#1
The writer is no fan of Bush, but one of his closing remarks gives an interesting perspective:
This is a policy? It makes George W. Bush look good.
Indeed it does, Sports Fans.
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/14/2011 7:18 Comments ||
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#2
Whatever happens, the world will quickly go back to normal.
Of course, the author's theory here is completly dependent on his definition of the concept of "normal". Perhaps, one could argue that it'll be completly normal for the warring parties to excelerate their revenge bloodletting after the official kinnetic operation ends. After all, that's how African tribal societies have always behaved. Obviously, forging a new government out of a decades old tyrannical regime will breed some powerlust. That's normal. So no one should be surprised at the endemic corruption to follow as the parade of ex-pats, thugs, and neighboring tin-potters sharpen their elbows for a shot at Libyan resources and what's left of Mo's pile of gold. And few should get caught off-guard when the Islamic syndicates such as AQIM and the Mo Bros exploit the chaos of a failed state. That's how these parasitic organizations exist. In fact, it would be considerd abnormal if they didn't. Also, expect more (not less) unrest from the civilian population. The jubilant celebrations of Democracy will be short lived. Patience tends to run thin as basic needs of housing, food, water, and medicine continue in short supply. That's more then normal. That's what anthropologists call "human nature". Going forward, what will be considerd normal for the architects of this Libyan misadventure? The postbellum challenges of reconstruction, resettling refugees, and economic development are predictable. And the post Arab regime playbook calls for the heavy hand of intervention. But it can't be overlooked that, thus far, these people have placed more emphasis on "legitimacy" then they have on success. They loath even slightest appearance of imperial colonialism. One can assume the Global Governors post conflict strategy will include symbolic meetings, backroom deals, followed by
throwing huge sums of good money after bad.
Now that's normal!
#1
Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar was a career diplomat in the Indian Foreign Service. His assignments included the Soviet Union, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Germany, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kuwait and Turkey.
A very different take on the situation in Syria from a retired diplomat who dates back to when India loved the Soviet Union. Could he be right that that the reason President Obama hasn't said much about Syria is that Russia has stood foursquare in the way?
Jumping the shark, as many readers know, is an expression from the wonderful world of TV. When the original premise of a show has gone stale, producers try to recapture audience interest by putting familiar characters in outlandish settings where strange things happen to them notoriously, when Fonzie literally jumped over a shark as Happy Days moved into its sunset years. When something jumps the shark, the death spiral has become irretrievable; the show has nowhere to go but down.
The progressive ideal of the last 100 years is reaching that point. In its day the progressive ideal was a revolutionary and even a noble one. A bureaucratic and professional elite would mediate social conflict between rich and poor, improving the lives of the poor while engineering the best possible administrative solutions to pressing social problems. Keynesian macroeconomic management would ensure lasting prosperity; progressive taxation would spread the benefits of prosperity as widely as possible. Levels of education would rise as more and more Americans spent more and more years in school.
Progressivism held out the hope that capitalism, democracy and history itself could all be tamed by competent professional management. Victorian capitalism had been brutal, disruptive, competitive. Society became more unequal even as living standards gradually rose. Democracy was irresistible, but the masses were uneducated. The modern progressive era was born at times of great violence and upheaval. World War One, the Russian Revolution, the Great Depression, the rise of fascism, World War Two, the invention of nuclear weapons and the start of the Cold War: it was against this background that progressives sought to turn modern life into something safe and tame.
I cannot blame four generations of progressive intellectuals for trying to make life a little less brutal and unpredictable, nor should we overlook the successes they had. Nevertheless, the Fonz has left the building; the progressive paradigm today can no longer serve as the basis for sound national policy. RTWT
#1
When something jumps the shark, the death spiral has become irretrievable; the show has nowhere to go but down. The progressive ideal of the last 100 years is reaching that point.
Actually, Progressivism jumped the shark with the Great Society during the 60's. Ever since then, the left has experienced increasing anger as rigor mortis sets in.
I suspect every generation needs to experience a progressive regime so that they are cured of all illusions about the benefits of Socialism. All those college kids who voted for Obama in 2008 are cursing him today as they enter the job market. I bet those kids never vote for a Socialist again.
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
06/14/2011 18:21 Comments ||
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#2
All those college kids who voted for Obama in 2008 are cursing him today as they enter the job market.
Not all. Come on, there are still legions of Koolaid drinkers out there.
The whole problem with the 'view' is that someone is entitled to middle class standards without putting in the middle class work to attain it. Classical liberalism/progressivism died in the late 70s early 80s when nearly all the social impediments were removed that had held groups back. Then it was discovered the old adage "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink" still applied. That when they went full socialist throwing out equal opportunity for equal outcome. And socialism is predicated upon coveting, stealing and bearing false witness. Not principles to build and sustain an advanced civilization upon.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
