How Bullies Prosper (12/19/03)
by Dean Hartwell
Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, we in the United States have feared for our safety. Since that time, President Bush’s standing in polls has improved, with some saying he has overcome early misgivings about his leadership.
Considering the actions President Bush has taken since September 11, we ought to wonder if we are safe. Bush has started two wars, one of which was indisputably without provocation. He has presided over a marked decrease in our civil liberties, as evidenced by the Patriot Act. He has also stooped to new lows in campaigning, accusing a disabled Vietnam veteran in the 2002 elections of being soft on national security.
In short, the President has bullied people who have stood in his way. He has refused to negotiate or compromise with anyone, at one point stating, “Either you are with us [the United States] or you are against us.”
Is this the type of leadership the United States wants?
It reminds me of my childhood on the school playground. Some kids provoked trouble with others and earned reputations as bullies. The kids who had to put up with the taunting and fighting became afraid for their safety and looked for ways to feel more secure.
Inevitably, the bullied kids would look to one of the bullies for protection. But this protection often came with a cost – help with homework, for example. The bullied ones never looked to someone who could negotiate on their behalf.
Several years ago, we had a president who preferred to negotiate than bully. President Jimmy Carter entered the White House believing he could bring about world peace through working with other nations.
The followers of the Ayatollah Khomeini had other plans. Angry with the United States for supporting the Shah of Iran, they took over the United States embassy in Tehran and held the employees hostage.
Ignoring the pleas of many who wanted to take military action against Iran at once, Carter chose diplomacy. He offered to release Iranian accounts the United States had frozen and to give spare military parts that Iran had already paid for in exchange for the hostages. This strategy bore fruit when the hostages returned, but it was too late to help Carter in his bid for re-election.
One of those who criticized Carter’s use of diplomacy was the man who replaced him, Ronald Reagan. President Reagan would use force on several occasions, like the invasion of Grenada in 1983 and the air strike on Libya in 1986. He also funded what he called “freedom fighters” in Nicaragua and Afghanistan.
The voters of the United States accepted these bullying tactics, electing Reagan to the presidency twice. He said he would never negotiate with terrorists. Ironically, the only time his popularity ratings took a nosedive was when his secret attempt at diplomacy with Iran over a new group of hostages failed and was revealed to the world.
In the United States, we tend to get the kind of leadership that we deserve. If we do wish to become a nation that in the words of President John F. Kennedy, “never fear[s] to negotiate,” we can start by voicing that opinion at the ballot box.