The Era of American Cowboy-Style Foreign Policy Is Over, the Stakes Are Now Too High
This week, flags were flown across the country at half-mast to honor the tragedy in Las Vegas, where a deranged millionaire shot up the crowd. There are now at least 59 dead and over 500 injured. Of the 500, many are fighting for their lives in the hospitals.
At first, everyone began looking for the motive. They didn't find one. But the political commentary is harsh and all race-based.
American writer Megan Amram emphasized the race of the murderer — namely that he's white. Hayley Geftman-Gold, CBS top manager, Vice President and Senior Counsel, tweeted that the victims don't deserve sympathy, because they are country music fans and republican gun-toters. In other words, who cares about White Trump supporters? She was immediately fired from CBS for her comments.
However, the topic was taken on by the former First Lady, Michelle Obama. She thinks people don't trust the US political system, because there are too many white men in positions of power. But it's not like anyone trusted the US political system more under the Obama administration.
And what if back then, the situation was reversed and this distrust was justified by the fact that Michelle's husband was black? This would definitely be treated as racism, because in theory, skin color doesn't matter. But if skin color didn’t matter, why then did Michelle Obama choose to emphasize it?
"White men," — she said.
This US simplicity is something we'd like to discuss today.
From simple and blatant estimates to actions, where the motive wasn't just some formed desire, but even more simple at times — a reflex. Because in the US, it is almost second nature to imagine oneself exceptional and sin-free, to imagine oneself born with the right to execute and pardon all over the world, without any restraints whatsoever.
Regular shootings within the US are a part of this simple mentality. This week, it was Las Vegas. Before it, in June, a US retired veteran started a shooting in an Orlando office. 6 people died. A year before that, 50 people died in a gay club in Orlando.
It's an American temptation to solve a problem with blunt force. It's a harsh tactic, but then sometimes it works, like in the classic 2011 case. Then, in New York, the largest financial authority in the world was arrested. He was a foreigner and the leading candidate for the French Presidency, the Head of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn. They threw him in the stinky cell of a New York City police station. He was surrounded by homeless, thieves, and junkies. Strauss-Kahn's political career died. The French couldn't vote for the President they wanted.
And what then? Simple. Just as simple, as when two Americans, a man and a woman opened fire at a local authorities' party in San Bernardino. 14 people died. 2 months before that, 9 people were killed at an Oregon college. Earlier that year, in the Charleston Methodist Episcopal Church, 8 more people fell victim to a random shooting.
Isn't this how how the US acts all over the world though?
They destroy countries, cause civil wars, bring sorrow and poverty to entire nations. Just like that. They seem to not even notice the consequences of their actions. They blame others for everything, and then gloat about being sinless.
With this simple, carefree mentality, they can allow themselves everything. America fines European banks and companies, to punish them for defying America. They impose unilateral sanctions in Europe against those who want to buy cheaper Russian gas, instead of the more expensive American gas. They tap phones and read emails of billions of people on the planet, including the leaders of US allied countries.
They arrest foreign citizens all over the world and throw them in secret jails outside of the US. Outside of the US of course, so that they can torture them, without fear of breaking any of their own laws. They plan and execute coup d'etats and color revolutions. They usually time them with the elections in the victim country.
They de facto continue to militarily occupy Germany and Japan. The US has a huge number of military bases in these countries. A base, by the way, is a foreign military force. It directly limits the sovereignty and the ability of the occupied country to act in their own national interests.
They start and execute military operations without sanctions from the UN. They falsely justify their own actions and act on false pretenses. For cover, they gather fake coalitions. And all of this is done with that simple American air of naivete.
That same mindset allows them to be allied with what is left of Islamic State in Deir-ez-Zor. With the same simple-mindedness, Trump threatened to destroy an entire country at the UN General Assembly. The Americans have already announced that they are pulling out of the the nuclear agreement with Iran. Without any justifiable reasons, in spite of everything and everyone. Just like that.
When Donald Trump became President, he received the people's mandate to build a rational relationship with Russia, and to implement a more rational policy in the world. He wasn't supposed to overthrow foreign governments. Right now, Trump acts in direct opposition to his voters' expectations.
Is there, at least, one problem in the world which the US has helped solve this year? No.
What’s worse, he made North Korea even more dangerous and non-complying. South Korea and Japan are in clear danger now. He has deployed more troops to Afghanistan, but we don't know what he is trying to accomplish there either.
In Syria, the US has lost its strategic goals and started to directly oppose Russia and the anti-terrorist forces. He is on bad terms with Turkey, he has scared off Europe, and nothing good is happening in South America, either. Tensions between the US and China are growing. Relations with Russia are at an all-time low.
It's bad enough that the US took over Russian diplomatic residencies, but they are also tearing through them like nobody's business. How else one would label the actions of those agents in our Consulate in San Francisco?
Does it mean that Russia must respond in a mutual manner? Perhaps as simple-mindedly as the US does?
If Russia did, it would ruin the very concept of diplomacy. What would be next? Or does Washington prefer not to think about that? Or do they? The less diplomacy there is, the less politeness and nice words, the higher the demand for US weapons. That's much better. It's not like diplomacy is very lucrative. It’s about airing concerns, which leads to...unneeded restrictions. Taking the high road is difficult, and the low road is always there. It is coarser, but it does have elements of cheap theatricality.
Take for example what Trump did when he went to Puerto Rico after the hurricane. For appearances sake, he brought his wife along. She wasn't wearing her usual high heels, but specially bought yellow Timberlands. He made the local Americans happy, personally throwing paper towels into the crowd. It looked like one big ridiculous show. And it all took place on a day of nationwide mourning in honor of the mass shooting in Las Vegas.
Dmitry Kiselyov.