It doesn’t get easier, watching politicians and other naive public servants walk back accomplishments of our past. It took a lot of work to push Russia back to the footing it knew before the Second World War and to ensure war didn’t break out in the Middle East in the process. When the Cold War ended, all we had to do was ensure those regions remained stable. Instead, we saw our politicians sell out to Arab and Israeli leaders who promised to make decisions they’d benefit from in exchange. Now we have politicians ready to sell out to Russia as well.
If you didn’t see this coming, count yourself lucky because it’s been a beast to witness. The whole thing started when Saudi Arabia and Pakistan promised to drive the Soviets from Afghanistan in exchange for weapons long sought by the two. Both were seen as troublemakers at the time, and there was a standing order not to provide them arms as they so often aided anti-western forces in the region. They found favor far too easy, given the fact that defense and intelligence experts warned Washington they’d never stop funding anti-western activities.
When the topic of an alliance came up, to reward Saudi Arabia and Pakistan for their self-serving efforts in Afghanistan, defense and intelligence experts warned they’d turn this to their advantage too. They wanted a number of leaders armed by us removed from power in exchange for a pledge they weren’t likely to keep, and haven’t. We saw the first Bush administration attempt to start this in 1990, then Saudi Arabia force it in 2001 by supporting the terrorists who carried out the attacks of September 11. It is made clear that they do this in the now unredacted 9/11 Commission Report.
Our defense and intelligence experts were proven correct when these regime changes were complete. The Middle East and many regions surrounding it have become unstable. So much so these regions have seen as many displaced as were displaced during the Second World War. And we’ve lost more than we’ve gained in the process.
Now Isreal and Russia are on the move. It makes no sense to make distinction between the efforts of these two nations because both have demonstrated that they won’t stop unless forced to once they get going. They’re no different than the Arab effort that nearly starved tens of millions in Yemen before the ambitions woke by 9/11 could be brought under control. Both have been at this much longer, though reigned in a few times. The Israeli effort began when the Zionist movement was established in Russia in 1897, in fact.
We still have allies in the organization that kept the peace in these regions after it was won by those who founded it, somehow. We will have to recommit ourselves to them if we want stability again. It won’t be what it was, because we’ve lost so much ground. But, we can have stability again if we recommit ourselves to NATO and stop fooling around with those responsible for all this instability.
Jamie Beaulieu
Farmington, Maine
Opinion pieces reflect the views of the individual author, and do not reflect the views of the Daily Bulldog, Mt. Blue TV, or Central Maine Media Alliance. Publication of an opinion piece does not equate to endorsement of the content of the piece.
