Data Points

     Nations, like men, are best advised to heed one another’s actions rather than their words. A steady diet of diplomatic and strategic duplicity will nullify one’s ability to negotiate for anything – and that is what the American diplomatic and military establishments have fed the world since 1975.

     Vietnam.
     Iran.
     Libya.
     Ukraine.
     Afghanistan.
     Iraq.
     And coming soon…wait for it.

     Is there an “ally” or a protectorate we haven’t betrayed?

     The Taliban’s lightning reconquest of Afghanistan is the clearest imaginable signal to nations that might once have approached the U.S. for military defense or assistance: Don’t do it. As the Afghan army collapsed, all but literally dropping their weapons and fleeing in the face of the Taliban’s advance, America did nothing. The gains bought by America’s twenty-year investment of blood and treasure dissolved like a dream.

     The Usurpers stood by and let it happen.

     Yes, this is in part a consequence of the stolen 2020 elections. But beyond that, it’s a lesson to those who think America can export its security, prosperity, and overall civility to other lands. Our movies and television shows may travel well, but American values are more fragile. No currently available shipping container can preserve them adequately for transport across the seas.

     Regarding lesser nations plagued by chaos and despair, we face a dichotomy: Military Protectorate or Hands Off. When it comes to the Third World, there is no third way.

     The desire for justice after the 9/11 atrocities fueled our initial foray into Afghanistan. Your Curmudgeon will not denigrate that desire. At the time, he was as avid for it as any man. But the “nation-builders” and bien-pensants took control of that effort almost immediately thereafter. The consequences are before us.

     Today, any nation that regards the United States as an ally and a reliable protector is counting its chips. Any nation with territorial designs on its neighbors is surely doing the same.

     And coming soon…
     Israel?
     Taiwan?
     Japan?
     The nations of the Caribbean?
     Perhaps all of South America?

     Wait for it. It probably won’t be long.

2 comments

    • Jim Horn on August 17, 2021 at 9:39 AM

    For your first list also: China, Cuba, Eastern Europe, Nicaragua, Zimbabwe, Cambodia and so many others.

    • John in Indy on August 19, 2021 at 12:15 AM

    Look for China to move against Taiwan in late October / November, as soon as the Northern Pacific is clear of storms.

    John in Indy

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