Alienating our Allies

In a world thats much more thoughtful, and sensitive world our metrosexual priesthood tells us “Our allies would support us.... and in the world of unintentional ironies their words end up being as ignorant and foolish as the path they decry...

First we must define the word allies a bit, and I will get into some international relations theory here (but thats ok it will not be painful). The Realist school of International policy has one ultimately valid point, beyond all others. That point is nations do ultimately what is in their self interest, and best interest. During what we saw during the Second World War and the Cold War (up until the late 60s to early 80s) was keeping America part of the international system, and happy was in their best interest. Young men from Omaha to Nassau were ready to put their lives on the line to defend Belgium, Tokyo, And Sydney from Communist and Nazi death. But the problem is with best interest.... like any kind of interest the rates do change.

In the late 60s to the early 80s a school of thought came onto the stage which was known as Detente. In the world of detente getting huggly and snuggly with the Russian bear will protect us. Taking the red hordes and encouraging them to join the family of nations and then (later) peace and capitalism will come. Detente only worked because Nixon punched a wedge in the communist alliance by brining a strong relationship with the US to Mao's most self oriented self interest. And when the idea came that we should be thoughtful and sensitive when dealing with the red hordes did we find ourself in a problem that is most familiar.

With an unpopular war, and the costs of that war leading to a weakening American economic position the nations of the world found their best interests were not in aggression... indeed they felt aggression was the opposite of their best interest. These nations clothed themselves in Socialism, they challenged the rectitude of the US position. They called for Pacifism and engagement.

Then came some great titans. Folks like Pope John Paul II, Ronald Reagan, Margie Thatcher, and some heads of state who realized that communism was a moral evil. They realized that communism dehumanized and brutalized people who lived under it. And so they challenged communists and their proxies around the world. This shadow war through the prism of the cold war was very ugly, and many more problems were caused but in the end the other nations came along because it was in their best interest to.

Being a leader is hard. No one wanted to save Czechoslovakia when Hitler came. No one wanted to save Austria. A world tired of War did not want to stand up for the rights of the people under the Iron Curtain. The path of acceptance is very easy, the path of diplomacy is very easy. But diplomacy to have any meaning at all must have a final line that cannot be crossed.

Otherwise, how can we know our own interest, and make it the interest of others?

Our allies will not come until they see it is in their interest and they see some one will lead the fight. So lets put aside the metrosexual talk and lets talk like men who live in a real world.