Iraq’s infrastructure is broken. China is making them a deal: they’ll help rebuild it, in exchange for some oil.
Why is it that the totalitarian communist empire is making friends and money through commercial development and cooperation? How come the “liberal” and “free society” republic is trying to maintain its command authority through a boot on the face?
The boot on the face is why Bin Laden hated the US Empire, more than anything else. His goal was to cut through the crap and show the Islamic World that the US might promise commercial friendship, but what it really delivers is the boot. This is ironic. China might someday become just as happy to land boots on faces as the US or anyone else. China’s doing it right now, against Uighur Muslims, for goodness’ sake.
The US could have reacted to 9/11 in a measured way. We had an opportunity to prove to the world that we’re reasonable, leverage their sympathy, continue the good commercial cooperation. But our sick sick institutions took the bait and launched the boot. The weaker the US becomes, the more of a scapegoat it will become. How many generations until people in the Middle East will move on from mistrusting America?
Bin Laden had a belief – in his view American power was no angel, it was a demon. Not everyone agreed. So he placed a bet, and the demon – not the angel – awoke.
The US had a chance to prove Bin Laden wrong but we failed. This is where we are now.
