And They All Hate America

Last Saturday, I spent hours watching the incredibly exciting US Congress debate on impeaching the president. The show was occasionally interrupted by live shots from Baghdad. It was quite explosive on both ends, in Washington and Baghdad, although we couldn't see the scenes of bombs falling on the Iraqi capital. We've seen enough bombs anyway. Hence the distant explosions and illuminated missile traces in the night looked like boring commercials interrupting the tense and dramatic confrontation between the republicans and the democrats.

However, the news about air strikes against Iraq obviously had something to do with the debate at the other end of the world. It was no coincidence that these two things were happening simultaneously, for the democrats did everything they could to save their president by underlining the critical importance of the moment, national security in jeopardy and the higher interests occupying the president. The republicans supported the strike against Saddam as any routine patriot would, but still demanded Bill Clinton's impeachment with unrelenting determination. This kind of thing had happened only once before in US history, thirty years ago, when Richard Nixon resigned before he could be impeached.

Clinton, of course, did not create Saddam, but the democrats did not convince me that the strike against Iraq was enough to let their president off the hook. The republicans, on the other hand, blew the Clinton affair way out of proportion, ignoring the feelings of most average Americans, which is quite unusual for the US political elite. Therefore, all we have is a quarrel between two parties already threatening to deform and distort the functioning of the only remaining superpower and its top ranking institutions, if the affair drags on indefinitely.

A lot of bad blood came up. This bad blood was there before, but America's internal rifts are coming to the surface more obviously and destructively than ever because the only remaining superpower is alone in its supremacy and domination.

The best reflection of this is the banal and ridiculous excuse to dismiss a popular and successful president. However, there might be some strange logic in the fact that a man with such power got involved in such an infantile affair.

It's like passing all the most difficult exams and overcoming the most demanding challenges, only to fail at the simplest of tasks. Hence America ended the two world wars on the winning side, finished the cold war by bringing the USSR to its knees, only to be rocked by an extra-marital affair involving a secretary. This affair could have been diminished and covered up in many ways, but why should it? It's not just about the president, it's about the very institution personified by the president, the state authority and a long tradition of respect and partnership within the political elite, at least in the eyes of the public. The entire affair will damage not only Clinton's credibility, but also the credibility of both political parties as well as the American reputation. The concern for this was definitely overshadowed by the all around fascination of a scandal involving adultery. Those who don’t have more powerful enemies become enemies to themselves. Whatever Saddam Hussein does, he is obviously not strong enough to prevent America from dealing with itself. Clinton paid only limited and temporary attention to Saddam, in an attempt to make things easier for himself.

After the rather voluntary US intervention in Iraq, ambitions in Serbia to form some kind of an international anti-American coalition are on the rise again. Mrs. Markovic must have realized with some regret that this coalition could not be proletarian, but nevertheless she seems to believe that she and a few kindred souls could form something resembling the resistance of those offended and humiliated. There must be quite a few people throughout the world who don't like a very strong America or its mandate to regulate the international rules of behavior. We now know that America doesn't like its new role either, as it's trying hard to undermine its own image as a superpower.
However, any kind of an anti-American coalition is possible only in Mrs. Markovic's dreams. Seselj too showed willingness to deal with this issue, but he is interested in doing business only with Russia and Belarus as a right wing politician, while Mrs. Markovic's left wing principles have prompted her to set her sights on China and India as well. Bearing in mind that Saddam Hussein has just made a name for himself as a top ranking American foe, one shouldn't be surprised if a Belgrade street is named after him like one was after the virtually forgotten Haile Selassie.

Some large countries are inclined to make various arrangements and look for common interest without involving America or waiting for Mrs. Mira Markovic to visit them and elaborate the epochal significance of offering general resistance to the US. There are many obstacles to any kind of unification between Russia, China and India, hence this lot is not of much use to us. However, that shouldn't discourage anyone.

I would personally like to see the formation of an alliance rallying all those who hate America. I've seen something like that only in cartoons so far, but this is how it could look in practice. Osama bin Laden rents an island in the Indian Ocean or sets up a tent in the desert. He then invites Saddam, who in turn invites Kaddafi, but the latter remembers that Milosevic too is good company. Kim il Jong arrives at Milosevic's invitation, after which they all sit down to talk. However, they soon realize that they have nothing to talk about so they stare at each other, trying to figure out who's the American agent. In the best circumstances, that's where the story would end. As all this would have to take place in a veil of utmost secrecy, no one can say for sure that a meeting of this kind hasn't taken place already. However, bearing in mind that all the above mentioned characters are still alive and kicking, it is unlikely that they've met. As far as America is concerned, it could only support and if necessary finance such enemies. If not for NATO requirements, then at least for Hollywood.