The dark side of the made in America

Master courts at White House press offices have determined that their topic for this week will be “Made in America”. There is enough irony in this story, coming from the spokesmen of a leader whose family is well known for taking out (outsourcing) the luxury products that they have at their disposal. But there's a dark side to promoting this subject.

In recent years, even before Donald Trump takes office, the United States has been involved in the active production of the means our enemies need to weaken us. We have done so by means of misunderstood wars, damaging political elections, and wrong actions as well as inactions. We are still far from the root like the dominant power of the world. But we cannot deny that of all those “Made in America” of this century, those related to the things America has done wrong deserve special attention.

The Iraq war is one of the strongest illustrations of this phenomenon. As reported in a dreary New York Times article this weekend, despite the extraordinary investments in the United States with more than $4,500 human life and $1 trillion in the country since 2003, it is increasingly clear that the main beneficiary of these efforts is a country in the Middle East that the United States regularly quotes as an opponent: Iran. We strengthened their proxies in government even though we weakened or destroyed their enemies. Furthermore, our mistakes in Iraq are not limited to overstepping the borders of President George W. Bush, or President Barack Obama's wish to get out very quickly. The administration's recent actions, Trump, by actions for the “crim” of Mosul to what the US government has recently taken in neighbouring Syria, have also strengthened Iran.

In Syria, the Obama administration was reluctant to act to contain the brutality of Bashar al-Assad's regime and then continued to embrace Russian intervention quietly. The current White House gives more open support to the Russians, which means that again, what we have done ultimately helps keep an enemy alive.

In Afghanistan, we've spent about $1 trillion and lost more than 2300 lives. All of this will surely benefit the Taliban against whom we entered the country to defeat.

This past week brought more consequences to our self-inflicted foreign policy wounds. In Gibuti, in the Horn of Africa, within a distance from the Middle East, China opened its first military base abroad. China sent a message that it's ready and willing to show its muscles. China's military expansions come along with its efforts to strengthen itself along the key roads of land and sea. Beijing has been strengthened economically by Washington's mistakes; US efforts during Obama's years failed to counter the Bank initiated by the Asian Investment Bank for Infrastructure. Adding to this rejection by the Trump administration of the Trans-Piciff Partnership Trade Agreement, this has opened the door for greater Chinese economic impact.

And of course, we have strengthened Russia through our failure to oppose it in Crime or Syria and we have been indifferent to Russia's attack on our election process.

Even though we have waged a war against terrorism that has driven us away from the greatest priorities, we have also taken steps that have measurablely benefited the terrorists. These steps include torture of prisoners until the attack on Muslims on immigration orders, and to Trump's policies that have led to the enslavement of collateral civilian victims related to our military actions in the Middle East.

The damage we have done for ourselves, of course, is not limited to foreign policy. Congress is considering a health care bill that, denying access to health services from millions and making it unaffordable for millions of others, will almost certainly kill more Americans than any terrorist attack we've ever experienced or we may face. As bad as our foreign policy mistakes have been, our internal errors have done even more damage in the country.

As national security adviser Peter Singer told me over the weekend, the ancient Chinese strateg Sun Tzu once wrote: “The final perfection does not stand in winning every battle, but in defeating the enemy without ever fighting.” For the Chinese as well as their enemies and other rivals, this 2,500-year-old recipe seems to be working very well with the United States. Recognition and active work to reverse the self - inflicted damage in the early years of this century are the only way that can enable us to stop the destruction of our strength and seize victory from the mouth of self - destruction

/The Washington Post read.al/