“It’s a fine mess you’ve got us into now, Ollie.”
That classic line from old Laurel and Hardy films resulted in a good laugh. When our government leaders mess things up it is not so funny. I’m thinking about our lack of foreign policy. Our government’s actions make me wonder what country it represents. It doesn’t appear to be America.
According to the NY Times, U.S. leadership secretly approved arms sales for Libyan rebels. The arms were sent via Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. These countries released arms to jihadists in Libya, Syria and Mali. The current leadership in Libya characterizes this action as a destabilizing force. Our Ambassador Christopher Stevens was murdered by Muslim jihadists in Benghazi, Libya. But I’m sure there is no connection.
On another front in foreign affairs blunders, the hunt for Edward Snowden gave new meaning to the word fiasco. One of our leaders, no one will say who, ordered, France, Italy, Spain and Portugal to forbid the overflight of the president of Bolivia’s plane. The pilot of the plane was forced to land in Vienna, Austria. Either the Austrian police or the Austrian military searched the plane looking for that archcriminal Edward Snowden. We looked like absolute fools when it was found that “killer” Snowden was not aboard.
Until the above action no one had offered Snowden asylum. Now, Bolivia, Venezuela, Nicaragua and ultimately Russia have all offered him asylum. Latin American leaders think we are idiots; our allies in Europe are looking like slave states; Austria came close to committing an act of war; our relations with Russia hit a new low; and Edward Snowden is safely ensconced in Moscow telling the world our secrets.
And now Egypt! As dictators go, Hosni Mubarak wasn’t so bad, at least from America’s point of view. He maintained peace and stability and he kept his word, to us and Israel. Then we helped Egypt elect new leadership that was anti-American and anti-Israel. The newly elected president was Egypt’s leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, a group historically tied to jihad and Sharia Law.
Guess what? The people of Egypt objected to Sharia Law. The Egyptian military staged a coup, backed by the Egyptian people and overthrew the Muslim Brotherhood.
What does this say about our leadership? Can you say dither? The Egyptian people openly say they are fed up with our interference in their affairs. We, in order to show our power and might, have cancelled joint military exercises with the Egyptian military. Russia and Saudi Arabia have jumped in and set up joint military exercises and aid. What a fine mess we’ve got into.
When amiable Ollie got things in a fix it gave us good laugh. When our leaders do it, it’s no joke. It could even cost us the Suez Canal. That is not funny.
Chuck Griffiths
Ocean View
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