Every so often, we have to pull back from the details on which so much of life is spent to focus on the big picture. Right now is a particularly appropriate time to do just that, so here are some big picture items that do not get sufficient coverage:
1. The relationship between the USA and Russia is a mess. The issue is not whether or not Putin gets an "off ramp" for Crimea. It is not whether or not the minimal sanctions imposed by president Obama work to deter future Russian action. No, the point is that the Russian Federation used military force to break off and annex a province from its neighbor Ukraine, and the world stood by and watched impotently. The tactics used by the Russians and the diplomatic responses from the West don't matter. What does matter is that Russia has made clear that in the age of Putin Russia is an aggressive and imperialist force that seeks to grow at the expense of its neighbors. The invasion of Georgia in 2008 should have made that very clear to Washington, but to the extent that there was any doubt, it should be gone now. American foreign policy has to recognize the true nature of modern Russia and its leadership or suffer dire consequences.
2. Obamacare has not worked. For this one, the issue is not whether or not there are 7.1 million people who signed up, or 6 million who paid, or 1.5 million who are newly insured. Those are details; they are important details, but they are details nonetheless. No, the point of Obamacare was to get insurance for the uninsured. Obama told us that Obamacare was designed so that no American would ever again have to be one illness away from bankruptcy. That is why, without question, Obamacare has failed. When the law was debated, there were roughly 47 million uninsured folks in the USA. Over four years later, with the law fully implemented (to the extent that Obama allowed), there are now estimated to be about 45-50 million without insurance. No one knows the exact number of uninsured, but we do know the number to a close enough point that it is clear that the uninsured have not diminished in number despite the tremendous upheaval wrought by Obamacare. Trillions will be spent, millions of lives will be upended, but the problem of the uninsured will be essentially unaffected.
3. The current American effort to bring an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict is a fool's errand. The issue is not whether Jonathan Pollard should used as a bargaining chip nor whether or not some "settlements" should be halted. Those are important, but they miss the point. No, the point here is that the Palestinians have made abundantly clear that they are not interested in peace with Israel. Indeed, all that one needs to know is that president Abbas of the Palestinian Authority says that he will never agree to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. So there you have it. One side of the "peace process" says it will never recognize or accept the essential nature and right to exist of the other side of the process. Absent such recognition, however, there can never be peace. Our secretary of state should have noticed this problem long ago and stopped the effort, but he has not. Those of us who can focus on the big picture, however, have got to understand that any attempt to continue these negotiations in their present form is a delusional move.
There are more big picture items to discuss. Look for them soon.
1. The relationship between the USA and Russia is a mess. The issue is not whether or not Putin gets an "off ramp" for Crimea. It is not whether or not the minimal sanctions imposed by president Obama work to deter future Russian action. No, the point is that the Russian Federation used military force to break off and annex a province from its neighbor Ukraine, and the world stood by and watched impotently. The tactics used by the Russians and the diplomatic responses from the West don't matter. What does matter is that Russia has made clear that in the age of Putin Russia is an aggressive and imperialist force that seeks to grow at the expense of its neighbors. The invasion of Georgia in 2008 should have made that very clear to Washington, but to the extent that there was any doubt, it should be gone now. American foreign policy has to recognize the true nature of modern Russia and its leadership or suffer dire consequences.
2. Obamacare has not worked. For this one, the issue is not whether or not there are 7.1 million people who signed up, or 6 million who paid, or 1.5 million who are newly insured. Those are details; they are important details, but they are details nonetheless. No, the point of Obamacare was to get insurance for the uninsured. Obama told us that Obamacare was designed so that no American would ever again have to be one illness away from bankruptcy. That is why, without question, Obamacare has failed. When the law was debated, there were roughly 47 million uninsured folks in the USA. Over four years later, with the law fully implemented (to the extent that Obama allowed), there are now estimated to be about 45-50 million without insurance. No one knows the exact number of uninsured, but we do know the number to a close enough point that it is clear that the uninsured have not diminished in number despite the tremendous upheaval wrought by Obamacare. Trillions will be spent, millions of lives will be upended, but the problem of the uninsured will be essentially unaffected.
3. The current American effort to bring an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict is a fool's errand. The issue is not whether Jonathan Pollard should used as a bargaining chip nor whether or not some "settlements" should be halted. Those are important, but they miss the point. No, the point here is that the Palestinians have made abundantly clear that they are not interested in peace with Israel. Indeed, all that one needs to know is that president Abbas of the Palestinian Authority says that he will never agree to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. So there you have it. One side of the "peace process" says it will never recognize or accept the essential nature and right to exist of the other side of the process. Absent such recognition, however, there can never be peace. Our secretary of state should have noticed this problem long ago and stopped the effort, but he has not. Those of us who can focus on the big picture, however, have got to understand that any attempt to continue these negotiations in their present form is a delusional move.
There are more big picture items to discuss. Look for them soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment