totally different conundrum, but
it is one Israel has cultivated for decades without letup by ignoring the
plight of non-Israeli citizens within their borders and failing to reach out to
them with compromise and democratic power sharing. Instead they have steadily driven a wedge
between themselves, the Palestinians and other Arab nations. Might doesn’t make right. Under Netanyahu the rhetoric and attacks have
only escalated and they have pushed themselves and their adversaries to a point
of no return. They have turned an
unwillingness to compromise and negotiate into an existentialist crisis of
their own making.
Pathetic excuses!
All aggressors are using their misguided and temporary
military supremacy to advance their political and economic strategies at the
expense of neighbors, friends, allies and sovereign nations turned into foes
because its suits their objectives. When
Hitler started his expansion of Nazi Germany he relied on the same delusional
tactics currently deployed by the U.S., Russia and Israel. And as far as the rest of the world is
concerned, we’re not wringing our hands in despair and we’re not impressed by
their strength or level of bullying, but none of us are willing to give up on
peace and dialogue, because war is the last resort when it boils down to
ineptitude and abject human failure. In
a world faced with some staggering economic, environmental and resource issues
we simply can’t afford to waste or destroy anything.
The European Union is a prime example of a cooperative
relationship that emerged after several disastrous wars and centuries of
conflicts. A growing number of European
nations decided it was time to integrate economies and to work together and put
an end to trade conflicts, borders and military saber rattling. Canada, the U.S. and Mexico have successfully
integrated their economies for decades, only to see it ripped apart under Trump
and his baseless accusations of the world taking advantage of the U.S. and
underscoring his displeasure with a barrage of insults and personal attacks.
Create an
existentialist crisis if you run out of excuses.
What has emerged in the U.S. is a picture of denial, of
decades of overspending and an obsession with being the world’s biggest
superpower. It has been a costly and
counterproductive experience. Trying to
divide and control the world through spheres of influence is part of a
post-colonial residue that continues to linger through the chambers of former
colonizers. Occupation, regime change
and meddling in the affairs of sovereign nations and especially with gun
diplomacy, has never worked, nor have tariffs, sanctions, blockades and
punitive duties. People like Trump,
Putin and Netanyahu are great a starting a brawl and then they step back and
leave it to the masses to get their hands dirty and clean up after them.
Iran is a typical
example of post-colonial interference and has been the recipient of a number of
unfortunate attempted regime changes by Western powers. They could have been an ally and a much
valued trading partner. But Western
powers have always wanted it all—the oil and control. We can no longer afford to elect and select
crackpots to lead nations. The entire
notion that you can fix your problems by taking what belongs to others has no
place in today’s world. We need to grow
up and act like responsible adults.
Whose next?
The interference in the affairs of sovereign nations has to
stop because if we don’t then we can’t complain if that same fate is laid down
at our own doorstep. You know the
saying, “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.” Canada could well become the next target for
a takeover if Trump and company proclaim to the world that we should always
have been one nation. In other words,
making it sound as if he is doing us a favor. Did Hitler care about how pathetic his excuses
sounded when he absorbed Austria and Sudetenland into the German Reich? They even had a wonderful term for it:
Anschluss, as in a coming together of nations because of a common ancestry,
language and culture. We have become
experts a talking a crooked line straight!
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