The Decline to a Fall

"Whether Obama or Palin is elected in 2012 almost seems irrelevant.  Six more years of this and we will be finished as a nation, bankrupt and despised everywhere, our only legacy a network of seven hundred-plus military bases falling into ruin worldwide, meant to give us peace and prosperity but delivering on neither."  Giraldi

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When I was a boy in the forties and fifties, we Americans effectively ruled the world. Militarily, economically, and politically our writ or will ran everywhere.

Now we are the clients of a tiny ethno-religious country in the Middle East that lives on our government "dole" and the remittances of our citizens.  We borrow from China to give our masters the money they order our Congress to provide.  Israel is a collossal political failure in the Middle East.  The symbol of their failure is the wall they have felt compelled to build between them and the "terrorists."  Nevertheless, we feel obliged to follow their desires in establishing our "national" policy in their region.

The ship of American power is slowly sinking.  Our masters dictate to us policies that are suicidal for them and more importantly for us.

Giraldi is a voice in the wilderness.  pl 

http://original.antiwar.com/giraldi/2011/01/19/serving-up-palestine-one-slice-at-a-time/o

http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/2011/01/pickering_hills/

 

Comments

[Judy]

Hanan Ashwari has an excellent piece in today's NYTimes explaining the Palestinian move to take their case to the UN.

[Matthew]

Col: Whenever Members of Cognress rush to defend Israel, I always think: I wish they were more (or equally) eager to defend America.

[Sean McBride]

Quite a few historians have figured out by now that Zionism is probably a false messianic movement, one that is destined to fail like other false messianic movements before it. Future Jewish historians will almost certainly come to view Theodor Herzl as a false prophet. The question is, will Israel manage to take down the United States with it? And perhaps Europe as well? Or perhaps even the entire world?

Certainly neither the Republican nor Democratic Party is to able separate the United States from Israel's self-destructive policies and trajectory -- all Americans are being forced by the Israel lobby to go along for the ride.

And what is the worst-case scenario for the exercise of the Samson Option if Israel decides to lash out in fury against the entire world with its full arsenal of WMDs?

[Kerim]

Well, I think the rest of the world is more aware of the sinking ship than the ship's passengers.
I still have a hard time understanding why the US is so intent on committing suicide. And, I'm always hoping it will somehow awake...

[mo]

Sign at Tel Aviv airport in the episode of the Simpsons where the family go to Israel.

"WELCOME TO ISRAEL: Your tax dollars at work"

The greatest irony is that were the US to impose itself on the region based on its values and beliefs of justice, freedom and respect, it would be much admired.

But when we hear Hillary preaching about human rights when Americas closest allies, in Saudi, Egypt, Jordan and Israel are crushing those rights every day; When we hear about the respect of Lebanon's sovereignty when Israeli jets make a mockery of it every day and the US continues to occupy foreign lands; When we hear about the need for a tribunal to end the culture of "killing with impunity" while Israel is aided and encouraged to massacre men, women and children in their thousands; When we can see that while the US can talk the talk but no more, all due to the influence of one lobby then ignoring these statements is the least we can do.

[Clifford Kiracofe]

"The ship of American power is slowly sinking"

Yes, and the consequence is exactly as Giraldi eloquently puts it:

"finished as a nation, bankrupt and despised everywhere"

What is the status of the elements of our national power: political, diplomatic, economic, psychological, military?

Can we even perform a cold realistic assessment given the present level of hysteria and imbecility in what passes for our national "leadership"?

Do we have a comprehensive, systematic, integrated national strategy in the national interest? Or is it just that we are blindly lashing out with foreign military adventures to feed the military-financial-industrial complex about which Ike warned us?

And then there is the stinking rotting albatross, Israel, to which we are wedded in a mutual suicide pact.

[The beaver]

Well, Intel is investing $2.4B in Israel to upgrade its chip industry and most probably giving away some Intellectual Property and it won't be long before the govt of last tiny country will be in the position to harm every single one of us...........

[steve]

A great summation by Mr. Giraldi.

What still escapes me is how the US can so supremely ignore its own self-interests. And, yes, I understand our Likud-infused government. But having said that, I might as well ask how Israel itself can ignore its own self-interest?

As the Colonel stated in an earlier posting, as goes the US, so goes Israel, and the US is fading as will Israel.

mo, you stated:

"The greatest irony is that were the US to impose itself on the region based on its values and beliefs of justice, freedom and respect, it would be much admired."

Again, I would settle for the US just imposing its self-interests, not that your principles are contradictory to that.

[steve]

I should ask the question--how much of the Obama administration's kowtowing to the lobby is based on fear?? Yes, of course, I understand the fear of its power to make or break political careers.

But the real question I think is how much our policy towards Israel is based on sheer ignorance? While I do think that Obama is an intelligent man and surely must know the history and the present reality of the I-P situation, is it possible his true knowledge is actually limited to what AIPAC provides him?

That's a scary thought.

[William R. Cumming]

All must realize that the decline of the US relative or absolute is because we (the US) no longer control our own destiney. Every cent earned and paid (in taxes) goes primarily to enrich the FIRE sector or goes overseas to enrich foreign FIRE sector. Notice that neither Hu nor Obama mentioned the corruption that is a dominant fact of political and economic life in both countries. Of course I could oversimply as to the winner of the "summit"! Who had the best tailor?

[eakens]

What you are seeing now is the framework to have 30-year treasury rates return to 14-15%. Why? Because in the early 1980's they were that high, and for the past 30 years the "elite money" has been collecting these high rates of returns without lifting a finger.

Now we are almost at the end of that 30-year run and it is time for another one. And the only way to get rates back up is to print money and get inflation up temporarily.

This is what we are all witnessing.

[Leanderthal]

Yes, Giraldi is a voice crying in the wilderness, and he echoes my own which I post on http://leesvoicecryinginthewilderness.blogspot.com.

I had not heard nor read before that "Israel is a colossal political failure" but I agree. For me it's an anti-Zionist view,not an anti-semitic one.

[Cal]

"Can we even perform a cold realistic assessment given the present level of hysteria and imbecility in what passes for our national "leadership"?

Posted by: Clifford Kiracofe | 20 January 2011 at 09:33 AM>>>>>>>>>>

In a word?...No.
What 'passes' for US leadership is way too far gone.

Consider the facts of the most glaring example of our leaders corruption.

Our leadership 'trades' American interest and the welfare of Americans and international law and morality and honor and ethics and the blood and the land and the human dignity of other people for Jewish political money and political assistance decidated to a foreign country.
That's the real deal.

Ask the frog if scorpions can make realistic assesments.

[alnval]

Col. Lang:

To add one more voice in that wilderness beyond Giraldi and those noted by Steve Clemons:

Josh Marshall’s TPMCafe has a lead article by Jon Taplin, Director of the Annenberg Innovation Lab at the University of Southern California. Taplin discusses what he thinks this country will look like in 2020. A key paragraph:

“Here is my worry. The Washington establishment on both sides of the aisle seem to be engaged in some sort of magical thinking--that with sufficient time we will return to business as usual. But a society in which 10% of the population is permanently unemployed and 70% of the population "spends what they make" and has no savings---is not a sustainable proposition in a democracy. In short, we need to stop investing in our 70 year Interventionist Foreign Policy and start investing in rebuilding a sustainable American economy.”

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/01/19/2020_vision/#more

[Toni]

" It is interesting to note that George Mitchell, the Administration’s designated rainmaker for Israel-Palestinian rapprochement, is nowhere in sight...."
So, why Mitchell is allowing to be toyed?

[walrus]

You aren't going to abandon Israel, Israel is going to abandon you.

But not before it has sucked everything of value it thinks it can out of you and when it discards you, it will curse you for having no more to give. At least that is the plan.

However if you ever have heart to heart talks about national character, you understand that the Jewish character is both celebrated and bemoaned by Jews for "Chutzpah". Bemoaned because time and again Chutzpah has encouraged Jews to go one step too far and end in disaster. I think Israel is going to fail this way, and soon.

Despite the outright deceitful language of the American and British financial press, America is in deep financial trouble. Europe is not. Neither are China and India. That American financial weakness translates into political and ultimately military weakness assuming America remains something like a democracy.

The next time, or the time after, America decides to dictate what the worlds response to Israel's latest chutzpah moment is going to be, America might discover that there is considerable resistance to its proposals. I have a feeling that something like this is being spelt out by Premier Hu to President Obama as we speak.

I also think that it in Israels ultimate interest to push America so hard, as that risks an anti semitic backlash that will institutionalise anti Semitism in America, as the Neturei Karta Rabbis have warned. It would not be a good thing for Israel if the current state of the American economy and lock step support of Israel are conflated in American minds.

Accept the 1967 borders. The alternative is a one party state.

[Sean Paul Kelley]

Well, John Edwards called the War on Terror a joke, called for engagement with Iran, decried our bases all around the world and spoke about real economic issues for real people, but he was a cheater, two-faced and all that.

Would Edwards have made a worse president than Hopey-McChange?

[YT]

Prof. Clifford,

RE: Can we even perform a cold realistic assessment given the present level of hysteria and imbecility in what passes for our national "leadership"?

I'm beginnin' to understand the OODA loop of neocons. First hybris (chutzpah?), then denial. & all the folks in Fortress America sinkin' ever deeper into the mire along with 'em.

& I thought only Adolf was insane due to his bein' smitten with a Götterdämmerung endin'.

[Augustin L]

Very interesting short propaganda doc made by us in the 1950's when things were very different.
I'm curious to have your opinions, where do we rank on the despotism scale.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmBFYaYgmS0

This is a must watch!!!

[Leanderthal]

Tom Engelhardt of TomDispatch.com has posted an
insightful piece written by Prof. Ira Chernus, with an excellent intro by Tom.

It's about how our presidents get trapped in American myths, which keep us at war, somewhere, all the time. It's a treat for anyone who really wants to see the big picture, critically.

[Norbert M. Salamon]

Augustin L:

Tx for your posting the link. The logical analysis leads not to democracy, at leaswt in USa, Canada and who knows where else.

[J]

Phil, Colonel,

The Israelis (Bibi, etc.) have said in private conversations that have been overheard, that they intend to 'use' the U.S. for what they can get from U.S., and then 'cast aside' the U.S. as if it were chaff in the wind. So far, it appears that they are 'on script' with their 'use' of U.S. for all they can get before they cast U.S. aside.

I say to hell with the Israelis, we the U.S. aren't theirs to 'use/abuse/misuse/cast aside'!

[jr786]

Well, I applaud the sentiment but minus any positive counter position it doesn't amount to much.

Turn this righteous indignation into positive support for the people of Palestine and outright support for the recognition of Palestine, following the lead of independent countries whose leaders retain some sense of decency.

Boycott Israel; push for divestment. In a word, resist.

[Phil Cattar]

Toni: Regarding George Mitchell disappearance from the scene.Two possibities ,I think he may have some medical issues and/or the Israelis do not trust him because he is half Lebanese and they got Obama to put him on a back burner.I am convinced the Israelis have gotten to Obama.He came on real strong right after his election to change things in the Middle East but now he has been frightened by what happened in the mid terms and knows he may be in for a big fight to get reelected .So "THEY" have him over a barrel.He also ,as I predicted on other sites from day one ,was not capable of beating the likes of Netanyahu and Avi Liberman at his famous 3D chess games.Chess was invented in Prsia.

[Etienne]

Hello all

Another voice in the wilderness that deserves more attention IMHO is Immanuel Wallerstein. He's a sociologist whose bimonthly commentaries are well worth reading.

His world-system theory sees the US as successor hegemon to Britain and in his opinion US's hegemony has been in decline for a while, the financial crisis being the last straw.

However, there is no new successor, the system as he sees it is at a turning point. A new balance of power and new mechanisms will be needed.

But there is no way to tell which way the world will go : towards a more just repartition of wealth or an even more unequal world.

Our actions in the next 40-50 years will shape the new system.
Trouble is ahead and probably for a while.

It is pretty depressing to see where the world is going and for my part I'm not very optimistic... but I try to be. The US and Canada(where I'm from) could be important parts of the new system but not as Master (and junior partner) but as something else that needs to be built, probably by the next generation with us as advisors.

Of course it is pretty hard to summarize so prolific an author so please do not judge him by my post alone and read up on his insights at http://www.iwallerstein.com/commentaries/

Thank you