So the U.S. economy is in the tank, Iran is building nuclear weapons, global warming is killing polar bears and China is beating up Buddhists. How do I feel about all of this?
Well, in the immortal words of Big Gay Al from South Park: “I’m super, thanks for asking!”
Is this just another case of Ignorant Bliss Syndrome? Are you about to find yourself in the middle of another one of those torturous “Hey, things are a lot better now than they were in the Dark Ages” columns? Rest easy, the answer to both of these questions is “no.”
Things are looking up because there is an emerging paradigm shift among the views of both domestic and international political leaders regarding how we should go about solving the world’s problems.
For nearly eight years, George W. Bush has practiced the doctrine of “cowboy diplomacy,” which essentially consists of him drawing a circle in the sand around himself and declaring that everyone inside the circle is good, while everyone outside it is bad.
Unfortunately, the circle is so small that it only has room for Bush and those who are willing to embrace him in a way that would get you kicked out of a 1950s high school prom.
But no matter who enters the Oval Office come January, be it John McCain or Barack Obama (sorry, Senator Clinton), we’re going to see significant change. McCain, not Bush, is the true scion of the conservative movement that has thrived in American politics for the past 40 years – one that has done so by building coalitions rather than dividing interests.
And while Obama has less coalition-building experience than McCain, his rhetoric suggests that he is also a man interested in finding common ground with those who disagree with him.
This new “coalitional mindset” will have an impact not just on domestic issues, but international ones as well. Consider for instance, that both of the leading presidential candidates have come out in favor of strong environmental reforms.
Moreover, globalization is tying together the economic interests of Middle Eastern countries and forcing them towards the path of reconciliation.
Aware of the fact that their oil reserves won’t last forever, countries like Saudi Arabia and Dubai are scrambling to invest in the future; whereas before, oil revenues would go to buy F-16s and royal palaces, money is now flowing toward capital infrastructure and tourism.
Just last week, Israel and Syria announced that they were gearing up for high-level peace talks. For Israel, peace with another one of its neighbors would be a boon; but for Syria, peace is a necessity.
Continued belligerence and sponsorship of terrorism by Damascus might bring Syria the support of Iran, but a peace treaty with Israel would bring it into the far more powerful military-politico-economic bloc of the U.S. and Western Europe. When the oil is gone, such ties will be invaluable.
In the end, we can rely upon the fundamental truth that there are more things that unite us citizens of the world than divide us.
If countries and leaders are able to find common ground on simple issues, truly extremist regimes and organizations will find themselves increasingly isolated.
Who will stand against environmental reform when both Democrats and Republicans support it? Who will stand with Hamas and Tehran when not only Israel and America oppose them, but also Egypt, Jordan and Syria? Neither question is easily answered, and that, we all must admit, is pretty reassuring.
