It has been a week with Mitt-son-of-George channeling Ronald Reagan, citing Russia as our greatest geo-political threat. Not Iran. Not China. No, it's those damn Russkies, you just can't trust them. Putin is just a commie in disguise.
Hey, the former head of KGB - gee, maybe Mitt has a reason to worry. Forget about the fact that Putin's popularity is in decline and Russians are able to speak out about it. No, it's all just a commie plot.
Is Russia really the head of the new Axis of Evil? Judging from their positions in the world press and at the UN, the FSU surely has a desire to return to the table as a super-power to rival the EU. Let's admit it, Russia is vast and has historically been one of the great powers. And remember, Russia did not start the second World War. It merely stopped the Nazis, at a staggering cost in lives and treasure.
Fast forward to 2012. Romney aside, the BRIC countries are changing the world. Are they threats? Only if one perceives America as the world's only super-power. And in that sense, the EU may also be a threat. But the hell with paranoia. If we think of others as threats, so too will they perceive Uncle Sam as a threat, especially with our armed forces projected around every corner of the globe.
So what IS a threat? Think about oil. OPEC and Iran are our greatest geo-political threats. Big oil is undermining western economies. The Persians are especially worrisome. And the US is slowly but surely tightening an economic blockade, with the cooperation of the EU. But not China and Russia. Oops, there we go again. Those commies. Out to get us.
Let's break this down. Russia seeks geographic hegemony. Iran is on its southern border. Russia has an interest in preventing Iranian expansion, but is steering clear of "saber rattling". China seeks oil. War with Iran would interrupt the flow of oil. So China seeks to preserve the status quo. Are these threats to America? No, they are responses to a common threat - the monopoly exercised by OPEC.
Let's break this down. Russia seeks geographic hegemony. Iran is on its southern border. Russia has an interest in preventing Iranian expansion, but is steering clear of "saber rattling". China seeks oil. War with Iran would interrupt the flow of oil. So China seeks to preserve the status quo. Are these threats to America? No, they are responses to a common threat - the monopoly exercised by OPEC.
The world, according to Mitt Romney, has an enemy lurking under every rock. If he's right, we better get our six shooters out now and start firing at the varmints. Meanwhile, let the sanctions on Iran work and let Mitt spout off some more. He ran an Olympics, so doesn't that mean he is qualified to manage American foreign policy?
Hey, think of the good side. At least Mitt isn't telling us he can see Russia from his dining room window. And speaking of dining, the White House just issued their recipes for Passover. The President apparently really likes Israeli cous cous. Read all about it at:
A happy and liberating Passover to all friends, readers and humans.
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