Facing The Future With Open Eyes
The new year begins with a lot of uncertainty, and it’s likely that our nation and the world will look quite different before 2025.
On the global scene, will 2024 bring a resolution to the war in Ukraine? The answer to that depends not just on Putin and Zelensky, but also on American politicians. If our military and financial support for Ukraine is cut severely, Putin will know that he’s won the long game. He will have waited us out and might consider what other nearby nation to invade next.
Also on the global scene, it seems likely the Israeli-Hamas war will have in 2024 one of two outcomes. The worst-case scenario is that the conflict will blow up into a regional war, with Iran using Hezbollah in Lebanon to open a northern battlefront against Israel. That scenario will force the US, Israel’s only ally in this conflict, to be further involved.
A better scenario for Gaza will be that in 2024, the Palestinian people will be closer to having a viable government and land under their control. This “two-state solution” is not Netanyahu’s preference, but it is what most leaders of the world, and even many in citizens in Israel, see as inevitable. Even Biden, one of Israel’s biggest supporters, seems to be signaling that the only chance for long-term peace in the region must include a viable Palestinian state.
Other global issues will undoubtedly arise in 2024. China, with the blessing of Russia and other nations, might make a more decisive move against Taiwan. Insurgent groups in Africa are already making 2024 a deadly year.
All in all, there is a great deal of unrest in the world, and that is what makes the next presidential election in our country so critical. So far, the issues of the upcoming election seem to center on overturning or backing the 2020 election result, the migrant situation on our southern border, and inflation.
This election is too important for voters to interpret it as stopping or supporting Trump. Trump has done a good job of framing this next election to be about him, the numerous indictments he faces, and the possibility of jail time.
This is a huge distraction, a sideshow. While other Republican candidates debate and must answer tough questions about Gaza, Ukraine, and China, as well as domestic issues, Trump holds pep rallies. This means that no one is pressing him about the global issues mentioned above. Will Trump go against Putin, his friend, and support Ukraine? What stance will Trump take on the Palestinian question, given that he’s on record for saying he respects Hezbollah? What about his flirtation with dictatorship and his desire to build concentration camps for those he considers undesirable?
The biggest mistake we can make as voters is to treat the 2024 election as the nation’s verdict about 2020. This is to look backward when the world needs the US to offer leadership for the future.
Biden is running on the platform of finishing the job, meaning his plan to carry through on his established positions regarding Ukraine, Russia, Israel, the Palestinians, Iran, Hezbollah, China, and other hot spots and hot issues. I have no quarrel with those who will vote against Biden because they disagree with his stance on these critical issues.
I do, however, have a quarrel with those who will vote for a candidate who isn’t prepared to address these critical issues. That is like following someone who has his eyes shut. Not just we, but the world deserves better leadership than that.