It is far too early to say much about the Decline of the American Empire, but one does not need a seismograph to perceive some movement in that direction.
The Syrian affair was a good example. Vladimir Putin likes to be photographed in judo poses. In judo, one exploits the momentum of one's opponent to bring him down. That is exactly what Putin did.
President Obama has painted himself into a corner. He mouthed belligerent threats and could not retreat, though the US public is in no belligerent mood. Putin released him from the dilemma. For a price.
I don't know if Putin is such an agile player that he pounced on a side remark by John Kerry about Bashar Assad's chance of relinquishing his chemical weapons. I rather suspect that it was all arranged in advance. Either way, Obama got off the hook and Putin was in the game again.
I have very mixed feelings about Putin. He has done to his Chechen citizens very much what Assad is doing to his Sunni citizens. His treatment of dissidents, such as the p*ssy Riot band, is abominable.
But on the international stage, Putin is now the peacemaker. He has taken the sting out of the chemical weapons' crisis, and may quite possibly take the initiative in providing a political settlement for that dreadful civil war.
The next step could well be to play a similar role in the Iranian crisis. If Khamenei has come to the conclusion that his nuclear program may not be worth the economic misery of the sanctions, he may well sell it to the US. In this case, Putin can play a vital role, mediating between two tough traders who have a lot to trade.
(Unless, of course, Obama behaves like the American who bought a carpet in a Persian bazaar. The seller asked for $1,000, and the American paid up without haggling. When told that the carpet was worth no more than a hundred dollars, he answered: "I know, but I wanted to punish him. Now he won't be able to sleep, cursing himself for not asking 5,000 dollars.")
HOW DO we fit into this changing scene?
First of all, we must starting thinking, much as we would prefer to avoid it. New circumstances demand new thoughts.
In his own US speech, Obama made a clear connection between the Iranian bomb and the Israeli occupation. This linkage cannot be unlinked. Let's grasp it.
The US is today a bit less important than it was yesterday. Russia is a bit more important than it was. As its futile attack on Capitol Hill during the Syrian crisis shows, AIPAC is also less powerful.
Let's think again about Iran. It's too early to conclude how far Tehran is moving, if at all. But we need to try. Walking out of rooms is not a policy. Entering rooms is.
If we could restore some of our former relationship with Tehran, or even just take the sting out of the present one, that would be a huge gain for Israel. Combining this with a real peace initiative vis-a-vis the Palestinians would be even better.
Our present course is leading towards disaster. The present changes in the international and the regional scenes can make a change of course possible.
Let's help President Obama change American policy, instead of using AIPAC to terrorize Congress into blindly supporting an outdated policy towards Iran and Palestine. Let's extend cautious feelers towards Russia. Let's change our public stance, as the leaders of Iran are doing with such success.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
2
2
1
