2008 Woodie Awards
We need post-war damage control
Jeff Postelwait--Daily O'Collegian (Oklahoma State U.)
Issue date: 4/16/03 Section: Opinion
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(U-WIRE) STILLWATER, Okla. - At this moment in history, President Bush, for better or for worse, is arguably the most powerful man on the planet. Not merely because of our mostly successful invasion of Iraq, but because so much is hinging on what his next move will be. As Bush goes, so goes America, and in many ways, America's actions or inactions will determine the course of the next few decades. Never before in recent history has one man held so much potential for greater peace or for greater strife.
Depending on Bush's next move, the world may be lead farther down the path to lasting peace or further down the treacherous path of increased global insecurity and unrest. If Bush decides to play out his role of "a man of war," we could go on to invade Syria, Iran or even North Korea. But now is not the time for America to assert itself. What we need to do now is show the world that we do love peace. We say we do, but we've done so little to prove it lately. There are several ways for Bush to pursue true peace instead of hunting down the rogue states in his "Axis of Evil" and further alienating the world.
One way to restore our reputation as a peace-loving country is to foster peace around the world. We must wage peace on Israel whether they like it or not. Bush's "road map to peace" features a two-nation state for Israel, with an independent Palestine and a sovereign Israel. If Bush plays his cards right, there may be hope for the Holy Land after all. Much has changed in Israel and the situation seems less hopeless today. A negotiation may be possible, but there are more direct ways of solving the problem.
Sharon only does what he does because he knows we will back his decisions. If we get a little tougher on Sharon for his human rights violations and atrocities against the Israelis, I'm sure he'd see our point. We have a lot of leverage in this situation; I suggest that we use it.
As a gesture of goodwill to our isolated allies in Europe and Russia, we need to include the United Nations in the Iraqi reconstruction. Few people in the world wish to see us and only us rebuild Iraq. If we let France, Russia and Germany in on the rebuilding efforts, we could show that there are no hard feelings instead of estranging ourselves from them even further. Tony Blair supports such a move, but it appears that Bush does not. This is unfortunate because the strength of the United Nations and the evenhanded enforcement of international laws depend on our participation. We must help restore the validity of international law not just by making sure others obey it but by obeying it ourselves and by making sure our allies obey it. It's not the United Nations that has made itself irrelevant. We made it irrelevant by shortchanging diplomacy. We must pay attention to international law, not just enforce it militarily when it suits our purpose. Yes, we are strong enough to go it alone, but that doesn't mean it's a good idea.
If we do not show more interest in peace and more compliance with international laws, the world may turn bipolar again, as it was in the Cold War era. This time it would be Germany, France, Russia and the Arab world united to contain us instead of the NATO versus the Soviet Union. Many view us as an out-of-control superpower with no one to hold us in check. If we don't choose to use our power more wisely, we may force others to hold us in check out of fear. Regardless of how you feel about those who fear us and resent our actions, you must agree that we need to win them back over and show them our less aggressive side.
All of this seems so much for one man to handle, particularly when this one man has already proven himself to be a poor communicator and diplomat. I almost wish we had two presidents -- one to handle domestic issues and one to handle international problems -- but we must play the hand we've been dealt. Let's hope Bush chooses to play it well.
Depending on Bush's next move, the world may be lead farther down the path to lasting peace or further down the treacherous path of increased global insecurity and unrest. If Bush decides to play out his role of "a man of war," we could go on to invade Syria, Iran or even North Korea. But now is not the time for America to assert itself. What we need to do now is show the world that we do love peace. We say we do, but we've done so little to prove it lately. There are several ways for Bush to pursue true peace instead of hunting down the rogue states in his "Axis of Evil" and further alienating the world.
One way to restore our reputation as a peace-loving country is to foster peace around the world. We must wage peace on Israel whether they like it or not. Bush's "road map to peace" features a two-nation state for Israel, with an independent Palestine and a sovereign Israel. If Bush plays his cards right, there may be hope for the Holy Land after all. Much has changed in Israel and the situation seems less hopeless today. A negotiation may be possible, but there are more direct ways of solving the problem.
Sharon only does what he does because he knows we will back his decisions. If we get a little tougher on Sharon for his human rights violations and atrocities against the Israelis, I'm sure he'd see our point. We have a lot of leverage in this situation; I suggest that we use it.
As a gesture of goodwill to our isolated allies in Europe and Russia, we need to include the United Nations in the Iraqi reconstruction. Few people in the world wish to see us and only us rebuild Iraq. If we let France, Russia and Germany in on the rebuilding efforts, we could show that there are no hard feelings instead of estranging ourselves from them even further. Tony Blair supports such a move, but it appears that Bush does not. This is unfortunate because the strength of the United Nations and the evenhanded enforcement of international laws depend on our participation. We must help restore the validity of international law not just by making sure others obey it but by obeying it ourselves and by making sure our allies obey it. It's not the United Nations that has made itself irrelevant. We made it irrelevant by shortchanging diplomacy. We must pay attention to international law, not just enforce it militarily when it suits our purpose. Yes, we are strong enough to go it alone, but that doesn't mean it's a good idea.
If we do not show more interest in peace and more compliance with international laws, the world may turn bipolar again, as it was in the Cold War era. This time it would be Germany, France, Russia and the Arab world united to contain us instead of the NATO versus the Soviet Union. Many view us as an out-of-control superpower with no one to hold us in check. If we don't choose to use our power more wisely, we may force others to hold us in check out of fear. Regardless of how you feel about those who fear us and resent our actions, you must agree that we need to win them back over and show them our less aggressive side.
All of this seems so much for one man to handle, particularly when this one man has already proven himself to be a poor communicator and diplomat. I almost wish we had two presidents -- one to handle domestic issues and one to handle international problems -- but we must play the hand we've been dealt. Let's hope Bush chooses to play it well.