** Background: Thirty
years ago, the Soviet Union collapsed. Without regard for potential problems that might arise, World powers declared that
each state would simply revert back to its original borders (pre 1922)
and each would have a quickly formed but democratic government. The
turmoil that has been a regular part of this region since that time
(name changes, divisions and military actions) have largely been the
result of people pushing back against a one-and-done fix that was more
about global politics than cultural identity. Not all communities have
embraced US style democracy. Some, like portions of Crimea and Ukraine, have
kept their connections with Russia. If this conflict continues in the same way it is presently going. There seems to be hope that Ukraine and Russia will work out their differences without direct influence from the US and Europe. Since the end of WWII, Europe, the United States and mostly the United Nations have failed to see that one issue is at the heart of these difficulties. Russia is a country that is blocked from shipping lanes for at least half of every year. The Soviet Union worked because it functioned as much as a trad alliance as a country. Russia had access to warm water ports through Ukraine and Crimea. The reorganization following the fall of the Soviet Union fail to take that into consideration and now Russia must fight not for geopolitical security but for financial security in the energy marketplace.
As Americans know from experience, keeping a border intact is not enough to keep peace. If only our political systems viewed Americans as one group without separating them into fractured voting blocks that serve no one. Ukraine will need to choose compromise or war. The United States will need to do that same if it expects to break the cycle of ping-pong elections and a dysfunctional government******
ORIGINAL POSTING
A little history explains much about current events when one takes the time to consider it. If there is any doubt, a look at President Joe Biden's reaction to Russian activities might appear as the ghost of the Cold War rather than current public sentiment. For all the attempts to broker global peace, there is one factor that causes it to fail at every turn. From the collapse of the League of Nations following WWI to the limits of what the United Nations can now do in just such situations, as long as one country is left out of the discussion, there is no other option but threats and war.
No different than picking teams for a children's ball game, alliances make it possible to ignore the needs of one country by declaring them unfit or unworthy in some way. But how does the leader of a major World power not recognize this simple occurrence for what it is and diffuse the situation rather than alarm it. For Biden, the trigger is likely a childhood heavily influenced by the Truman Doctrine, a significant piece in US foreign policy meant to be a supportive partnership but instead creating division throughout the World.
How the Truman Doctrine Shaped American Foreign Policy
Within months of the end of WWII and before most Baby Boomers were even born, America's future as an ally to Europe and Defenders of Democracy was drafted and approved by the United States Congress. Without future generations having a say in the matter, the Truman Doctrine became the foundation of US foreign policy in March of 1947 and still heavily impacts military operations today. Pledging to provide financial and other aid to any free country that finds itself in trouble, the Truman Doctrine quickly made the United States a valuable ally during uncertain times.
Even though the United Nations had been created to insure peace in the World, there were other post-war events that called for quick assistance. When Europe could not provide the level of support needed in the years immediately following the war, the United Kingdom (UK) requested assistance from the US and the Truman Doctrine was the result.
Unfortunately, what started as a predominately financial aid program shifted to a military one as the Korean War (1950-1953) and the Vietnam War (1955-1975) became an ideological battle between Democracy and Communism. Coming of age during these periods of war, leaders such as George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, John McCain and Joe Biden would encourage the American citizen to fund massive military operations in the Gulf War, Afghanistan, Iraq War as well a peace keeping missions around the World. That Biden would end one war in August and be ready to enter another one less than a year later speaks to the influence of the Truman Doctrine on individuals who were impressionable in the late 1940s and 1950s.
Honorable but Unsustainable Theology
For 76 million Baby Boomers, the concept behind a cooperative global community seemed honorable until they realized they would be the ones going to war, paying for the ever-increasing defense budgets and seeing their wealth eaten up by spiraling inflation and feel-good social programs. Had the protests which led to the end of the Vietnam offensiveness killed the economic imbalance associated with the Truman Doctrine, the United States might have achieved the equality based society that the the United Nations supported. But war is good for business, even if it is an ideological one. The Space Race, food aid to African nations, Olympic rivalries and exclusive trade agreements served the same purpose only played better in the press, even while spending millions in taxpayer dollars for little more than an image. This kind of war could be turned into allies and strength but still ignored the needs of the nations considered undemocratic, backward or abusive.
Ironically when Americans realized the never-ending costs of these efforts, those who had been shaped by this "Save-the-World" attitude turned their efforts to rescuing select groups within their own borders. Not afraid of work, Baby Boomers created the largest workforce and tax base in American history. Taking two incomes to have the lifestyle of their parents, the government continued to collect FICA taxes only to siphon money out of these accounts for special programs and military preparedness. Rather than pay down war debt and combat inflation, Congress championed every special cause and project it could fund. It paid farmers to sit idle. It designed expensive military equipment during peace-time. it opened its borders to millions of immigrants which kept wages low for working families. It protected its citizens by mandating massive health care, insurance and product safety measures which drained their bank accounts and it combated poverty by paying people to remain impoverished. When that wasn't enough, the country went to war with little provocation but penalized embattled countries because they refused to march in lock-step with American ideals
The one thing government did not do was protect the largest generation from being used and abused for no other purpose than to pay taxes and fund their endless string of social programs and agendas. The result has been a nation that cannot acknowledge that in the wake of the Truman Doctrine, all it did was rob the majority of its own citizens from a good and peaceful life.
A Pattern That Must Change
For 75 years, both Republican and Democratic parties have focused their leadership, not on what is good for the average citizen, but for what raised the image of the US in the World. Left with crumbling infrastructure, an orbit filled with space junk, imperfect healthcare, a compromise ecosystem and a wealth gap that is as large as some third world countries, will Biden's signature agenda be like those listed below and cause more problems than they solve. (See list below).
Biden has a decision to make. He can be loyal to an outdated philosophy that has drained the wealth from the United States citizens or he can embrace an opportunity to open a public discussion of what needs to be fixed and how to fix it. With the states rallying behind an Article V Convention of States, Biden can either be part of this movement or he can be trampled by it. This is what will define his Presidency.
Signature Agendas of Past Presidents - Did we need these measures?
- Truman - The Truman Doctrine - Separated Democratic nations from other forms of government
- Dwight Eisenhower - Began the Intrastate Highway System which contributes to the centralization of economic power in cities and which has compounded supply change issues during the Pandemic. Encourage economic growth through Federal spending paid for by heavy taxes for the wealthy.
- John F. Kennedy - Created the Peace Corps reportedly on an impulse to provide a way for non-mlitary service to country. More or less defunk now.
- Lyndon Johnson - Civil right legislation but also Medicare and Medicaid, urban beautification and revitalization. Now takes up a substantial percentage of the federal budget.
- Richard Nixon - Environmental Protection Agency and the beginning of environmental clean up. End of the Vietnam War. Resigned office due to political election scandal.
- Gerald Ford - Took over for Nixon. Perhaps his wife's battle with addition and breast cancer was significant but Ford serves only three years and was not elected in 1976.
- Jimmy Carter - Peace in the Middle East and Arms Limitation Agreements. Also sponsored conservation of energy requiring strick fuel efficiency measures and new vehicle guidelines.
- Ronald Reagan - large tax cut for the wealthy. Believed in reduced size of government which was the first step to pushing responsibilities onto the states. Became the platform for Republican doctrine for the last forty years.
- George H. W. Bush - Energy issues with Iraq in the Gulf War. Also assisted in the reunification of Germany at the end of the Cold War
- Bill Clinton - Expansion of social programs and particularly healthcare. Last President in favor of a balance budget amendment, was opposed to illegal immigration and had a budget surplus.
- George W. Bush - 9/11 and the beginning of the Afghanistan War. Unregulated housing loan collapse of the Banking industry at the end of his tenure. Revamping of the national curriculum which put great pressures on teachers to accommodate students with disabilities in a regular setting.
- Barrack Obama - The Great Recession package of stimulus and tax cuts. High number of individual foreclosures. Ramped up and forced healthcare coverage regardless of need. Expanded climate regulations without proven science.
- Donald Trump - Tax cuts that drove the stock market to an all time high. Rolled back regulations on a number of programs. Dealt with beginning of Pandemic and supported a massive stimulus package, questionable cures and vaccines.
- Joe Biden - Hampered by continued pandemic difficulties. Promoting healthcare over prevention and mandates for vaccines which have made a handful of companies quite wealthy. Large stimulus payments and deferred payments. Also proposing a large spending package which would continue the Truman Doctrine mentality.