[Cross-posted at The Left Coaster.]
Scanning the amateur work at Daily Kos last week a diarist unabashedly proclaimed that President Obama had “earned” his Nobel Peace prize by the imminent nuclear energy deal soon to be signed with Iran by John Munich Kerry, Secretary of State.
He did? That seems rather strange, usually one earns a significant accomplishment and the Nobel committee duly crowns the recipient with laurels of fame, money and prestige, but comprehension of foreign policy can be difficult at times.
In fact, when did the United States begin a state of war with Iran? Ah, of course we’re not, the Iranians are developing a nuclear program of unclear intentions, the upcoming treaty possibly to be signed negates the future possibility of Iranian nuclear weapons, which has freaked out the hawkish militarists in the US and Israel for over a decade, who would desperately like to see the Iranian nuclear capability obliterated to smithereens by a squadron of F-18’s with 40 half-ton precision munitions. Now.
So, naturally, the basic agreement with the Iranians is a major accomplishment in itself, but politically it’s a huge risk in offending those hawkish militarists who want to bomb Iran right god damn now. They’re voluble, supremely aggressive intimidating media and political types used to getting their way.
Politically and decision-wise, yes, but it’s important to keep in mind the United States and Israel are vastly militarized Republics of frightening armament capability, when political factions threaten and apply pressure for far-off violence and killing the will and the means exist for any instant application, anywhere.
Also, too, the proclamation of earning a Nobel after the fact stems from a general embarrassment in two dimensions, the first being of course the ludicrous granting of the award by the Nobel committee upon a fresh President who naturally hadn’t had a chance to accomplish anything. The Nobel committee made a blatant political move to apply pressure and expectations on President Obama to end the Iraq war, that little episode when our esteemed Republic freaked out and became violent liars of plunder and conquest in Southwest Asia.
The second dimension of embarrassment for the liberal Democratic community here is that although of course President Obama ended the Iraq war two years later, horrendously expensive and violent theatres of war bloom unabated in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the second a new frightening outbreak of multitudes of drones. So yes, the President did end a war but two continue on in a Republic fiercely armed to the teeth, so all is not exactly peaceful in the world or in the United States.
Why the underlying embarrassments? Well, peace is good. Right? Democratic Presidents are concerned with the little people, they wouldn’t be hurting only to be ignored for wars of ceaseless useless violence, surely not. Democratic Presidents are not bellicose leaders of shadowy honesty, killing citizens of earth with no due process and women and children along the way, isn’t that so?
Well, obviously it isn’t, so when President Obama is close to signing a major nuclear deal with Iran he has earned his Nobel peace price. Gotcha.
Speaking of ending wars, our eternal agony of Afghanistan is scheduled to end next year, but the news of last week was contradictory and confusing too. Karzai, President of Afghanistan, threatened not to sign the “peace” agreement, so in retort the United States threatened to leave the country completely next year.
What? Isn’t that what peace and treaties mean, that after an incredible amount of blood and treasure we get to leave?
Well, “peace” and “ending” the war in Afghanistan have a very different interpretation by our political and military leadership, their treaty (SOFA, they call it) means that although peace is at hand we’re still staying in some much smaller form of violent occupation force. Compared to before, a tiny war means peace, there you go.
Karzai is a complete puppet of the United States, if we leave entirely the voraciously violent political factions of Afghanistan will chop him and his CIA brother in weeks, so of course he needs US continuing presence to literally survive.
But, bummer, the United States launched an element of its Bad Guy Drone war in Afghanistan last week and by mistake killed two Afghanistan women, severely wounding two others. Even the most obsequious of puppets like Karzai cannot take this politically to his own people, so thus the ensuing threats to take a dump on the SOFA. A US general actually called to apologize, things will likely settle down.
So the $120 billion annual war tab for Afghanistan will probably go down soon, but who knows when the secret Pakistan drone war will end. The US labor market is busted, 50 million on food stamps with desperate technological hurdles to be reached for climate change, yet the $20 billion fuel bill for Southwest Asia will be paid next year.
Some say the US lost its mind after 9/11, others point to leadership of fear and violence, so easy to implement in a vastly militarized society. So very hard to say why in these strange and confusing times, but the wars and violence will go on while our people suffer so much, that is assuredly so.