Enlightened Self Interest - A Reinterpretation

             

"Every nation that has ended in tyranny has come to that end by way of good order. It certainly does not follow from this that peoples should scorn public peace, but neither should they be satisfied with that and nothing more. A nation that asks nothing of government but the maintenance of order is already a slave in the depths of its heart; it is a slave of its well-being, ready for the man who will put it in chains." 

— Alexis de Tocqueville

        There are many today that are nostalgic over a distant past era , of the globally divisive ,Cold War,when two militaristic , out of control , competing, Super Powers, in the likes of  USA , & USSR , played out their proxy wars, and foolish pretense of peaceful, Nuclear coexistence ,for the benefits of naive,often  fearful , and mostly ,psychologically comatose , respective citizens ,too numb from misplaced ,patriotic zeal , to resist. Incidentally,such follies saw an  estimated  22 million lives destroyed ,in some 291 conflicts ,across the globe - chiefly in poor, developing countries, caught up in ideological Capitalist vs Socialist ,propagandist , superlative ,mantras.  

      Unfortunately ,typical unnecessary Triumphalism, as played out by it’s sole winner USA, has led to obvious  missteps,& squander of  golden opportunities ,to move the world forward,via prudent manifestations of moral leadership.One need not be some lofty Social Scientist , to recognize that since that historic occasion last 1989, at that President G. H. Bush comically referred to as , "the end of History,", maybe twice that amount might  have died via ethnic , racial , and  tribalistic conflicts ,disguised  sometimes as religious intolerance , and economic  frustrations, but in reality , a final tail end fall out of four decades of ideological wars.  

    Fast forward to 2011,and unless one was living under a rock on Jupiter, over the past 6 months or more , we would be bombarded by a barrage of sometimes organize , but more often, disjointed hodgepodge of pro  Islamic turmoils, by    various  underrepresented , abused , and neglected peoples,across several Middle Eastern , and North African States, as many  make their paltry attempts, at some semblance of political , and social change ,that can be likened to what we often playfully refer to as Democracy. 

    I am curious as to whether you have the confidence that present leadership,  led by Uncle Barrack . Hussein Obama, can get it right, unlike his many previous counterparts starting , let say with "Richard , I am not a crook Nixon ," all the way  to G.W , your country’s first , and hopefully last ,Harvard MBA , Compassionate Conservative President ,that left  you  in the worst economic state of affairs  ,since the  Great Depression? 

    Uncle O , did after all , run on a platform of “change , we can believe in.” Now since  he is only one individual , and  might be simply rowing along  a piranha infested ,rapidly raging creek ,in a porous  canoe , with a broken paddle, what role can  both you ,and I play, to ensure that our  diverse interest are achieved, and not only the 1% or less elites that dominate the political and economic landscape for too long? 

    You know the selfish creatures that benefited from the that fast talking ,Gipper ,California Cowboy,  Voodoo , trickle down economics, corporate gains, and tax breaks for the rich  , that took jobs overseas , and hold large overseas bank accounts they can check out occasionally ,with their private jets. 

    Yes, I am talking about those who benefited from continued G.W Bush taxs breaks , that were extended by Uncle O , or got the exorbitant bail outs while most of you wallowed on the precipice of  jobless,suicidal despair , still unable to pay your mortgage, or the braces for your indulgent kids. But I digress. 

   Speaking  of the Middle East , Peaceful co existence, and prudent International relations during the Cold War, and it’s long term implications today , as played out in one of the major countries Egypt. It was  former diplomat, Canadian PM ,and  1957 Nobel  Peace Prize winner ,Lester B. Pearson, who said  the following: “We must keep on trying to solve problems, one by one, stage by stage, if not on the basis of confidence and cooperation, at least on that of mutual toleration and self-interest.”  Many  credit him , as being the father of modern UN Peacekeeping , as he help defuse a one time Suez crisis, by encouraging , competing powers, to rally together in support of their vested interest ,re the natural resources surrounding the Suez Canal.

       Maybe  soon , a coherent  a,nd more coordinated  policy of support ,would be put into place , by one , or all leaders of influence , to aid and assist the struggling people of the Middle East , and pro Arab North Africa, who are also clamoring for the same socio - economic , com political justice, that white European brothers and sisters across Eastern Europe and the former USSR ,yearned for , and obtained during the waning days of the much dreaded ,Cold War, when the Soviet Union , as once constituted, became no more.

  Let me  steal a phrase from neo Capitalist head guru , Adam Smith,and it’s called "Enlightened   Self Interest," as I fervently believe that same is quite applicable presently. Our interests ,are inextricably tied up in the success of each other , yes? 

I stand corrected.