US decline following Rome's. Bush to blame.
Dear Editor,
Jeffery Kuhner’s claim that our great nation may be declining like the Roman Empire (A Decade of Decline, Oped 1-3-10) may be correct but some of his diagnostics are off. Former President Bush can be blamed for some of the decline but his “championed nation building abroad” wouldn’t be part of it. In fact, he campaign pledge was not to do nation building. Fact is our nations failure to help facilitate civilized governments the world over for the last 3 decades is now the greatest source of “Barbarians” at our gates. Our primary foreign policy priorities during those decades were containing communism, maintaining access to oil, and backing the state of Israel. Often these priorities inhibited civilized nation building.
Bush’s costly wars that Mr. Kuhner documents were costly because of military expenditures…not because of nation building expenses. Any honest budget analysis would show a near ten to one bias in favor of military power vs. the moral power of development or diplomacy also essential to nation building. Development and diplomacy were only rhetorical priorities in Bush’s Global War on Terrorism. Making matters more lopsided is the fact that “nation building” was only an afterthought, once his shock and awe invasion and unfriendly occupation failed in finding Saddam’s WMDs. As with the fall of Rome it will be Bushs’ costly foreign military interventions that are most to blame.
Kuhner’s suggestion that “our goal should have been to smash the forces of global jihad through a strategy of total victory through total war” is laughable. One of the greatest factors feeding global jihad after 9-11 has been the loss of innocent Muslim lives as a direct and indirect result of US military action. Such ‘collateral damage’ is the cost of any war and our limited war has kept those losses relatively low. But, unfortunately still too high for many Muslims to stomach. Accidentally murdering tens or hundreds of thousands more, which would undoubtedly happen under Kuhner’s plan would lead to Armageddon…not victory.
Mr. Kuhner’s claim that “Rome collapsed due to moral decline” may also be accurate but he offers only a fraction of Rome’s moral decay as evidence. He doesn’t’ mention Rome’s glorification of violence, or it’s indifference to the poor, homeless, illiterate, hungry and sick. Rome’s leadership was “scorned” and “reviled” for these shortcomings far more than it’s sexual decadence or “infanticide”.
The U.S. has the means of avoiding Rome’s path of self destruction but that would mean taking the higher ground of ‘life, liberty and justice for all’ in the world. Not some fantasy that we can remain the world’s superpower by crushing any who threaten us. A little known bearded man during Rome’s era of power once said, ‘those who live by the sword, will certainly die by it”. Ever wonder what the world be like today if they had listened to that meek and loving profit -- instead of torturing him on a cross?
Jeffery Kuhner’s claim that our great nation may be declining like the Roman Empire (A Decade of Decline, Oped 1-3-10) may be correct but some of his diagnostics are off. Former President Bush can be blamed for some of the decline but his “championed nation building abroad” wouldn’t be part of it. In fact, he campaign pledge was not to do nation building. Fact is our nations failure to help facilitate civilized governments the world over for the last 3 decades is now the greatest source of “Barbarians” at our gates. Our primary foreign policy priorities during those decades were containing communism, maintaining access to oil, and backing the state of Israel. Often these priorities inhibited civilized nation building.
Bush’s costly wars that Mr. Kuhner documents were costly because of military expenditures…not because of nation building expenses. Any honest budget analysis would show a near ten to one bias in favor of military power vs. the moral power of development or diplomacy also essential to nation building. Development and diplomacy were only rhetorical priorities in Bush’s Global War on Terrorism. Making matters more lopsided is the fact that “nation building” was only an afterthought, once his shock and awe invasion and unfriendly occupation failed in finding Saddam’s WMDs. As with the fall of Rome it will be Bushs’ costly foreign military interventions that are most to blame.
Kuhner’s suggestion that “our goal should have been to smash the forces of global jihad through a strategy of total victory through total war” is laughable. One of the greatest factors feeding global jihad after 9-11 has been the loss of innocent Muslim lives as a direct and indirect result of US military action. Such ‘collateral damage’ is the cost of any war and our limited war has kept those losses relatively low. But, unfortunately still too high for many Muslims to stomach. Accidentally murdering tens or hundreds of thousands more, which would undoubtedly happen under Kuhner’s plan would lead to Armageddon…not victory.
Mr. Kuhner’s claim that “Rome collapsed due to moral decline” may also be accurate but he offers only a fraction of Rome’s moral decay as evidence. He doesn’t’ mention Rome’s glorification of violence, or it’s indifference to the poor, homeless, illiterate, hungry and sick. Rome’s leadership was “scorned” and “reviled” for these shortcomings far more than it’s sexual decadence or “infanticide”.
The U.S. has the means of avoiding Rome’s path of self destruction but that would mean taking the higher ground of ‘life, liberty and justice for all’ in the world. Not some fantasy that we can remain the world’s superpower by crushing any who threaten us. A little known bearded man during Rome’s era of power once said, ‘those who live by the sword, will certainly die by it”. Ever wonder what the world be like today if they had listened to that meek and loving profit -- instead of torturing him on a cross?
Labels: Rome. GWOT.
posted by Chuck Woolery at 5:28 PM
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