Tariq Saeedi
26 September 2017 (nCa) — What could have taken at least half a century would likely be achieved in a couple of decades —– Trump is deftly putting the United States of America on fast track to early retirement.
Here are some of the admirably imaginative things he has done since coming to power:
- Withdrawal from TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership)
- Confirmation to withdraw from Paris Climate Agreement
- Fragmentation of the society along the ethnic, religious, and ideological lines
- Probable withdrawal from the United Nations, predictably starting with departure from the Human Rights body
- Threatening to wipe North Korea from the map of the world
- Threatening to cancel the Iran Nuclear Deal
- Systematic and increasingly intense provocation of China
- Trying to run a hostile circle around Russia
- Outsourcing global bullying to certain countries
- Multidirectional efforts to impose Muslim Ban
- Encouraging and aiding violent rift in the Middle East
These are just some of the samples from the yuuuuuge basket of Trumpacy (just a coincidence that it rhymes with lunacy).
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In addition to the processes that Trump is setting in motion, there is lot more that is taking place inside the United States to facilitate the decline and fall of this once-great nation.
The raging opioid epidemic, the rampant cyber bullying, the destruction of the nuclear family as an important element of the society, the evaporation of respect for the elders, especially the parents and the teachers, the gaping distrust of the institutions that are meant to help run the society efficiently (police, courts, local government etc.), the culture of suing and counter-suing, the prohibitive costs of treatment in a medical establishment, the mountainous student debts, the eagerness to give in to every new trend regardless of its impact on the society, are some of the things ailing this nation.
It is déjà vu – reminiscent of the last days of the Roman Empire.
Then as now, the voices of sanity are few, disorganized, and ineffectual.
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If this giant has opted for self-extermination, there is hardly anything anyone can do.
What is of concern here is that historically the empires don’t go away peacefully. They trash about, causing widespread death and destruction before they breathe their last.
This is where the international community needs to unite – 1. To prevent military and economic pain to the world; and 2. To help speed up the demise of this monster, for it is no more just another country; it is clearly acting like a monster.
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There should be a multi-pronged strategy.
To fashion this strategy, there is the need to look at each component of this challenge separately and determine doable goals that would ultimately mesh at different levels.
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This has to be teamwork.
The team is being formed automatically – the countries that have been threatened by Trump to varying degrees are many, the foremost being Russia, China, Iran, Turkey, and North Korea. Perforce, they will unite to the extent of their intersecting interests.
Of these, Russia and China are able to play the lead role. — In less than a quarter of a century of the breakup of the Soviet Union, Russia is already back on its feet. During the same period, the GDP of China grew from USD 413 billion to USD 11.2 Trillion.
These are the countries with resilience and resolve. These are the countries naturally endowed to fill the emerging vacuum.
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Whether it is a law of nature or something else, the life span of the empires has been decreasing successively —- the Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the British Empire, the Soviet Empire and now the American Empire.
Ibn Khuldun says that the Empires, just like people, are born, reach their full strength, start declining and ultimately die. It can be inferred that the sooner they reach their full strength, the earlier they decline.
The obvious lesson is that this time around there is the need to prepare for smooth and systematic withdrawal of this empire from the world stage.
To be continued . . . nCa