Lessons of the Past
History
often plays tricks on us. It never repeats itself, but there are lots of
interesting twists and turns that remind us of things in the past. The mid-term
elections are over and yet we are still speaking about the elections. In many
cases we don’t even know who won. “The Big Blue Wave” that pollsters suggested
might have occurred. The uncertainty of
the Georgia and Florida elections is clearly reminiscent of the presidential
contests of 1876 and 2000. Ironically, the
state of Florida rather than the people of Florida is still determining the
outcomes of America’s electoral politics.
This week
is also the 100th anniversary of the end of the first Great War.
Armistice Day, usually referred to as Veterans Day, has brought world leaders
to France to mark the event and pledge not to repeat the mistakes of the past.
Yet, pre-event comments by the American and French Presidents reveal that
little has been learned since the treaty of Versailles was signed.
The lead up
to the end of the war is an important aspect of American history. President
Woodrow Wilson proposed in January 1918 a lasting peace without victory. On
November 11th, German leaders agreed to stop fighting. The peace
treaty signed on June 28, 1919 by Wilson and his French, British and Italian counterparts,
was never approved by Congress.
Many
believe that the aftermath of the treaty and the punitive measures assigned to
Germany played a direct role in the rise of German nationalism and set the
stage for World War II.
The world
after World War I was not peaceful. It was filled with nationalism, racism, and
ethnic strife. The post-war world changed the landscape of Europe, the Middle
East, Asian and Africa. The next world
war would further divide Europeans and have lasting consequences. Once again, American history posits its place
as the peacemaker resolving the European conflicts for the betterment of the
world.
Some
sixty-three years from the end of World War II, the legacy of America’s role in
forging a lasting world peace is in doubt. Americans are witnessing the very
strains that led to Germany’s turn to nationalism.
As a result of the atrocities to
come in the wake of its World War I defeat, it is important to recognize what
happened in Germany could happen in the United States. And that in many ways,
the unchecked behavior of “ordinary Americans“ are indicators of trouble.
Encouraged by degrees of strong political dissent, a fifty-six year old man
sent pipe bombs to people critical of the current president. The targets included Jewish Democratic donor
George Soros, former Presidents Clinton and Obama, former Vice President Biden,
California Congresswoman Maxine Waters, and media network CNN and its
contributors former CIA Director John Brennan and former National Intelligence
Director James Clapper.
The recent tragic shooting and
murder of eleven Jewish Americans at the Tree of Life Synagogue (October 28th)
is a strong reminder that Anti-Semitic sentiments are very alive. And in a similar way the failed attempt to
kill African Americans at church, and the subsequent shooting of two African
Americans at a grocery store in Jeffersontown, Kentucky (October 24th) proves that some
Americans fear the direction of our future.
The shooting and killing of twelve of
patrons in a Thousand Oaks, California bar and grill (November 7th) seems
unrelated to this behavior until you probe further into what the gunman
actually did. This act of domestic terrorism started with smoke bombs being
thrown into the bar before the shooter, a veteran, opened fire on an audience
of largely college students.
In less than three weeks four white
men attempted to kill prominent leaders and average citizens. Apparently, their targets were engaged in
some behavior that disagreed with the status quo of the dominant party.
This brings me back to 2000. It becomes the starting point for an era of
mistrust. It seems that the election of
2000 is going to become a critical election in American history. Al Gore and
George W. Bush, almost evenly matched, ran for office. Each candidate was a
standard bearer for his respective party and its platform. Both ran on the basis of creating good
economies and on improving the nation’s greatest concerns. In 2000 Americans knew what their political
parties stood for and the election reveals a split between distinct values.
In spite of glaring flaws, George
W. Bush demonstrated numerous qualities that made him a worthy candidate and
could have made him a decent if not well-respected president. The tragedy of 9/11 and poor choices in Iraq,
Syria, Afghanistan, and Pakistan deterred the course of his presidency. Bush’s
critics are always happy to suggest that he lied to the American people about
why the United States went to war in Iraq.
Such criticisms falsely suggest that terrorists would not have attacked
the US if Al Gore was president.
That bit of doubt played a role in
the election of Barack Obama and then Donald Trump. As Americans lost faith in
elected officials and their leaders they lost sight of political party
platforms and simply sought simplistic solutions to national problems.
Obama promised “hope”, while
Trump’s campaign on “fear” promised safety.
The Democrats under Obama did not stray far from their roots, but the
coalition that elected him was fragmenting into newly constructed silos. In contrast, the McCain and Romney Republican
Party faded from a middle class and wealthy conservative grouping to a
reactionary army against Obama’s politics. The Republicans under Trump made
serious departures from its core values. Trump’s republican party is neither
conservative nor republican. Its appeal is towards isolated but rural and
suburban whites who are either working class or extremely rich. As a result,
the Democratic party is leaning more to
the left giving nods to urban minority voters, union members and political
socialists. Hence the historical
Democratic and Republican divides have been lost. Political platforms have been
thrown into the wind. America’s political spectrum has been annihilated.
Little remains of the old
Democratic wing of that party, and nothing exists of the Republican
standard. The two parties are simply the
party in power and the opposition. In
this situation there is little room for compromise or consensus.
The failure of the 1919 treaty led
to the rise of a German dictatorship. The failures of the French treaties in
1919 or 1945 are signs that the world does not want to share its resources and
live in peace. On a global scale we are afraid of other nations and within our
nations we are afraid of the other. At some point, that other is one of us!
President Trump frequently has the
opportunity to change the apparent direction of our nation and the world. Yet,
whenever faced with those moments, when the American president has historically
declared America’s role in setting the world straight, he balks and throws
shade at America’s allies. A man who cannot find peace with himself should not
be the peacemaker for the world. Sadly, there is no rational decision made by
this administration that addresses our fears. The greatest disappointment of
the Trump administration is that it cannot rationally defend its actions. Nor
can the president’s supporters defend such decisions. The travel ban lacks
integrity, separating parents and children at the border is amoral, sending
troops to the border is a waste of money and an illegal use of the military,
the tariff policies are not carefully outlined, and the inability to speak out
against white nationalism and gun violence is horrifying.
Our president spent another time with
world leaders feeling challenged. He got angry and sulked, and then was further
disturbed by the degrees of international press criticizing his actions. He
broke traditions by not attending the ceremonies at the national cemetery in
France and by not honoring American soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery on
Veteran’s Day. Regardless of how you feel about him, this was a grave sign of
disrespect.
The disenchantment with the
American president is a sign that America is losing its way. It is no longer the
beacon to the world community. And within its borders Americans are duplicating
behaviors that are reminiscent of the past. One should never forget that the
American decade following the end of World War I was marked with some
achievements but many more social problems.
If we simply promote that women received the right to vote and Native
Americans were made citizens, the reality of the era is grossly understated.
The years between Wilson and
Roosevelt were filled with race riots, Red Scares, and exclusionary immigration
laws. The nation’s veterans did not receive their bonuses and marched on the
nation’s capitol. A great financial disaster followed the boom. Similarly the
years after World War II might hold nostalgia for many but were equally
described as period of juvenile rebellion, Red Scares and McCarthyism, and the
beginnings of a struggle over Civil Rights and gender equality.
Our history informs us of types of
unrest before and after the Great Wars. President Trump is in the unique
position to quell the forces that lead to conflict. Instead he has fanned the
flames of civil distrust of politicians, the government and national institutions.
So as we salute our troops and
commemorate the memories of the first great war we must work harder to achieve
national as well as global peace. If America truly respects and honors those
who fought and those who made the ultimate sacrifices in war, then it would do
best to study the lessons of history and work aggressively to restore the
balance of our nation.
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