Posted on 01/18/2005 5:48:24 PM PST by budwiesest
Success in Iraq will depend on a lot of things that may or may not be those that we have much control over. It occurred to me recently that the name chosen for our "Founders" was very appropriate for reasons that may shed some light on our present nation building taking place in the Middle East at the moment.
When our ancestors came here, they endured tyranny from the Motherland and resolved to end it. And, they had plenty of material to fall back on in their desire to correct the situation. Magna Carta, English common law, etc.
Equipped with this knowledge of the interactions between the State and the Common Man to date, they set out to perfect a system that might endure the ages by placing the rights of individuals ahead of the powers of the state. They 'Founded' something that has proven unequalled among other governmental systems that have existed throughout the ages.
What concerns me today is: whether the rest of the world (including Iraq) are capable of 'finding' this with the 'help' of others, or will they eventually have to 'find' this on their own.
Viet Nam is communist. Many of our guys tried and died to teach them a better way, but to no avail. The attraction of communism must have been too great to withdraw from the challenges of liberty, freedom, and self-government. So be it.
Might the attraction to religious obedience and doctrine in the Middle East supercede our efforts to instill our beliefs in the rights of individuals and their ability to choose who leads them? The way communism drew adherents in South East Asia? (BTW, we've got a few commie adherents here in the good 'ol USA--check out the Condi hearings)
It would seem at first glance, that the world's aspiring nations would readily embrace a system such as ours, promoting the greatest possible opportunities to their people. By accepting capitalism over socialism, and republicanism over communism. That this hasn't happened wholesale over the globe gives me pause.
I guess I'm still on the fence as to whether you can 'find' a better way for a people and lead them toward it, or whether they must 'find' it themselves. 'Founding' isn't something to be taken lightly. Nor is the axiom that history repeats itself for those who refuse to study.
Our "Founders" were exceptional in many ways and may have been way ahead of their time as we may see in the upcoming events in the Middle East. The up-coming election in Iraq will be a major guage as to how well our values have been embraced.
Should this area devolve into another theocractic mess(see Iran) or any other mess by rejecting our well 'founded' blueprint, then too bad. A prosperous Iraq, selling oil on the open market to satisfy a global addiction, is preferrable to radical fundamentalists willing to shut off oil output in order to cripple their opponent's superiority.
If things in the Middle East go the way we're hoping (and I'm holding my nose) this would be the most significant event to happen in some time. Radicalism, fundamentalism, and terrorism could all be defeated by opportunism. Because, when you're busy making money and raising your living standard, there's less time for bitching about your condition and even less, for pounding your head on a prayer rug.
What all of this depends upon is whether our 'Founding' can be injected into a society, or whether it must evolve from the duress and suffering of a people themselves.
If it's the latter, we seal our borders and protect our shipping lanes. Srew them and the camel or rickshaw they rode in on.
Biffed the title: out=our, sorry.
FMCDH(BITS)
I think we may be witnessing a clash of evolution, where religiosity has been detrimental to societies who ignore the sanctity of individuals, in favor of something higher. Not that there's anything wrong with that! :^)
Yes, but I saw no way to make it a vanity (and I did so want to) during the posting process. Should I have typed 'vanity' in the title?
Yup. Been here for a good amount of time, 1999, don't you see "vanity" in the titles of vanities?....Sorry, I'm just a little peeved right now. No offense meant.
FMCDH(BITS)
"The up-coming election in Iraq will be a major guage as to how well our values have been embraced."
You can certainly turn a phrase, budweisest.
A major guage is right. In fact, this election will be a very major guage of the Iraqis' interest in democratic government. I for one am guardedly hopeful. Our Founders "founded" America's guiding ideas in the wild forests and rocky shores of the Northeastern coast. Surely, then, there's reason to believe that Iraq can "find" something similar in the golden sands that spread in all directions from beneath their sunburned toes. Nothing can hide out there.
But the major guage sits before them, and us. We'll all soon see whether the needle points to "founded" or "not founded" (or even to "unfindable").
The die has been seriously cast.
The lesson here, I believe, is that when you trust your government, you'll likely travel unarmed, and when you don't, you'll travel heavily armed.
Our Founders came to a new land. That may be the missing link. Nothing new about the middle east. Our presense and the opportunities that may result could become the 'new' land. New freedoms and new wealth as a result of a new effort. Yet, their adherence to their religion may be a stumbling block.
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