In the summer of 2014, the world seems in chaos, and for those of us who are alive, it seems as if these are the worst times in human history, but it is far from being so, and far from being unique!
Remember the Cold War Years of 1945-1991, when it often seemed as if nuclear war and total destruction would occur!
Ask those who lived through the Great Depression of the 1930s, and the rise of Fascism, Nazism, and Imperial Japan, and the total devastation of World War II, with the resultant mass loss of life!
Examine the turmoil and anarchy of World War I, and its dramatic effects on the world and America!
Study the period of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars during the quarter century from 1789-1815, and its effect on the nations of Europe and their colonies!
Investigate the turmoil of the wars between England and France, and the religious wars between Catholics and Protestants all over Europe in the year from 1500-1789!
Explore the Hundred Years War period, and the Crusades of the Medieval and Early Modern period of Europe and the Middle East!
Learn about the wars of ancient times in the Roman Republic and Empire; the Greek City States and the conquests of Alexander the Great; and the Egyptian Empire!
When one has studied and reflected on the historical record, one realizes that human history has been one of constant crisis, chaos, and often anarchy, and no less now than before!
So we face the crisis between Russia and Ukraine; the Middle East conflict between Israel and the Palestinians; the struggle for dominance in the Islamic world between Sunnis and Shiites; the nuclear threat of Iran; the Syrian Civil War; the Afghanistan War; the threat of Islamic extremism on nuclear power Pakistan; the disintegration of government and stability in Central America, leading to the migration of women and children to the American border in the American Southwest; the constant saber rattling of renegade North Korea; the growing influence and aggressiveness of China in its “neighborhood’; and the constant threat of terrorist acts anywhere and everywhere in the world of 2014!
No President can solve all of these problems, as no matter who resides in the White House, we are only able to do the best we can to react to events, as we do not shape them, but also with the need to recognize our limitations to shape the world in America’s image!
Good morning Professor,
Yes, Deja Vu…..and many great men have had to be forged in the flames that lesser men, through their short sightedness and ignorance, ignited the fires of these disruptions in harmony.
The sad truism is, it will continue for many years to come.
I’m of the opinion that Putin deliberately ordered that plane shot down.
Pragmatic Progressive, I agree with you!
After seeing the news report of those little boys that got killed on the beach, I wonder if Israel is going too overboard with their latest battle.
@Blue In A Red State
This piece on CNN explains that Hamas is using the civilians as human shields.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/21/opinion/oren-hamas-media-strategy/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
What happened to those Palestinian boys is horrible and upsetting, but war is hell, and these things happen on both sides.
I do not like war going on, but Israel has a right to safety and security, and if we were being subjected to attacks constantly, we would do much the same as Israel has done. Hopefully, this will not go on for long!
Just heard on CNN that Russians are getting a different story about the plane from their media. Their media is reporting that this plane is the one that went missing over the Indian Ocean. It was flown to an American base, then to Norway, where dead bodies and a bomb was put on board.
I think that if you took the extremists on both sides out of the equation, the majority of Israelis and Palestinians could probably live alongside each other in relative harmony.
In browsing political blogs, I’ve encountered some people on the left who want Israel totally out of the region. To think that over 8 million people, including over a million and a half Arab citizens, will suddenly just up and leave is just naive and ludicrous.
@Southern Liberal
When I first started checking out political blogs, I argued with them about that. They would often spout nonsense about Israel being a country that was made illegally.
Opposition to Israel’s existence is pure anti Semitism, even though Arabs and Jews are “cousins”, as this rivalry has existed ever since Islam was created in the 7th century AD.
The story coming out about the plane is purely ludicrous!
Princess Leia, you are absolutely correct!
I’ve seen people who make anti-Semitic remarks online get bashed by people who, in turn, make Islamaphobic remarks.
The Force is strong with Obama bashers on CNN’s website today:
http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/21/world/europe/ukraine-malaysia-airlines-crash/index.html?hpt=hp_t1#
Various propaganda stories that the Russians are using:
http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/22/world/europe/malaysia-plane-crash-propaganda-war/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
I’ve noticed that the anti-Semitics often like to quote Noam Chomsky’s views on Israel.
Huge hole in Siberia. Some theories say it may be related to global warming.
http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-blogs/international/giant-hole-in-siberia-appears-out-of-nowhere/30834193
Majority of Americans are siding with Israel.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/07/21/cnn-poll-americans-clearly-side-with-israel-in-gaza-fighting/
Excellent post concerning Israel and the American left:
http://www.forwardprogressives.com/world-american-left-give-hamas-free-pass/
As I commented there, just because my political and religious beliefs lean left, it doesn’t mean that I also jump on the Israel is evil bandwagon.
The hearses carrying the bodies of the Dutch victims of Flight 17 is being shown on CNN at the moment. People lined up and down the highway to pay their respects.
As a progressive, I like to surf around various left-wing blogs. My personal favorite is: www(dot)WinningProgressive(dot)org. I quite agree with this statement on their blog of why they very rarely cover Israeli-Palestinian conflict: “Achieving peace between Israelis and Palestinians is a critical issue of human rights, justice, and global security. But it is also an issue that Winning Progressive rarely writes about because there are few issues that we find more frustrating. Rarely do we find an issue where the solution is so obvious yet the parties involved on all sides are so unwilling to work in good faith towards such solution. Instead, Israelis and Palestinians are trapped in an accelerating cycle of violence, and
even discussions of the issue rapidly devolve into finger pointing and recriminations.”