by Madeleine Kando
I went to see the documentary ‘Apollo 11’ yesterday. It was the first of a series of manned moon landings, all of them American. The suspense was palpable. Even though every member of the audience knew the outcome, we were on the edge of our seats as the Eagle approached the surface of this never explore celestial body. It left me with a sense of awe and admiration. This happened a life-time ago, when I was in the prime of my life and still living in Europe, but this first landing was a symbol of what a super-power at the zenith of its ascent can accomplish. That was America at its best.
After WW2 ended, the United States established what is known as the “New World Order’. It was to prevent the world from repeating the mistakes that had led to a world that had been filled with wars and conflicts. Behind it was an ideology of liberalism backed up by military power.
I was born during the Second World War and have spent my entire life in the comfort and ease of what the United States created. The New Liberal Order was not created out of a sense of altruism, but because, as we all know, Americans are pragmatists: they do what is best for them, as most nations do. And what is best for America is a world with as little conflict as possible. It was to guarantee that the world would be a safe place to conduct trade, promote liberal values and avoid conflict by diplomacy and compromise.
I am lucky to have been born at a time when a benevolent albeit somewhat conceited teacher was overseeing the classroom. I owe my relatively comfortable existence to what history will show to be a fluke in an otherwise ridiculously belligerent, divided myopic world.
Wasn’t it because of the role that the United States played as the policeman of the world, that political refugees from all corners of the world, including Eastern Europe, were able to flee oppressive regimes? Hungary, my country of birth, soon became a satellite country of the Soviet Union and lost the little freedoms it had.
America, like a referee standing in the corner of the boxing rink, made sure that punches weren’t lethal, that the fight was fair. My family and I would not have been able to flee Communism if there had been nothing to flee to. We settled in France which was soon rebuilt by Marshall Plan money, we moved to Holland, admittedly a very industrious country, but greatly helped with America’s aid. My entire life’s path, as tortuous as it was, could not have taken the course it did, without America’s involvement in Europe.
That is why, now as a septuagenarian, the image of America that I still carry in my heart, is one of power without abusive tendencies, a big brother who is looking out for me. The millions who benefitted from this New World Order have now completely forgotten what they owe this country.
Yes, millions. The US has done many bad things, that’s what a the policeman on his beat has to do, decide whether interference is good or will make things worse. He is not always looking out for the people he is supposed to protect. His own safety comes first.
But whether it is coincidence, a fluke of history, at the end of the day, it is those very American values that have shaped my vision of this country: freedom and the ability to live and let live and above all a sense of balance.
In his book ‘The Jungle Grows Back’, American historian Robert Kagan says that: “The post-World War II liberal order of nation-states bound by treaties and international institutions, and favoring democracy, capitalism and the rule of law, has seen more peace and prosperity than any other time in history.”
I witness with my own eyes how the US is internally struggling. What happened to the good old days when Armstrong took his first step on the moon and said: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind"? What happened to the shining multi-level US highways, when repairing them meant building an entire new temporary road overnight? Now I drive over roads with such large potholes that my tires have to be replaced every six months.
I don’t know what kind of world order my grandson is going to live his life in. He is six now, born at a time when the New World Order is being attacked from many sides. One thing is inevitable, the world requires order. Who is going to make the rules, if it is not the United States? The only other power that can fill that role is China. Will my grandson live his life in a world where liberal ideas of freedom, civil rights and liberties are no longer taken for granted?
I don’t notice much change in my daily life, other than paying too much for my phone bill and too little for anything with a ‘Made in China’ label. Why would I worry about all these doomsayers who warn of our way of life being threatened? I don’t notice a Chinese take-over of our rights and liberties. Yes, there is a large Asian population in the city where I live. But those are people who chose to leave China and live here, just like I chose to leave Europe. So what’s the big deal? Freedom and security are so ingrained in us that we take them for granted. Just like I took having decent health care as my birthright when I lived in Holland. Until I moved to the States and realized that healthcare here is considered a luxury.
Will it be different when my grandson turns twenty? Will he end up living in a 1984 world where his ‘citizen score’ will determine his chances of landing a decent job?
I hope Kagan is wrong and that rather than a jungle, the world will turn into a more civilized place, like a well-tended municipal garden with no-one in charge. But that in itself requires that everyone abide by the rules. So the question remains: who is going to make those rules?
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