I disagree with this article 100%. No nation is an island. Every nation has an effect on every other nation. By this philosphy (in this article) everyone in the world should have a say in how much oil OPEC produces and what price they sell it at. Everyone in the world should also have a say in who the President of the EU is. America is not the only ship on this sea.
Yemen has had a great (and negative) impact on America, her psyche, and her policies. You think our leaders didn't pay attention when the USS Cole was bombed? Why does everyone feel so comfortable meddling in OUR affairs while decrying any interaction we have with other (presumably) legitimate governments? I am frankly sick of hearing this arguement. I would rather be dead than allow one single Saudi Iman a say in how I live, what laws I have to obey, and what is socially acceptable in my society. I would rather see Whoopi Goldberg as President for life than to give a single African herder a say in how I live, what taxes I pay, and who recieves the benefit of those taxes. When I can choose YOUR leader, then you can help me choose mine. Not before.
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If The World Could Vote
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That said, China and India are unlikely to favor the current Republican front runners. Their quiet preference may be for John McCain, who is by far the most experienced, is widely traveled and knows the world well. McCain's foreign-policy advisers are also decidedly centrist. It will be a surprise if he wins, but he will not pull any surprises if he does.
Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney, on the other hand, hold unknown views. And the world may not be ready for a Southern preacher. As for Rudy Giuliani, his relentless focus on 9/11 and his preoccupation with the dangers of the world show him to be frighteningly out of touch. The world is not, in fact, becoming a more dangerous place; as I document in my new book, the march to modernity is creating new Asian middle classes in the hundreds of millions who are responsible stakeholders and want to join America in creating a more peaceful and stable world order.
Unfortunately, even as the world is becoming more predictable, America is becoming less so. It has one of the least informed populations on the planet, and the quality of the presidential debates on global issues has been appalling. Bhutto's death provided the candidates an opportunity to demonstrate their statesmanship toward a pivotal country. But they all failed this test, resorting to grandstanding instead. Hillary Clinton, for example, declared her longstanding friendship with Benazir but failed to mention Bhutto's many flaws. Bill Richardson excoriated President Pervez Musharraf and called for the elimination of U.S. aid to Pakistan, but failed to mention that Pakistan's long military rule was a direct result of U.S. support. Such statements betrayed an apparent failure to grasp the complexity of the world. By and large, the candidates have wasted the opportunity to provide new intellectual and political leadership to America and the world. This is probably the greatest tragedy of the race. There has never been a greater need for new U.S. leadership, yet the candidates offer little hope that this will come any time soon.
Mahbubani is dean of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and author of “The New Asian Hemisphere: The Irresistible Shift of Global Power to the East.”
© 2008
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