Every now and then an article comes along that really changes how I think about the world. My of them seem to be written by Fareed Zakaria. His articles alone are worth the price of a Newsweek subscription. His latest is The Arrogant Empire. The cover of the Newsweek it arrived in screamed "Why America scares the wolrd and what to do about it".
Watching the tumult around the world, it's evident that what is happening goes well beyond this particular crisis. Many people, both abroad and in America, fear that we are at some kind of turning point, where well-established mainstays of the global orde--the Western Alliance, European unity, the United Nation--seem to be cracking under stress. These strains go well beyond the matter of Iraq, which is not vital enough to wreak such damage. In fact, the debate is not about Saddam anymore. It is about America and its role in the new world. To understand the present crisis, we must first grasp how the rest of the world now perceives American power.
One of my complaints over the last few weeks was that many of the anti-war protests were really anti-America or anti-Bush protests. And that is exactly what they were. The article also talks about Bush's diplomatic failures.
In its first year the administration withdrew from five international treaties--and did so as brusquely as it could. It reneged on virtually every diplomatic effort that the Clinton administration had engaged in, from North Korea to the Middle East, often overturning public statements from Colin Powell supporting these efforts. It developed a language and diplomatic style that seemed calculated to offend the world. Key figures in the administration rarely traveled, foreign visitors were treated to perfunctory office visits, and state dinners were unheard of. On an annual basis, George W. Bush has visited fewer foreign countries than any president in 40 years. Still, he does better than Dick Cheney, who has been abroad only once since becoming vice president.
And then he wonders why the other countries don't support him. I argue with a friend about Bush fairly regularly. He's pretty anti-Bush. I usually take the other side. It's not that I'm pro-Bush but that I'm anti-Gore. I'll certainly have to rethink those arguements now.
So take a minute and read the article. Or take a few minutes. It's well worth it. You'll come out with a better understanding of why the world reacts to America the way they do. And if you're like me, you'll be rethinking some beliefs on Bush and America's role in the world. Maybe one of these administrations will hire Fareed as a foreign policy expert. Here's hoping!