| Ivo Skoric on Tue, 9 Jul 2002 18:41:01 +0200 (CEST) |
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| [Nettime-bold] Re: Safire: "Myth America 2002" |
Saphire would prosper in communist media. I think I said that once
already. But the fact that he is also prospering in democracy, its
most worrisome. Of course that all of his myth-reality pairs can be
turned around, depending on who is talking. When Saphire is
talking, however, one thinks that White House hired a wrong press
secretary. Saphire patronizes Powell, offers a 'vision' in which
America infringes on sovereignty of other nations for the greater
good of the whole humanity, yet it questions any project that can
infringe on its sovereignty, justified by being "seized with an
intelligently moralistic, Wilsonian vision of peace with its necessary
component of freedom." In a non-Saphirean reality the U.S.
dropped 265,000 bombs on Iraq, poisoning its children with DU and
alienating its population from those proposed lofty goals and then
with economic sanctions speeding up Saddam's "treadmill of
despotism".
"Yasir Arafat may be elected its president to attend formal
ceremonies with Israel's president whatsisname, but power would
rest in a parliament with parties that would elect a prime minister.
This chief executive, strengthened by an independent judiciary
and free press, would extract the "painful compromises" that Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon has said Israel is prepared to make after the
terror war ends." - Saphire dubbed that a 'reality'. I doubt he is
unintelligent. But there is nothing further from the myth than this
sentence, I hope history would prove me wrong and him right.
Myth: America is morally better than the rest of the world.
Reality: It is not.
ivo
Date sent: Mon, 8 Jul 2002 13:58:22 -0400
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From: BConley@USHMM.ORG
Subject: Safire: "Myth America 2002"
To: JUSTWATCH-L@LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU
cross-posting of commentary only
Operating under the assumption that something can be learned by reading
articles one disagrees with (I hope not to shock anyone on the list into
issuing complaints to higher authorities), I am posting W. Safire's
interpretation of American foreign policy, which is *perhaps* a bit at
odds with European (among others) interpretations:
"...as Europe temporized, we led NATO's defeat of Serbia's takeover of the
Balkans...Saddam Hussein has been jerking around the United Nations for
seven years...Brits and Turks may reluctantly help us, but European
handwringers and Arab monarchs want a free ride...America is the place
seized with an intelligently moralistic, Wilsonian vision of peace with its
necessary component of freedom."
-------------------------------------------------------
New York Times
July 8, 2002
Myth America 2002
By WILLIAM SAFIRE
LONDON
Here are a handful of myths that cause what's left of Europe's left to
misperceive U.S. foreign policy:
Myth 1: America is temporarily dominated by self-serving isolationists who
reject treaties designed by sensible Lilliputians to tie down the
superpower Gulliver.
Reality: In the past decade, the U.S. saved Europe from becoming an
economic vassal to Iraq, which was on its way to conquering Kuwait and
Saudi Arabia. A few years later, as Europe temporized, we led NATO's
defeat of Serbia's takeover of the Balkans. Recently, we drove Islamist
terrorists, who threaten Europe as much as America, from their training
bases in Afghanistan. Is it too much to ask to protect our 250,000 troops
defending freedom abroad, along with aid workers and journalists, from a
treaty enabling publicity-hungry prosecutors to harass them?
Myth 2: (flip side of first myth) We're interventionist bullies, with no
regard for the sovereignty of countries whose threatening leaders are
better dealt with diplomatically.
Reality: Saddam Hussein has been jerking around the United Nations for
seven years, ignoring his surrender agreement and buying off French and
Russian defenders while building a nuclear and germ-warfare capability for
delivery by North Korean missiles or, more likely, through terrorist
cutouts. Sanctions, dumb and smart, have dismally failed; the danger of
nuclear blackmail grows to head-in-the-sand Parisians and Berliners as
well as vulnerable New Yorkers. Brits and Turks may reluctantly help us,
but European handwringers and Arab monarchs want a free ride.
Myth 3: The Bush administration, with its disdain for treaties, does not
understand the nuances of dealing with nuclear-armed Russia, which must
never be allowed to feel humiliated.
Reality: Lo and behold, when the U.S. withdrew as promised from the
outdated ABM treaty, the clear skies did not fall. Contrary to all
European fears and dire predictions, Vladimir Putin was induced to put the
best face on the inevitability of a U.S. missile defense against rogue
nations and terrorists. In return for this (and, mistakenly, for being
allowed to get away with secret sales of nuclear know-how to Iran), Russia
is allowing us to give it $10 billion or more to safely reduce its
unneeded nuclear stockpile. No humiliation; only relief all around.
Myth 4: Europe holds the high moral ground in providing aid to the
Palestinian "resistance," while Bush, in thrall to the Jewish lobby,
refuses to force Israel to abandon its "occupation."
Reality: America has broken free of the decade-long romance with a
terrorist and is now trying a radical new idea of encouraging Palestinians
to set up the first democratic Arab state. Yasir Arafat may be elected its
president to attend formal ceremonies with Israel's president whatsisname,
but power would rest in a parliament with parties that would elect a prime
minister. This chief executive, strengthened by an independent judiciary
and free press, would extract the "painful compromises" that Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon has said Israel is prepared to make after the terror
war ends. This would demolish ?
Myth 5: America is in the clutches of hard-line, hard-nosed, bellicose
warrior-executives, while Europe is the continent of highminded
peace-seekers.
Reality: America is the place seized with an intelligently moralistic,
Wilsonian vision of peace with its necessary component of freedom. Because
the old "realism" has failed in the Middle East, does it not make sense to
impose some idealism on the players? With new leaders freely elected in
the West Bank and Gaza, and with a federal government created after the
deposal of the dictatorship in Iraq, the Arab world would have its chance
to catch up with the rest of the world. The leap into the present might
fail while daring greatly, but the treadmill of more despotism leads
nowhere.
Myth 6: The political popularity of Colin Powell will enable State
Department worldliness to triumph over the Bush-Rumsfeld-Cheney cowboy
mentality, enabling Europe's multilateral impotence to harness American
superpower.
Reality: Colin's a good soldier and political loyalist. If he were tempted
to threaten, Haig-like, to quit, he knows that Bush has Condi Rice waiting
in the wings. Powell will lose a few, win on occasion, but will stick
around through the next election. Rectifying a decade-old strategic error
and bringing Europe along to remake the world is too much fun.
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