Yazidi women taken to be sold
“The history of interactions among disparate peoples is what shaped the modern world through conquest, epidemics and genocide. Those collisions created reverberations that have still not died down after many centuries, and that are actively continuing in some of the world’s most troubled areas.”
Jared Diamond, The Fates of Human Societies
Our government and the majority of “we the people” seem to be clueless on the immediate dangers facing the world, and specifically the western society. In Iraq, Yazidi Christians are the victims of genocide, men and children killed and women being sold as sex slaves or as unwilling companions of Isis soldiers. Other than an initial help, this mass murders and atrocities have been left unchecked. As a consequence of our misguided foreign policy and intention to surrender our leadership in the world, we are paying no attention to an ongoing war between the two Muslims factions Sunni and Shiite led by Saudi Arabia and Iran. Combined by the increase of terrorism by radical elements of believers of Islam, Isis and Al Qaeda, the region has become a powder keg that if left unattended has the potential to provoke a world conflagration. In response, the present administration answers to terrorist’s attacks at St. Bernardino with an executive order to strengthen gun acquisition laws, and to the potential global war as a consequence of the Middle East chaos with warnings about the dangers of climate change.
A few days ago in Philadelphia, a radicalized Muslim attacked a police officer by shooting him thirteen times. During the aggression he shouted allegiance to Isis, and praised Allah. His family confirmed his Muslim faith and radicalized views. Surprisingly the city’s Mayor declared that the incident had nothing to do with Muslims or Islam. In his last State of the Union, the most political and less watched ever, our President Obama did not bother to mention the fate of the members of our armed forces that had just been captured by Iran. He did take great pain to try to convince us that terrorism was not a global threat and his policies were indeed working. The usual “straw man” of an all out war as the only other alternative was mentioned. After the satisfactory resolution of the captive’s incident by Iran, the democratic leaders, including Secretary of State Kerry, Vice President Biden, and minority leader Pelosi were quick to point out the generosity of this terrorist nation, and praising the “new” relationship with them after the nuclear treaty as the reason.
These statements coincided with images of our soldiers kneeling, disarmed and apologizing for their “mistake”, obviously anything but a peaceful treatment. The obvious policy of “rapprochement” with our enemies by making pacts, in which we give everything in exchange of nothing, contrasts with the treatment of our traditional ally Israel, the cold shoulder given to Muslim countries like Jordan and Egypt (Obama had only 5 minutes time to meet Jordan’s King Abdullah before embarking on a political speech tour), that are requesting help to fight what they say it’s a global war against radical Islam followers. It seems that our administration is eager to convince us that if “it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck; it is proof positive that it is a chicken”. In Cuba more of the same; constant praising of the new relationship, disregarding that Castro is receiving everything he desired, while increasing his oppression on the people. Guantanamo continues to be labeled as a recruiting tool for terrorists, a declaration that has no basis in reality, and dangerous terrorists are being released to kill more of us, and when it is emptied probably will be gifted to the Castro tyrants. At the start of his presidency, many dismissed Obama’s and Clinton’s foreign decisions as a consequence of inexperience, but after 8 years that argument is no longer valid. He promised change, that the electorate interpreted as “improvement”. Now we know that he meant “real” change which entails making a different country, of the one that has worked extremely well and being so admired since its inception. Do we want to continue in this dangerous and downward spiral? The upcoming elections will tell!
Fernando J Milanes MD
