A rchive Date
[ 10-04-2002 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ U.S ]
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[http://www.canoe.ca/Columnists/stanway.html
Without a doubt, it's America's time
By PAUL STANWAY -- Edmonton Sun
April 10, 2002
In the second instalment of the education of George W. Bush, the U.S. president is discovering just how complicated, and critical, his role has become in a world with just one superpower.
Like the majority of U.S. leaders, Bush entered the White House with an entirely domestic agenda. No surprise there. Under normal circumstances you don't win or lose American presidential elections on foreign policy issues.
It's become a cliche to say that Sept. 11 changed everything, but for Bush at least that is clearly the truth. His domestic agenda consigned to a secondary role, he is the first U.S. president to face the stark reality of post-Cold War international relations.
Bill Clinton was able to slither around the implications of being the world's remaining superpower (as he slithered around so much else), but Sept. 11 has meant Bush must confront the central issue of our time.
It used to make me very uncomfortable to hear the U.S. president described as the leader of the free world. Born in Britain and living in Canada, I clung to the quaint notion that the free world was still an alliance of some sort. NATO writ large.
You'd have to be a fool to still believe that. Without a doubt, this is America's time.
Oh, there is certainly a supporting role to be played by the European Union, Japan and even by Canada, but if the 20th century saw the rise of American power the 21st will be the century in which the U.S. uses that now-dominant power to construct a permanent legacy.
What sort of legacy that will be must depend to a large degree on the foreign policies constructed in this term by Bush.
The past eight months have amply demonstrated that without firm U.S. leadership the 21st century will be marked by escalating terrorism and nasty regional conflicts which, despite what the anti-globalization movement might believe, would seriously impede mankind's search for greater prosperity and peace.
There are those who cringe at the realization that Bush is the go-to guy in this situation.
Personally, I'm more worried about Colin Powell. The U.S. secretary of state seems wedded to the 20th -entury belief that despite all proof to the contrary, the best route is always one of conciliation and compromise. Powell often sounds like an American Neville Chamberlain, which is not a good thing.
Bush, on the other hand, despite his shortcomings, seems to understand that sometimes the world needs more than a chairperson; it needs leadership. It takes him a while to figure it out, but after a brief period of hesitation he seems to perform quite well. That was true in the aftermath of Sept. 11 and we've seen it again in the last few days in Bush's response to the crisis in Israel.
He had me worried for a while. I recently wrote in this space that Israel's ultimate security was guaranteed by the U.S. and that would surely deter any of Israel's Arab neighbours from taking advantage of the present situation to launch an attack. But as the situation worsened the White House said little and did less.
Neill Lochery, a Mideast expert with a good track record, wrote in the National Post that in the vacuum created by Washington's non-leadership there were signs the Arab states were considering an opportunistic war.
An old friend of mine, a retired Israeli soldier and diplomat, sent me an e-mail bemoaning the inevitable carnage when soldiers police a hostile civilian population, and worrying that this would undermine both Israel's image and morale.
The prospects for a wider conflict suddenly looked pretty good.
Bush's belated but vigorous intervention now seems to have stabilized things, and not a moment too soon.
The next step in Bush's education must be the understanding that in the long run, without peace between Israelis and Palestinians there can be no end to the war on terrorism.
It is the festering sore at the heart of the conflict between Islam and the West.
After half a century it's safe to say that left to their own devices, Israelis and Palestinians will not do the world a favour and agree to peaceful co-existence. That will require a settlement imposed by and guaranteed by the only country with the clout to do it: the United States. Does George W. Bush have the resolve? We must hope so.
Letters to the editor should be sent to letters@edm.sunpub.com
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