The Syrian people - like the rest of the world - heard the stirring, purposeful words of courage and implacability: yes, the "development or moving around of chemical weapons [within Syria] would constitute [the crossing of] a red line"...following which, 'we all understood', the U S of A would take the [requisite military] action needed to rectify the situation...i.e. Syria's despotic murderer Bashir al-Assad would be left in no uncertain terms as to who was really in control in his land: i.e. America - not himself.
No, I myself speak with hyperbole and imprecisely here; rather - by employing said weaponry in order to vaporize his enemies - Assad would be left in absolutely no doubt whatsoever as to what would happen, how the 'civilized world' so-called, would react, were chemical and/or biological weapons to be utilized in the Syrian conflict: real humanity wouldn't tolerate it, would respond swiftly and sharply and put paid speedily to Assad's pretensions, to his genocidal treatment of 'his own'... .
But just as President George Bush (Senior) gave the effective green light to another infamous high-profile despot and tyrant around two decades earlier, President Obama likewise capitulated, grew weak at the knees when push came to shove...and, much as Bush effectively allowed then Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to bombard the Kurds in Iraq's north with biological/chemical weapons after the Iraq War - a war moreover when virtually the entire globe was right behind the United States' action to free Kuwait from Hussein's annexation, to the extent that even that well-known bastion of anti-Americanism, the United Nations, by almost unanimous decision authorized the U.S. military response (just think of it!) - Bush Senior's latter-day successor, Barack Hussein Obama, has likewise - despite his own 'red line' declaration - simply refused to give reality to his own fine, ever so carefully and precisely enunciated words.
Personally I neither support America's *long-adopted role of de facto World Policeman, nor for that matter still entertain even faint hopes of, much less expect, **real moral courage ***from that nation in face of many of the present-day threats encompassing our planet, it's just a pity that those politicians so often lauded to the rafters, such as ****Obama, so often likewise fail to follow through on their solemnly-spoken undertakings.
*Itself the subject of a two millennia-spanning biblical prophecy in the New Testament Book of Revelation.
**Though some would maintain that President Obama has indeed shown such moral leadership over climate change and his historic (but likely soon to be relegated to the dustbin of history) deal thereabouts with the Government of China no less: that is, in achieving what many had understandably given up hopes of, i.e. some genuine worldwide consensus and concord on that threat to all humankind (whether ultimately human-induced, aggravated or otherwise). For in global environmental catastrophes there are no real winners, and if humankind, animal-kind and plant-kind are pretty well wiped out through our lack of moral courage, vision and preparedness to take a risk-averse, precautionary, *****life-at-any-cost approach to the present threat to life on Planet Earth, our extinct offspring and their own nonexistent progeny will hardly be around to bemoan our lack of foresight, and ask us, much like Scrooge's Ghost of Christmas Past, why we weren't willing to really listen to our own prophets of doom in our day of opportunity. Dead folk, after all, tell no tales.
***Though in so saying I myself - as so many do, in a quite unreflective way - seem to both expect America to consistently adopt just such a de facto position as Moral Watchman of our present-day world and yet simultaneously adopt the surely mutually-contradictory stance of butting out of any and every major present-day conflict or military crisis that presents. Like these other critics I too invariably want to have my cake and eat it too!
****Though to give the man his due credit, on such diverse issues as 'global warming', healthcare, gun control and reconciliation with two longstanding, diehard American foes, Iran and Cuba, he has certainly been well prepared to take the road less travelled, and make real attempts - however presently or ultimately unsuccessful - to put concrete form upon his (otherwise purely idealistic) sentiments thereabouts.
*****By which, I hasten to add, the measure that will ultimately be taken - mandatory Sunday laws, America-wide then internationally ...is most definitely not the answer, and will itself bring on the time of trouble such as never was, and never ever will be again...as it'll usher in The Return of The (True) King...!
No comments:
Post a Comment