Thinking Outside the Box: What Obama Could Have Said

[nightrain]

Monday 14 December 2009

by: Lawrence S. Wittner, t r u t h o u t | Op-Ed


"<snip>

The major problem is that the president's action fails to go beyond traditional thinking about how to relate to overseas strife. Indeed, Obama's response to the messy situation the United States faces in Afghanistan is reminiscent of how an imperial or military leader would have responded a few thousand years ago. Have we learned nothing over these intervening years? Instead of resorting to outdated thinking, what if Obama had drawn upon modern instruments of international and interpersonal relations? What if he had adopted a program of change in the way the United States relates to the world? In that case, he could have delivered a speech - not at West Point (a symbol of the old thinking) but at the United Nations (a symbol of the new) - and said:

* * * Fellow representatives of the world community.

A bloody war currently rages in the nation of Afghanistan. Although the United States has contributed to this situation, many nations have been involved in invading, fostering violence in and occupying that country. Furthermore, Afghanistan's own people are engaged in a vicious civil war. For these reasons, and also because no single nation has sufficient wisdom, resources or legitimacy to deal with this crisis, I have turned to the UN Security Council and the UN secretary-general to help me resolve this crisis in a fair and peaceful manner. As a result, we have agreed on the following program.

First, in the following three months, the United Nations will dispatch 100,000 peacekeeping troops to Afghanistan. These peacekeeping troops will replace all foreign forces in that nation. As this process moves forward, NATO troops will not engage in attacks on hostile forces, and will open fire only if attacked. Similarly, the UN peacekeeping forces will not seek out military engagements, but will simply keep contending Afghan forces separated and maintain security.

Second, a UN Reconciliation Commission will call together the major political forces in Afghan life, including the Taliban, for negotiations on a peaceful settlement of their disputes. Following the establishment of an agreed framework for this settlement, a free election will take place for an Afghan government of national unity, with election monitoring done by the United Nations.

<snip>

But, of course, this was not the kind of speech Obama made. He was not thinking outside the box."


to continue reading-- http://www.truthout.org/topstories/121409vh4

[truedelphi]

1. The Corporate- MIC strings attached to Obama do not let him think outside the box.

Sometimes I wonder if they let him think at all.

[nightrain]

2. yep. so much for the multi-dimensional chess game! He's going to have to

go against his conciliatory grain to get anything decent done. He has the potential....