Monday, April 21, 2008

It's Getting Embarrassing

I am so glad not to be traveling abroad much these days and having to reveal that I am an American. So what am I going to rant about today? The powers that be in Washington are now intervening to prevent a Chinese ship loaded with weapons from reaching its target of Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe is, of course, one of those black countries somewhere in another universe that barely registers a blip in the American solar system. It's a country rife with political and economic problems. Its current ruler Robert Mugabe just lost big time in a presidential election but is still clinging to power and will need those Chinese weapons to kill off his rivals. Enter stage left the United States on its very, very, very high pedestal--the country that has no problems exporting weapons to Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Israel, South Korea and whatever Latin American country the CIA happens to be destabilizing this month. Don't expect the Chinese to back down here. Mugabe is a dictator, but someone the Chinese can do business with. America has no moral authority to intervene in this situation. Will it ever again? I'm thinking not in my lifetime.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just wait till I skewer us in my novel. By "us" I mean United States foreign policy. I can't believe my novel is taking on a few semi-political aspects even though I generally prefer not to think about politics.

J.T. said...

Raven,

I think the best fiction always seems to take on some political undertone. It should never be obvious in its statement, but clear in its effect. When Star Wars came out, they said Darth Vader stood for the Soviet Empire and all that was evil back then. I'm sure they've got their snippets of pop culture where Americans are made to look like the bad guys!

Anonymous said...

I hope, like Star Wars, I get popular enough to warrant public discussion of the allegory in my work. :D

J.T. said...

Well, I am dying for Seri, part 1...