The coup in Thailand, the Hungary protests, and the UN speeches of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez are only the most visible of events that seem to portend a world on the verge of plunging into a maelstrom of unpredictability.Or maybe I just need to get more coffee brewing.
Still, it has been difficult to make sense of the sudden appearance of so many simultaneous incidents and accidents, to borrow a line from Paul Simon. The global historian in me is always looking see if there are connections between disparate phenomena, seeking to develop some overarching theory to explain and categorize.
Left: Hungarian protester stands against water cannon outside the Hungarian State Television, courtesy AP.I have nothing to offer at the moment, except an extension of the theory that a United States bogged down in Iraq means that political actors in other areas have less to fear from the American colossus.
Beyond this somewhat obvious assessment, I will sit and watch these chaotic events unfold and - with every other world observer - to make some sense of the ball of confusion that is the Earth today.
And I will check on that coffee now.
5 comments:
Better reach for some Jameson's whiskey instead, Mike. It's going to only get worse.
I often heard Bush tell us that he's mak'n the world safer by gett'n them terr-ists.
Was I drinking too much Kool Aid?
Of course, you remember the stability of the Cold War days, when lots of countries were kept in line by a given power.
Makes one wonder if it isn't a global episode of the "Gong Show," sometimes.
Somebody hit the damned gong already.
Are you sure that you're ready for the inevitable lull before the storm?
We sit on the edge of a precipice and so few seem to be able to see how close we are , possible the reason is the rhetoric that goes alongside some of the decisions seen over the last 12 months cloud the judgement of those who should know better
steve
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