20th Century Blues

The 20^th Century was the bloodiest in history.

World War I. World War II. Vietnam. Afghanistan. The Gulf War.

And those are just the wars the U.S. was a direct party to.

There were lots of others. In all cases they were caused by fear. Fear of the other, or the other side. Nations battling nations for dominance like rutting goats.

There was some hope, after the Cold War, that those days were ending.

They didn’t. Russia just regrouped, and China decided they wanted to play, too.

Humanity can’t afford this. Never mind who’s right and who’s wrong. (We’re right. They’re wrong.) The waste of natural wealth, the continued abuse of fossil fuels, the climate can’t handle it.

Unless we can find a way out of the current conflict with China, our grandchildren won’t have a livable planet. There’s no Planet B.

Before you at me, I agree. It takes two to tango, as it takes two to tangle. Xi Jinping has seen China’s military conquer Tibet, conquer Xinjiang, conquer Hong Kong, and he wants Taiwan to cement his legacy. Taiwan is a beautiful country. I’ve been there, and my son has been there three times. The people are great. The nation is free. Giving it to China, or failing to fight for it, is not an option.

That’s why I have the 20^th Century blues. Even while Hurricane Putin blows himself out in Ukraine. Even with Trump on the ropes here, and Erdogan having bad poll numbers. Xi has taken the COVID chucks off the wheels of his economy and wants it to fly. He also wants it to be an instrument of his foreign policy, which is to create a Greater Prosperity Sphere around East Asia, where one-third of the world’s people live. Which we can’t allow.

There must be a way out of this box, but right now I can’t see one.