It would seem that Islamic terrorists have discovered a new and highly effective weapon with which to wreak havoc on the Great Satan, a.k.a. The United States of America. No longer do they need to fly airplanes into skyscrapers, or wear exploding underwear. Even an apparently low risk operation like Benghazi is no longer necessary to strike fear into the Americans. This new technique is whispered with trembling in the halls of the NSA, the CIA, the FBI, and whatever other three letter Leviathan that also happens to be privy to the whole world’s digital communications… It’s called “chatter”.
Despite Joe Biden’s assurances regarding the size of President Obama’s “big stick”, we have come to the place in our foreign policy where we invariably speak loudly and carry a very small stick, or often enough no stick at all. We, the most powerful force of the free world, now regard as our primary military strategy to “bravely run away”.
We have taken what could be dubbed the “Vietnam approach”, and applied it to the entire world. We become involved in situations just enough to create or motivate enemies, but at the same time bind ourselves to the extent that we cannot vanquish these enemies. Then, when they continue to fight us, as they always do, we eventually retreat. Having spent millions of dollars to break things and kill people, we then spend millions more trying to put back together the countries we have helped to devastate.
I know that some have postulated that the closing of nineteen American embassies due to “internet chatter” might be an example of “Wag the Dog” political misdirection like a phantom war in Albania. It’s possible that the internet component was exaggerated or highlighted to take some heat off the NSA “phony” scandal, but I see the participation of other countries in closing their embassies as probable proof that the chatter was real, and a plot plausible. I don’t fault the administration for beating a hasty retreat, especially following their screw-up in Benghazi. Sometimes in the “fight or flight” decision, flight is the wisest choice, but at some point we will need to ask ourselves why we are so often in the position that these are our only alternatives.
In the face of the domestic scandals like the NSA data mining, and revelations that at any time our government has the technical ability to look at any of our digital communications, past or present, or even hack our smart T.V.’s to have a look around our living room; do we really believe that they would be more likely to respect the privacy of the citizens of other countries? If there are forces within the administration willing to use aversive tactics from the IRS to silence or destroy their political adversaries, would they not be all the more willing to use subterfuge to damage geo-political foes? Of course, many nations participate in such activities to promote their interests on the planet; it’s one of the things we expect our government to do, but given the progressive elitism of this administration’s philosophy that almost every aspect of American life is best managed by big government in Washington, it is not a leap to consider that their foreign policy might reflect same arrogant principle. This is the essence of colonialism. If our own states aren’t assumed to be competent to govern their constitutionally delineated jurisdictions, might not this same megalomania be influencing the way we look at other nations?
IMHO: Sometimes disputes with neighbors are unavoidable. Property rights and your family’s well-being occasionally need to be defended. Once in a great while, being a responsible citizen means confronting a neighbor, or possibly even calling the police. Most times though, being a good neighbor involves minding your own business, even if your neighbor isn’t doing things quite the way you would… they have rights too! Likewise, being a good neighbor among nations most often involves staying out of other countries’ affairs. Genocide and other atrocities might inevitably drag us into interventions, but we should be always reticent to do so, and mindful as well of preserving the dignity of sovereign nations. Our presence should be as neighbors and friends, not as conquerors and nation-builders. We are not the ruler of the World. If we don’t so often run into fights, we might not so often need to run away.
