Rupert: Brandon, till this very moment this world and the people in it have always been dark and incomprehensible to me and I've tried to clear my way with logic and superior intellect. And you've thrown my words right back in my face, Brandon. You were right to, if nothing else a man should stand by his words. But you've given my words a meaning that I never dreamed of, and you've tried to twist them into a cold, logical excuse for your ugly murder! Well, they never were that, Brandon, and you can't make them that … tonight you've made me ashamed of every concept I ever had of superior or inferior beings. But I thank you for that shame, because now I know that we're each of us a separate human being, Brandon, with the right to live and work and think as individuals, but with an obligation to the society that we live in.
This is a line from the movie Rope by Alfred Hitchcock. I picked the line, because it made me think of American Foreign Policy and how Washington thinks of itself in the world.
Currently I am reading Noam Chomsky's book Failed States. In reading it I have really gotten a good perspective of American foreign policy and the view that we are above everyone.ained terrorists may have already made there way home to roost...
Chomsky points out for example that we didn't pay our UN dues from the Reagan years through the beginning of the Bush II administration, and that was only done because were trying to get international backing for the war with Iraq.
It's also pointed out by Chomsky that Washington sees UN treaties as irrelevant if it doesn't agree with them.
The best example of this is Non-prolifiration. We push so called rogue states into compliance through inspections and sanctions, yet America is one of the biggest treaty breakers.
Are we a rogue state too? Washington discards any international policy that doesn't mesh with its own.
So what is to be done about this problem?
Well I think the new administration has to take a long hard look at nuclear issue for one. Not many people know that there is a far greater risk of nuclear war than even in the 80's and it is not because of Rogue states.
While we get updates from the International Space Station we are also working towards putting missles in space. They may already be up there and according to Chomsky they are already up there.
This would mean that America, China and Russia could at some future point have missiles that could strike a target in a matter of minutes, rather than in hours. Meaning the decision to make a nuclear strike would have to be made in a matter of minutes if not seconds.
There is also the very plausible possibility of a nuclear space race.
Ridding the world of Nuclear weapons have to be paramount.
There are those that may argue that nuclear weapons prevent more wars than they cause. Well that could be. I grew up in the 80's wondering if we were going to be annihilated at any moment by a nuclear war. World War III. Movies such as the Day After brought the aftermath of a nuclear war into perspective and down to level of the everyday person. I think the threat of nuclear war may have prevented a conventional war between the two super powers.
Just the fact that nuclear air bursts alone could wipe out most of the electronics of the modern era is a scary enough thought. Add to that the devastation one nuclear bomb might have on a city. Let alone if it was an all out nuclear duel.
The arms race has seemed to trickle out of the thoughts of most Americans after the fall of the Iron Curtain, but it is a very real and ever present threat today.
Not to mention that terrorists might get there hands on a suitcase nuclear bomb or cypher enough nuclear material to be able explode a dirty bomb in a major city.
I don't like to make predictions, but I think unless foreign policy, and mind set does not change we will be in a dire state in less than 10 years.
Does anyone remember just before the war with Iraq there was a call for muslims to come help fight the invaders from the West?
This call was heeded and the War with Iraq has created far more terrorist than it has prevented. This is the war on terror right? Or is it.
We went into Iraq to rid them of WMD's, but the true agenda was shown shortly after they found said WMD's and all of a sudden we were going to create a democracy.
Iraq is the ultimate training ground for terrorists now. There are terrorist attacks all over the place. This giving the terrorists great training in a real world environment.
These are now well trained terrorist that can now go back to there home countries, Germany and even America and plan attacks with hands on knowledge.
This situation in Iraq is always being compared to Vietnam. I think it is much more like Afghanistan's war with Russia in the 80's.
I think we need to find a viable exit strategy from Iraq, but we also need a plan for Afghanistan. For the first time since the beginning of the Iraqi war there have been more casualties in Afghanistan than in Iraq.
Not to mention that Afghanistan now produces 90% percent of the worlds supply of opate related drugs. Where does this money go? What if this money if being funneled into terrorist organizations?
I think America needs to take a step back and realize that we are no better than any other country on a global basis. "We're each of us a separate human being, Brandon, with the right to live and work and think as individuals, but with an obligation to the society that we live in." I think a lot can be learned from that line.
Who are we to dictate our own agenda and toss treaties off our back like a cowboy at a rodeo? Maybe we have to lead by example and not by force of will and might.
There is also the subject of Pakistan. Another cloaked Rogue state that we are feeding weapons, military technology and money. Does this sound familiar.
Can anyone say Iraq and Afghanistan in the 80's? Add to that the fact that Pakistan is a nuclear weapon nation now, and is a safe haven and probably a training ground for terrorists in hiding.
We soon will not be dealing anymore with a few terrorist cells, but with entire populations that want to wipe us of the map.
Note: Just finished writing this story and ran across this on yahoo news:
Authorities search for India bombers who killed 39
It think these trained terrorist may have already gone home to roost....
Another related story on Yahoo news (July 28) entitled: Bush hails Pakistan as strong ally....
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