Things To Be Thankful For In A Troubled World
The war in Iraq is looking more and more like peace. Afghanistan, while reportedly in flux and seeing more violence, is not the conflagration some reports suggest it is. There have been 17 American military deaths in Iraq so far this month and 300 for the year, down from more than 900 the year before. In Afghanistan, though it is now labeled the growing conflict, deaths are even lower, at 9 NATO deaths for the month, 152 American deaths for the year to date.
Young Americans remain willing to put themselves forward, and face death, in defense of their nation and in defense of its interests and values in the world.
The United States military has become expert in counterinsurgency, and a general who is a skilled practioner of its military and political applications now oversees both theaters of war. Parties that want peace are dominant in Iraq. In Afghanistan, there are signs that elements of the Taliban want an end to it, as well as the people who have been caught in the middle. These are developments that can be exploited.
The incoming Obama administration is showing some astonishing signs of good sense as it prepares its ground in war and foreign policy. The change mantra appears to be giving way to a practical, stay-the-course approach.
We still have many friends in the world, maybe even more than we did seven years ago. Testy friendships have been renewed, such as those with France and Canada, and new ones have been made or strengthened in eastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia. If not all our friends are willing to carry their weight in difficult times, many still contribute, and with others may yet be persuaded to do more. Even problematic partners such as Pakistan have not turned away despite severe stresses on our relationship, and all our relationships remain viable. The idea that nations were driven away from us was always a myth. It was just that the do-nothings of this world became upset when challenged to do something, shamed by the example of a nation willing to bleed for others, rather than play traditional games of ignore, talk and profit.
The tide of history remains opposed to tyranny. One of the worst of the modern era, Saddam’s Baathist regime, is out of business. In Gaza, in Burma, in Zimbabwe, in Sudan, in China, in Georgia, in North Korea and Iran, while tyranny still exists, it is widely condemned. For all the rhetoric we sometimes hear, people know where the tyrants live. The values and freedoms nurtured in America and exported, gratis, at the expense of our own nation’s blood and treasure, are the values and freedoms most widely admired, and desired where they are not already emulated in the world.
Seven years on, as of this writing, there has been no repeat of the Sept. 11 attacks. We are still facing the threat of attack at home, where al-Qaeda would like to get the kind of attention the Mumbai attackers have gained through mass murder and abduction. The Northeast’s rail transit system is under close watch. New Yorkers quoted in press reports indicated they don’t intend to let the threat of terrorism interfere with their lives.
If we are in difficult economic times, and thousands upon thousands of families are suffering, we haven’t yet seen the total collapse that some fear might be possible. If it happens, we will endure, and come back, because that is the kind of people we are. I don’t pretend to understand the economy’s workings, and haven’t seen much evidence the experts in the field are able to do much more than describe them with any accuracy or effectiveness. I haven’t liked everything that I’ve seen in the responses to this crisis, and don’t expect to going forward. But I hope and believe, all politics aside, that largely sincere and earnest efforts are being made to limit and reverse the damage.
We got through one of the most contentious national elections in living memory, and saw a black man elected president of the United States by a sizeable majority, all without violence. Politics aside, America demonstrated that it is more advanced both in race relations and in the democratic process than most of the nations that traditionally have produced the loudest condemnations of America. The transition, despite the political rancor of recent years, is one of the smoothest and most cooperative of recent decades, as both men recognize the seriousness of the issues at hand and are trying to act in the nation’s best interest.
Mid-war, amid economic crisis, all of these things are things for which we can be thankful.
Hang on … I almost forgot. A big one.
It’s getting cooler.
Mudville’s holiday list of bloggers in the sand.
Argghhh!!!’s co-blogger over there:
Every Iraqi soldier I saw this morning wished me a Happy Thanksgiving.I’d like to pass those wishes along to you guys…
Topics: America
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 2:18 am on Thursday, November 27, 2008
4 Responses to “Things To Be Thankful For In A Troubled World”
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November 27th, 2008 at 6:19 am
Thank you for the post and Happy Thanksgiving Mr. Crittenden.
November 27th, 2008 at 7:00 am
Well said, Jules. A great message for Thanksgiving. May your day be sweet, cozy, and meaningful.
November 27th, 2008 at 11:52 am
[...] Things To Be Thankful For In A Troubled World: The motto at the news networks may be, “If it doesn’t bleed, it doesn’t lead”, but there’s plenty of things to be thankful for today if you’re in America. TWO STORIES FROM WIRED: [...]
November 27th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
Happy Thanksgiving to all readers, and especially to our troops. Thanks for the post, Jules, it’s great to read something that’s actually positive.