Power vs. Wisdom is a common concept in the thoughts of political scientists. It is a primary theme in Plato's Republic, and was later carried out beautifully in J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.
There is no doubt in my mind that America is the world's sole superpower and that our military is the best that the world has ever seen. However, sometimes America lacks a certain wisdom in its political leaders that is a necessity in order to maintain a just state.
Leading up to the war on Iraq, there was little doubt about the course of action that America was going to take. President Bush began pushing this country toward the prospect of war sometime around August of 2002. Along the way, we have treated the U.N. as a speed bump and world opinion as that of a parent who we think we know better than. However, isn't Europe not only older in its civilization, but also somewhat wiser, having been through devastating wars on their own soil? I have made it rather clear that I support the U.S. decision to go into Iraq. However, I also believe that the Bush Administration, Colin Powell excluded, did not succeed in going about this matter with the wisdom to encourage the rest of the world to support us.
We must look beyond the simple logistics of the war. I fear that Bush will feel that his "Coalition of the Willing" will be enough for him not to worry about the widening rift between America and some important European powers. From Rumsfeld's remarks about "Old Europe" to "Freedom" Fries, to even boycotting some French products, I feel that the U.S. is acting like a group of adolescent boys only looking to snub the ones who don't agree with them. All this time, I thought we were supposed to be fighting Iraq, not the French. We have let our power and our mobs interject where wisdom alone should operate.
It is time that the Bush Administration and the masses of the American people repair this rift before it gets too serious. I feel that this administration is not preparing itself for the aftermath of this war and is not spending enough time trying to bridge the differences that we have with the French and the Germans on this matter. The sad thing is that the in the conclusion of the rift, it isn't the Americans, the French, or the Germans who stand to lose, but rather the Iraqi people and the United Nations. With the actions that this administration has taken to cast down the U.N. as an "insignificant" factor in world politics, it is going to be hard to resuscitate that body in order to make an impact on the world politically, economically, and socially.
I just hope that in the months to come, the wisdom buried deep within this administration's foolhardy policies will come forth and guide America back to the glory and moral standing it once possessed.
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Andrew Lent is Whim's resident political columnist.
Responses:
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Name: Andrew
Comments:
I would only hope if I ever do make it into running for a canidacy that I would have the wisdom to practice what I preach.
Name: Christina
Comments:
I'm not so sure there IS any wisdom buried deep within the Dubya administration. We may have to wait until the next national election for anything resembling wisdom to return to the United States government.
Meanwhile, hurry up and graduate so you can run for office, would ya?
Comments:
One of the main reasons we were all wrong for going to war in the first place. Things should have been done much differently. Should've, could've, would've is all in the past now, and all we can do is look to the future and hope that we find some wisdom to help rectify some of the sticky situations we've put ourselves in. Good article.
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Andrew Lent | Staff Writer