On January 20th the 44th President of the United States will be sworn in. Although due to lack of detailed policy pronouncements by the incoming administration the jury is still out on its precise stance, in the foreign policy sphere a prominent promise has been made to change the dynamics of the Iran-U.S. relations.
Even though the initial offer of “direct talk without any precondition” has been modulated gradually to include some aspects that could be construed as precondition, the stage is set for if not an outright one on one summit of leaders but some modality leading to meetings at higher levels than has taken place previously between the two sides.
In addition to this and probably more germane than this looming promised development is the sea change of attitudes that the new administration will impose on the whole enterprise by virtue of historical circumstances and happenstance. The wayward policies which made any coherent initiative a nonstarter will be gone as will the excuses for all the shortcomings being blamed on the status quo which had created a classic catch-22 dilemma.
Absent the palpable hostility towards the current administration’s post 9/11 unilateralism, extrajudicial liberties and gesticulations bordering on loutish mannerism there will be a whole new reality to contend with. In addition to the mostly graying traditional Anti-Americans of yesteryears and the extreme wing of the religious conservatives the chief beneficiaries of the current Administration’s lackadaisical attitude towards international norms and sensitivities have been the undemocratic regimes blaming their shortcomings on the current U.S. policy and for good measure getting on board the various fast moving Bush-Basher stream rollers.
Come January the 20th all those excuses will cease to exist and once again the nitty-gritty of a great participatory democracy will come into play. Gone will be the days when under the Anti-Bush banner Tin-pot dictators from Castro to Mugabe stood shoulder to shoulder with lifelong humanitarians. Gone also will be the chance for the opportunists who used the general international discontent with the current American Administration to try to slap on a new coat of paint and resuscitate their failed dictatorial ideologies. The oil lobbyists and gofers of all shade and color too will have a slightly harder time to earn their keeps.
The historic aspect of the new American President alongside the doom and gloom of the world wide economic condition in conjunction with the spreading of the flames of injustice and ignorance fueled hostilities burning ever more ferociously here and there on top of the pent-up anger and disgust at the outgoing administration has prepared the stage for a uniquely American specialty.
The true American Shock and Awe has always been in its ability to simultaneously unburden itself of mistakes, reinvent, retool and soberly face seemingly insurmountable challenges head on coming out of them more democratic and better at spreading its bounty of freedom. The most valuable and cherished American currency has always been hope for the brighter future and the accompanying can do attitude to achieve it.
Season’s greetings.
