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"I find it increasingly astounding to witness the transformation of conservatism, not simply into robust classical Liberalism, but into a thin, cut-rate Liberalism, a mere shadow of a once vibrant idea."
It may also be the natural political evolution where today's neocon/liberal Republicans will become tomorrow's sane, center left Democrats and today's more traditional conservatives and small government libertarians will be the core of tomorrow's Rebublican party. If this turns out to be so, than I think the country will be far better for it.
Your first quoted paragraph is a brilliant summary of political truth, yet, I believe the alternatives to transformation in the ME are either appeasement or annihilation (in whatever degree you like).
Did the Japanese, German, and S. Korean experiment succeed or not in terms of the first paragraph? They didn't earn democracy, either. The jury may still be out on that, but we have to say - so far, so good.
I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiments of the article you quote, and find the terms that Bush et al use like "deserve" to be a joke, but time will tell if our policy has a good chance or not to help things there.
Mark:
I would say there is another option for the Middle East: a quarantine. We have to get our oil, of course -- and that will complicate things. But we could to make it our purpose, whenever possible, to keep all things Arab (and Muslim?) out of the United States; and, so far as is possible, keep America disentangled from the Muslim world.
Practical ideas:
- cease all immigration of Muslims into the U.S., until such time as we feel satisfied that Islam has begun to get its house in order.
- move all American troops out of the population centers in the ME; our bases could be established in unpopulated regions, within striking distance if our allies are in desperate need, but out of harms way, so that our soldiers and marines are not being killed while sitting in traffic (combat deaths I can accept, but these car bombs and roadside bombs are intolerable).
I am beginning to think that Goldwater was the worst thing that ever happened to conservatism. But, as Phil Gilbert points out, there may still a favorable outcome if neo-"conservatism" succeeds in changing the terms of the discussion.
I am leery of singling out Muslims for a ban on immigration. We most definitely need to get our borders under control, but I would rather couch the controls in general terms. Will you swear by Allah, or whatever name you use for the Divine, that you will uphold the Constitution, including the Bill of Rights? Or other such non-religious tests that accomplish the same purpose.
Paul:
Are you not perhaps being a little too literal in your criticism of Sharansky and the President? Could not the latter have meant simply contrary to what your autocratic leaders tell you... as opposed to because of your instrinsic value as humans...? In other words, stop whinning impotently and seize the day.
I have just finished Sharansky's book. He certainly is a man with a dream, and it is hard to see why it isn't a noble one. One problem is that he completely ignores inter-cultural, inter-ethnic, inter-religious and inter-national resentments and conflicts. Nor does he address the problem of how to get the majority of the world to develop an ethos of responsibility for their fates, a pyschological/spiritual/existential challenge that we in North America tend to underestimate because we take it for granted and assume very wrongly that others do too.
But things are happening out there--slowly--and I have a hard time seeing this dream as anti-cons
Ooh, I just got nabbed by the character gestapo at the very last minute. That's "anti-conservative."
Ousting the Ba'athist regime in Iraq can still be justified; it's a messy business, though, and only the future will tell us if it has been successful in advancing our interests.
The way that the rhetoric is being ratcheted up by the administration, however, suggests it may soon begin to believe we have a divine mission to bring democracy to every wretched patch of the world. If that comes to pass, we are sure to regret it.
The "you deserve" meme seems to increasingly dominate discourse in all aspects of life. I believe its rise has probably paralleled the increased use of the term "consumer." Now, we even see TV ads on the theme "you deserve free checking and low credit card interest rates." My suspicion is that this kind of advertising will tend to attract obnoxious people with a strong feeling of entitlement: everyone's nightmare customer.
Hi Rick...
and, so far as is possible, keep America disentangled from the Muslim world.
Which will soon include most of Europe.
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