In a world without America, the strong do as they will, and the weak suffer as they must. **
By Victor Davis Hanson
Russiainvades Georgia. China jails dissidents. China and India pollute atlevels previously unimaginable. Gulf monarchies make trillions fromjacked-up oil prices. Islamic terrorists keep car bombing. Meanwhile,Europe offers moral lectures, while Japan and South Korea shrug andwatch — all in a globalized world that tunes into the Olympics eachnight from Beijing.
“Citizens of the world” were supposed toshare, in relative harmony, our new “Planet Earth,” which was to havefollowed from an interconnected system of free trade, instantaneouselectronic communications, civilized diplomacy, and shared consumercapitalism.
But was that ever quite true?
In reality, to the extent globalism worked, it followed from three unspoken assumptions:
First, the U.S. economy would keep importing goods from abroad to drive international economic growth.
Second,the U.S. military would keep the sea-lanes open, and trade and travelprotected. After the past destruction of fascism and global communism,the Americans, as global sheriff, would continue to deal with theoccasional menace like a Moammar Gaddafi, Slobodan Milosevic, Osama binLaden, Saddam Hussein, Kim Jong-il, or the Taliban.
Third,America would ignore ankle-biting allies and remain engaged with theworld — like a good, nurturing mom who at times must put up with thepetulance of dependent teenagers.
But there have been a numberof indications recently that globalization may soon lose its Americanparent, who is tiring, both materially and psychologically.
TheUnited States may be the most free, stable, and meritocratic nation inthe world, but its resources and patience are not unlimited. Currently,it pays more than a half trillion dollars per year to import$115-a-barrel oil that is often pumped at a cost of about $5.
TheChinese, Japanese, and Europeans hold trillions of dollars in U.S.bonds — the result of massive trade deficits. The American dollar is athistoric lows. We are piling up staggering national debt. Over 12million live here illegally and freely transfer more than $50 billionannually to Mexico and Latin America.
Our military, afterdeposing Milosevic, the Taliban, and Saddam, is tired. And Americansare increasingly becoming more sensitive to the cheap criticism ofglobal moralists.
But as the United States turns ever soslightly inward, the new globalized world will revert to a far poorer —and more dangerous — place.
**While Mr. Hanson makes some good points, the United States in its present bankrupted open border state cannot continue much longer, nor is it operating in the interest of its people because it’s definition of citizenry really means corporatism. — Ed.