As the Autumn of the election of a president , turns via a Winter of discontent with one , towards the Spring of where we are, we must ask what the political weather is like, and the season might bring.
As the United States moves back from a flirtation with splendid isolation, to a policy of involvement , so we are concerned , even as some of us are also glad for a return to normality and what we are used to. The ignoring of humanitarian outrage by the USA is not the norm. Reaction to the chemical weapons attack by Assads forces, from the US, is better , in many ways , than the seeming indifference to him, a leader no humanitaran can ignore, let alone support. But , in listening to the mainstream of his own military, rather than the main thrust of his Alt Right, and thus in doing what he thought was the right thing not the right wing thing, or not easily labelled , more populist thing, Trump concerns us , too, even as some of us find the first signs of continuity from more engaged and engaging presidents. Although , not that Trump is one of them, no, we are concerned yet, because we know he is not.
North Korea is not Syria. The world is watching there but doing little.Little is better than a lot , if it is a lot of problems that are caused !
A president in the tradition I alluded to, and one of the finest, Carter, recieved a well deserved Nobel peace prize , much of it in the citation, for his work, on the issue of North Korea, post his presidency, for the Clinton administration.
We can only hope that in his nineties he is consulted by the current incumbent , of the White House.
And only hope or pray it does not go up in white cloud, smoke !
Author : Lorenzo CHERIN