As the Tension in Iran Builds, Borowitz Is Cool and Elegant as Always
When I came across the article at the left, I was reminded of watching a slightly built golf pro with an effortless golf swing that pounds the ball 320 yards off the tee, or listening to a child prodigy play a concert piano piece at the tempo marked in the score without a single error, and saying to myself, “My God, he makes it look so easy.”
That’s the reaction I have to The New Yorker’s Andy Borowitz. How does he do this? Like the entire rest of the world, I know that Trump loves the world’s tyrants, and I see how the situation in Iran is developing. Why couldn’t I have done this? I seriously doubt he tortures himself for hours, staying up late, pounding coffee and poring over details in world events, or running spreadsheets of possible news items to combine.
Damn, he makes it look so easy.
Craig,
I’ve been a New Yorker subscriber since my late teens, and I agree Andy Borowitz is indeed an elegant wordsmith.
However, elegant phraseology doesn’t conceal the arrogance or effete content of his articles.
The President doesn’t “like” Dictators and strong leaders, but he does find them easier to deal with as they have the power to keep agreements and act in their own best interests.
President Trump is not playing by the old rules. He has no interest in being “the leader of the free world” if that means sacrificing the economy. His sole concern is gaining advantage for the US.
Grand gestures and symbolism are not the hallmark of his Presidency. His diplomacy is simple. He offers a carrot or a stick.
His foreign policy policy is both flexible and easily understood. He is not about regime change or dreams of converting the rest of the world into a copy of America culturally or politically.
President Trump is not an ideologue! This is why ideologues find him incomprehensible and misjudge his policies. His foreign policy is very basic. He seeks to contain Russia and China by economic power, backed by the threat of US military as a last resort.
With rogue states such as Iran or North Korea, or potential aberrations like Turkey and Venezuela he relies upon a combination of economic power backed by limited US military actions aimed at crippling the ruling class of those nations.
The President’s strategy is not to spread US “democracy” or “way of life” but to secure trade and economic advantage for the US without indulging in endless military adventures.
The President remains an ebullient business promoter. He sees foreign dictators as potential customers and is happy to establish good relations as long as the benefits flow to the US.
President Trump expects a “quid pro quo” playing field. Like any businessman he expects a return on his goodwill. His negotiations with friend and foe alike are tough, pragmatic but realistic.
Since his political enemies and critics have never grasped the dramatic change in US strategy, they are left confounded and frustrated by his successes.
Each time the headlines scream of “disaster” it never occurs. Russia has not continued to claim more territory. China is making concessions, Turkey retreated under US pressure, even North Korea’s misbehavior is a pale imitation of it’s previous bellicosity.
Iran is desperate. It badly miscalculated US resolve and is paying the price. Iran still has cards to play, and Iran still has teeth, but it now knows the US has the wining hand and escalation will be met with further humiliations.
The policy of using terrorist groups and proxies to attack the US and US allies has failed. The US Embassy dis not fall, the US troops guarding the compound successful beat off the attack.
The Iranian commander who planned and ordered the attack was killed by US retaliation and US resolve has not weakened but intensified.
The US need not fear an all out war, Iran knows it could not withstand such an action and the Iran ruling clique are not anxious to meet with the same fate as Saddam.
This situation may be the fault of the misguided policies Bush and Obama but Trump will deal with the situation to America’s advantage.