Optimist, 15 July. Link here.
Thai cavern rescue. The world rejoiced at the successful rescue of the young soccer team and their coach. Even as he was being pilloried on social media as wildly irresponsible, the coach wrote a note of apology to the parents (delivered by a Thai seal team rescuer). One foreign editor allowed as how in America there would already be a lawsuit. David Scott Clark of the Christian Science Monitor wrote, "But what may linger long after the headlines is a global lesson from Thai parents in how to practice respect and forgiveness."
NATO. Before the meeting, a story in the Christian Science Monitor asked pointedly, "Does squabble over NATO's cost mask more fundamental US shift." President Trump is not the first to raise the "cost" question. "A larger question for Americans, though, is whether NATO is still relevant today. Some national security experts concur with President Trump’s campaign pronouncement that NATO has outlived its purpose and is too bureaucratic and unwieldy."
More succinctly, does America view the European alliance as central to our 21st century geopolitical interests? Stephen Walt notes that President Trump "...falsely claimed that the EU was created 'to take advantage of the United States.' (This last statement raises an obvious question: Does Trump know any history at all? The answer appears to be no."
Which calls to mind the famous caution by philosopher, George Santayana, about the folly of not remembering the past. "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." Many teachers would characterize the president as an inept student.
Russia, past and present. Columnist David Von Drehle takes a sobering look at what Russia has done over the last several hundred years with all the wealth at its disposal and discusses this statement: "No nation in the world has squandered its opportunities as thoroughly as Russia."
It might also be worth remembering that when he visited America in September 1959, USSR Premier Nikita Khrushchev specifically asked to visit a particular farm in Iowa. Like many other Russians before him (Czarist and Soviet), Khrushchev wanted desperately to learn why its vast, rich farm lands, including Ukraine, were not able to produce as much as the farms in Iowa.
Europe without the US. Long-time European-watcher, Anne Applebaum, thinks it is time for European nations to start planning their new future. "[T]he question now facing America’s allies in Europe is both fundamental and unanswerable. It is this: Are Trump’s threats, as well as the lies and hyperbole that accompany them, just tactics intended to strengthen the Western alliance? Or does Trump actually want the alliance to die?" Is this the same sort of watershed moment that Europe and the US faced when Stalin began the Berlin Blockade on 24 June 1948?
Robert Kagan, senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, says, "Things will not be okay," if our relations with Europe are not attended to. President Trump is now the "owner" of preceding years of mistakes, a responsibility he cannot duck. He should curb his rhetoric and act to set things right, to mend a deteriorating situation. The Europe of 2018 is not the Europe of 1948. Today's rising right-leaning populist nationalism must be dealt with. A 21st century Russia must be dealt with.
Emmett Till and James Byrd, Jr. In the CSM, Yvonne Zipp, twenty years on, relates the stories of the hate crimes that resulted in the deaths of Till and Byrd. The open-casket funeral, demanded by Till's mother, sparked the civil rights movement, as did the 3-mile dragging death of Byrd. Neither family wants this blighted past to be forgotten.
Federalism in action. This story about paid family leave highlights an increasingly common event in America social history: in the absence of federal action, individual states and companies are taking action.
Americans at the UN. No, not everyone should apply! The "Vino Vixen" has to vet your application before you are on "the Trump administration's loyalty list." Blogged or written disparagingly about.....? You're out! Sound a bit like the list Senator McCarthy's waved about -- his 200 or so commies? This from the Foreign Policy article: "The form contains no questions designed to assess candidates’ technical fitness for a U.N. post or whether they have relevant experience in their field. Instead, it focuses on the candidates’ public statements and writings that might reveal their political leanings."
"Under the terms of the U.N. charter, international civil servants are supposed to pledge their loyalty to the world institution and are prohibited from seeking or receiving 'instructions from any government"....The questionnaire asks potential candidates whether they have ever run for political office, served on a local or state political party committee, or addressed a political conference hosted by the Conservative Political Action Conference, the Republican National Committee, the Democratic National Committee, or any other political organization.Better burn that copy of 1984 on your bookshelf!
Cave and Cup. What do the Thai cave story and World Cup have in common?
Important parties to both stories are refugees. Young (undoubtedly cold and frightened) Adul Sam-on acted as translator for the British rescue divers.
Croatian team captain Luka Modric was a refugee who survived the violent breakup of Yugoslavia.
Thank you for reading. No post next week.
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