We are posting a piece of ‘political fiction’ published today by the ‘Strategic Culture Foundation‘
Rafe MAIR (Canada)
It’s Tuesday November 8, 2016, election night in the United States. Hillary Clinton, candidate for the Democratic Party and, unbelievably, Sarah Palin for the Republicans, if elected, face huge problems in the Middle East and in the Americas.
You will recall that no one gave Ms Palin a chance of getting the Republican nomination, overlooking the fact that she had been campaigning since the first year of outgoing President Obama’s first year in power collecting the religious right and those who are viciously fighting Obama’s health initiative which looks more like European plans every day as the government gets increasingly involved to the rage of pharmaceutical, companies, private hospitals and the medical profession. The Republican strategy has been to keep Ms Palin sticking to this issue since she knows nothing about foreign affairs.
As we remember, in January 2013, the US invaded Canada to divert to themselves oil destined to go by pipeline from the Tar Sands to the BC coast thence to China. In the fall of this year you’ll also recall that Mexico, under a coalition of rebels, the Zapatistas, and the old and corrupt PRI, seized power and immediately cut off oil supplies to the United States, following the same move by Venezuela six months earlier. As one of his last acts as President, Barack Obama sent the Marines into Mexico stating “we’re here to save Mexican democracy and the fact that we rely on oil more now than ever is not a consideration”. Yeah, right!
It’s been a terrible second term for the president who had to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan last year before declaring victory as they ran. Pakistan, seeing that the coast was clear, made territorial demands on its neighbour which brought a stern warning from India that it would, if necessary, come to the aid of Afghanistan. Egypt, having overthrown Gamal Mubarak who had succeeded his father, installed a Wahabbi government which instantly revoked the 1979 Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty and broke off diplomatic relations. Not only did the US have troops in Canada and Mexico, they were dangerously short of oil which was nudging $400 per bbl. Benjamin Netanyahu, once again premier of Israel for the fourth time, demanded US troops come in to protect it from Egypt, The Islamic Republic of Arabia and The Greater Islamic Republic of Syria – which you will remember came about when a highly suspicious vote in Lebanon opted for union with Syria – announced solidarity with Egypt. If all that wasn’t enough, it’s clear that Iran not only has nuclear weapons but the ability to deliver them against the hated Israel.
Russia, with Vladimir Putin once more president, had worked both sides of the street while trying, through diplomacy, to prevent Iran getting nuclear weapons he also shipped them uranium on Iran’s pledge to use it only for peaceful purposes. That reminded one Canadian commentator that this is what Canada demanded and got before it sold Candu reactors to Pakistan and India. In fairness it must be remembered that Russia has problems with militant Islam both inside and outside its borders and, as with the United States, knows that no matter how powerful a country is, that power is useless against religious or nationalistic (or both) forces.
China remained out of the Middle East problems but used the circumstances to inform Taiwan that it would negotiate an agreement with it, as it had with Hong Kong, but that at any rate it would not tolerate what it considers Taiwan’s state of rebellion past December 31st next year; that failing an agreement “appropriate measures would be taken”. It is not considered a coincidence that the United States is in no position to help Taiwan.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, president of Iran who, like the late Yasser Arafat, is always on the brink of political extinction but seems to survive, found that to do so he must move closer and closer to the Mullahs while convincing the public that he wasn’t. When he was asked, point blank, by the UN president if Iran had nuclear weapons Ahmadinejad in a marked departure from his normal answer about “peaceful uses” said: “The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to deal with any and all aggression from Israel or anyone else”.
What was all this reminiscent of?
In July of 1914 Belgrade, Vienna, Berlin, Paris, Brussels and London were on tenterhooks as drums of war came closer and closer. Now it was Cairo, Riyadh, Damascus, Baghdad, Kabul, Islamabad, Delhi, Taipei, Moscow, Beijing, and Washington all watching in horror as Tehran and Jerusalem hurled insults at one another. With the heedless bombast for which leaders in this region often display, President Ahmadinejad warned that the first Russian or American soldier that stepped over the border would “trigger events over which he [Ahmadinejad] would have no control”.
In her last words before the polls closed, Republican candidate Palin said “I think this is simply awful, When I was Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, we sometimes had things just like this happen in our Village Council meetings and I found that with my gavel and some friendly persuasion, why I got everyone settled down, and this is why I will make such a good president.”
Ms Clinton said “tomorrow, after I’m elected, I will see President Obama and remind him that until January 19 next year he is still the president and that the people of the United States, indeed the world, expect him to bring an end to these crises which all happened, I will remind him, long after he fired me as Secretary of State when he started his second term in 2013”.
In Iraq, still under token occupation by the US as they struggle to bring Sunni, Shia, Kurds and secularists into some sort of governing modus operandi with noticeable lack of success, a few American soldiers huddle in their cold barracks, with beer in hand, listening to The Voice of America, which after announcing that Kim Jong-il had just threatened to invade South Korea, turns back to music and to Englebert Humperdinck, as he croons …
“There’s a kind of a hush, all over the world “tonight”.
Rafe Mair is a lawyer, political commentator and former radio personality and politician in British Columbia, Canada.
Excellent post,thanks for sharing!