Friedman: It’s A Wonderful Life, in a global Bedford Falls
posted at 11:10 am on July 16, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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Thomas Friedman makes a telling point in today’s column regarding the lack of American popularity in the world today. Friedman agrees that we have damaged the brand, but scolds the world into considering the alternatives. He uses the shameful display of vacillation on Zimbabwe at the UN as an example of a world without American power, and asks whether Europe and Asia prefer that instead (via Memeorandum):
Maybe Asians, Europeans, Latin Americans and Africans don’t like a world of too much American power — “Mr. Big” got a little too big for them. But how would they like a world of too little American power? With America’s overextended military and overextended banks, that is the world into which we may be heading.
Welcome to a world of too much Russian and Chinese power.
I am neither a Russia-basher nor a China-basher. But there was something truly filthy about Russia’s and China’s vetoes of the American-led U.N. Security Council effort to impose targeted sanctions on Robert Mugabe’s ruling clique in Zimbabwe.
Friedman also spotlights the nefarious activities of local power South Africa in running interference for Mugabe. Calling it “pure, rancid moral corruption”, Friedman rightly castigates Thabo Mbeki for his toadying up to a ruthless, murderous dictator. Instead of honoring his own nation’s fight for freedom, Mbeki has sold its legacy to cover up one of the most ludicrous election thefts in history, all for a man who has destroyed his nation’s economy and has managed to introduce famine into one of the most fertile areas on the African continent.
Without an American counterbalance, Russia and China would dominate world trade and global politics. What course would both take? Their repeated vetoes and undermining of sanctions against rogue states such as Iran and murderous thugs such as Mugabe make that plain. Tyrannies would prosper, and self-determination would recede. Without American military, diplomatic, and economic power, tyrants would rule the world, and eventually bring us to heel as well through control of energy supplies and simple overwhelming numbers.
Friedman offers his disgust for Europeans and Asians who lack the moral compass to understand this. Perhaps Friedman might save some of his contempt for fellow Americans who always leap to blame the US for all of the ills in the world. We make mistakes, but we usually do so in pursuit of nobler goals. This is not the time to withdraw from the global stage out of some highly exaggerated sense of guilt over Abu Ghraib and Gitmo. This is the time to stand up to the tyrants and let them know that we will not be bullied into retreat on any front.
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To continue the “Wonderful Life” analogy, Zimbabwe under Mugabe has become “Pottersville”, and George needs to do something about it.
Steve Z on July 16, 2008 at 11:14 AM
Welcome to reality, Mr Friedman. How many years has it taken for you to wake up?
Think_b4_speaking on July 16, 2008 at 11:18 AM
Well, yes. That’s exactly what the Left has been trying so hard to achieve all these years. Tyranny’s their goal and the America they despise so much stands in their way.
Gilda on July 16, 2008 at 11:20 AM
So, America being the Superpower helped in the Zimbabwe problem?
We cannot be the Nanny for the rest of the world, we simply don’t have the resources or power.
We are selling the country to foreigners, because of our own lack of will to drill here, and let you want these politicians to Police the world? And use America’s stored wealth to do so?
Romeo13 on July 16, 2008 at 11:21 AM
Death to all tyrants!
pseudonominus on July 16, 2008 at 11:21 AM
I don’t care whether we are popular or not.
mymanpotsandpans on July 16, 2008 at 11:24 AM
This is not the Thomas Friedman I knew.
Mcguyver on July 16, 2008 at 11:24 AM
Why is Mbeki supporting Mugabe? I really don’t understand that…
Yossarian on July 16, 2008 at 11:26 AM
Same reason Obama gets 90% of the black vote,
they are the same race, they agree on policies or something.jimmy the notable on July 16, 2008 at 11:28 AM
Mbeki wants to steal the property held by Afrikaaners, other whites, and Asians. It’s as simple as that. He looks to Mugabe as a role model.
PimFortuynsGhost on July 16, 2008 at 11:38 AM
You are a little late Tom with the obvious. But thanks for all those shitty, smarmy columns you wrote these last eight years telling us how stupid Bush and Cheney were compared to you.
You are nothing but a weasel trying to look like an ass kicker now that you think Obama could be president. You don’t mind running the world just as long as its with a Dem President. All wars are good then. Soon the glass will be half full?
Don’t count on it. There’s a reason your crew has only had the White House 12 of the last 40 years, including such hits as Carter and Clinton. Boy there’s an honor roll. Even you have to admit we would have been better off without them.
patrick neid on July 16, 2008 at 11:41 AM
Perhaps the US needs to do nothing about anything outside our borders since we are told we are so “hated” in the world. If we do nothing we are accused of complicitness and complacency, if we take action we are accused of nation building or worse.
When the realization hits home, that the world has “… too much Russian and Chinese power”, let the world find diplomatic or military solutions, with tyrants, dictators and demagogues. Let the “world” persuade China and Russia not to support genocide in Zimbabwe, or Darfur.
Sometimes hard learned lesson are remembered best. As the saying goes those who don’t learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.
PatriotPete on July 16, 2008 at 11:42 AM
Would “Zuzu’s petals” be JDAMs?
CP on July 16, 2008 at 11:47 AM
.
Ed, there is nothing to feel guilty about at GITMO.
Johan Klaus on July 16, 2008 at 11:48 AM
They both want to keep their anti-colonial credentials. Giving in to western govenments, espcially the epitome of colonialism, the British would be a sin of weakness. Starving millions don’t matter, it’s Africa for the Africans.
The sad thing is millions of Zimbabweans will starve. The UN has limited food aid after Mugabe’s folks were caught reselling corn handouts to raise foreign exchange. They won’t accept US corn because it is genetically modified.
The EU doesn’t even have the guts to do anything. And the Organization for African Unity welcomed Mugabe (with a few harsh words) as an honorable head of state last month at their conference.
Corky Boyd on July 16, 2008 at 11:52 AM
I am content to watch Rhodesia just continue to cook. These ignorant morons should have been more careful about what they asked for.
Gringo colonialism, no matter what you say about it, it at least delived stability in which these people could make a buck and live in peace.
But, they didn’t want that. They wanted to demonstrate their own ability to show what they could do. In other words, be judged by their character, not the color of their skin.
Well, the world has seen the content of their character.
saiga on July 16, 2008 at 11:55 AM
Why the hell not?
Akzed on July 16, 2008 at 11:59 AM
If nObama wins will he boycott an Olympics to show the world who is boss?
jukin on July 16, 2008 at 12:01 PM
Only if they were in Denmark.
Akzed on July 16, 2008 at 12:31 PM
Which Olympics do you want him to boycott, the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver or London in 2012? Because by the time Obama wins the Beijing Games will be over for more than two months.
Just another useless factoid.
factoid on July 16, 2008 at 1:03 PM
Actually, Freidman has written a lot of middle-of-the-road articles in the last few years. I’ll take his brand of journalism any day over 90% of them out there. He has the benefit of having “street cred” with all of the left except the fringe nuts. He’s a respectable adversary, and a good American. To me, he is to journalism as Alan Dershowitz is to law. They’re not usually on my side, but I like the fact that they are out there.
connertown on July 16, 2008 at 1:11 PM
That’s not the Tom Friedman I knew.
drjohn on July 16, 2008 at 1:21 PM
Every time a bomb chimes a jihadist gets his virgins.
BL@KBIRD on July 16, 2008 at 1:33 PM
It won’t be long before China, as well as other foreign interests, will own half or more of America given the way things are going.
I’m going out on a limb here and guessing that we’ll be under China’s thumb in the not so distant future.
SilverStar830 on July 16, 2008 at 1:39 PM
SilverStar - We currently are and it’s a parasitic relationship…but China is far more concerned about what would happen to their economy if they were to “kill” us as the host…a slight but saving grace.
PatriotPete on July 16, 2008 at 3:24 PM
I’m sure the millions of Africans who have been butchered, starved or burned to death the last 50 years were Ok with it since the guys doing it were the same color.
jjshaka on July 16, 2008 at 3:50 PM
The communist who play together, stay together.
Johan Klaus on July 16, 2008 at 6:53 PM
I just got back from a week in Europe, and my observation is the old lefties don’t like Bush or Sarkozy, but the young love us. The oldies know their day is done.
PattyJ on July 17, 2008 at 1:03 AM