While protests are being held around the world, including in
countries everyone thought were 'stable economically' (like Brazil); while
there's a bloody sectarian war raging in the Middle East, while the world
economy continues crumbling, I'd like to take some time and reflect on the ridiculous
manhunt being forced on our attention by
the mainstream media - the Snowden story.
I won't get into the whole debate of how moral this manhunt
is, given the fact that this leak hasn't actually threaten any life (unlike the
Sirian war), or anyone's prosperity (like the protests all around Europe and
now in Brazil). I'd like instead to reflect on the reaction of the world's only
'Superpower' to something that in fact shouldn't be happening at all - the
leaking of confidential information in a world where nobody could really use
this information.
We were used to spy stories during the Cold war. We wouldn't
hear about it in the news, of course, probably because it was indeed a matter
of national security, but we would hear rumors every now and then about another
Russian spy caught stealing stuff. Or, if you grew up in Bulgaria, like me, you
would hear about another Imperialist spy caught. Anyway, what I'm trying to say
is that all this wasn't such a big deal - we were understanding that there is a
Great Enemy there that Wishes Us Evil, and that our authorities are justified
in doing whatever they can about thwarting his Evil schemes (Dart Vader
laugh).
Then the Iron Curtain fell, and suddenly the world became
(supposedly) a happy place, where Democracy rules supreme and the Evil
Communists/Imperialists And Their Puppets were BANISHED. We could now breath
easily that nobody would all of a sudden decide to commit an elaborate suicide
by launching nuclear warheads or such.
And then all of a sudden we get this epidemic of spying
scandals. Bradley Manning, Julian Assange, and now Snowden. All modern-era Evil
Masterminds Bend on World Destruction That Need To Be Brought Down. WTF?????
Let's see: what did these people do in fact? Did they steal
secrets and sell them to someone that wishes us harm? No. Did they sabotage
something? No. Did they lie? No!
What they did was to get evidence of the secret dealings of
the government of our beloved world savior, and then spread them around to all
that cares to read them. And for that, they're branded TRAITORS.
Again, I won't get into philosophical discussions of whether
what they did is right, or not. I want to tell you WHY it is that this is
happening. That's why:
- The USA seems to be suffering of an acute attack of Lack of Enemy. You might be surprised a bit of that statement, but let's think about it:
For decades the two world superpowers (USA and USSR) were
coldly at each others' throats, and that seemed to be accepted as normal by
everyone. People buckled up and toiled, happy that they live on the 'good' side
of the fence. They were resigned with their fate, thinking about the evil
capitalists/communists, and happy that our secrets need to held from them, at
whatever cost.
Then, one of the Superpowers vanished (or rather, was
demoted to just Power). And with it automatically vanished the terrible specter
of Termonuclear war and the Great Evil that Wants To Steal Our Lollipop. Now,
the remaining Superpower decided that they can now just boss over everyone
else, without opposition, and proceeded to do so with abandon. They invaded
Iraq, then Afghanistan, they organized coup after coup in countries around the
world. And, all of a sudden, each scandal involving them started to feel like a
spat on their virtuous public image. People around the world started hacking
their computers and revealing their secrets, and the public opinion cheers
them. Why? What happened? Are they doing something different than before? Are
they behaving more badly?
No.
But they've lost the REASON to do this.
While there was an Enemy Number 1, people were resigned to
all actions of the American government (after all, it was all for our own good,
right?); now there isn't Enemy Number 1 anymore, and people seem to have
realized that it's not justified for a superpower to be doing the stuff that
they are doing. They seem to think that this Superpower is being more of a
Bully than a Superpower.
After all, what exactly is a Superpower supposed to be when
it is the only one? When it's not opposing itself to another superpower to
prevent world destruction, then it should be more of a World Guardian, right? A
benevolent entity which leads the world to a better Tomorrow, towards common
progress, etc. etc.
Instead we have a bully. The US seems to be barring
progress, rather than incentivizing it - for example, it is the only important
nation in the world that didn't sign the Kyoto Protocol; it is imposing a
series of trade embargoes and it has protectionism policies that would cause
Stalin envy. Any significant technological advancement coming from them is
being patented and commercialized, or other than that is being kept close
secret.
Well, they claim that there is still danger in the world:
TERRORISM!!!!! That there are countries that support terrorism and they need to
be .... dealt with. It's really interesting how they manage to make distinction
among a whole lot of those countries in the Middle East: they zero on some of
these and accuse them of being dictatorships that harbor terrorists. At the
same time, others, not less dictatorial, are angels that don't support
terrorists. (Small detail: terrorists usually don't go talk to government
officials asking for their support, they just.... do their stuff.). And somehow
the countries that don't support terrorists and are good to democracy always
happen to be US' allies (at least at that moment), while the others, that
harbor terrorists, always happen to be denying American interests. And let's
not forget that terrorists exist for a reason. Differently from serial killers,
who act alone and in secret generally, terrorists aren't just madmen bent on
mayhem - they always have an agenda (as expressed after every major terrorist
act in the last 30 years). The scary ones' agenda, which is justifying the wars
US is conducting in the Middle East, is .... the presence of the US in the
Middle East. Now, ain't that a funny coincidence!
Fail.
So, the reason more and more leaks are happening within the
American power structure, is the fact that people have recognized the real
agenda of the US governments in the last .... say, 20 years, and think that
agenda is not moral. Nor justified. And they want to show it to the rest of the
world.
Let's hope this makes the Superpower realize what
they're doing, and improve their behavior. If not.... I think they'll soon
seize to be a Superpower. At least in the moral sense of the word.
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