AFGHANISTAN IS NOT SO FAR AWAY

Dear Sirs,

There are those who believe that the dramatic Taliban takeover of Afghanistan will mark the beginning of the decline in the influence of the United States on world affairs, in a similar way as happened with Great Britain after India got its independence. I don’t necessarily agree with this position, but things will not be the same as they have been since after World War II. In any case, without the US returning to the isolationism it professed between the two global conflicts, we can be sure that it will hardly intervene militarily anymore in conflicts, present or future, which should occur around the planet.

There are many situations all over, intertwined one way or another with the interests of the major powers: Ukraine, Ethiopia, Libya, Lebanon and so on, added to the many dictatorships and authoritarian regimes which set a pattern all around. And with instantaneous worldwide communication brought about by technology plus globalisation, it is now a fact that a political butterfly flapping its wings geographically in some distant place can generate another political hurricane at just about every doorstep on the globe. No, Afghanistan is not that far away!

Amongst the enormous amount of problems that we have in Argentina, a very important one is that nearly all of our politicians, both those in government and in opposition, are very provincial, in the sense that they don’t see further than our country’s navel, and have no vision beyond our borders. Consequently, a whole new generation of broad-minded, well-educated politicians is urgently required, but for this we run into another problem: the terrible lack of sensible leadership any forward looking country requires, specially in these times when clever and in depth leadership is lacking in most countries, a very dangerous threat to peace.

With all the defects she had (and although Malvinas hurts her memory in Argentina), beyond any doubt Margaret Thatcher was a real leader who left Britain in a much better shape than when she rose to become prime minister. She was a disrupter who really shook things up, and someone like her would be what the doctor prescribes for Argentina. Really, we need a miracle like this to happen, someone to arrive whom, at the same time, could open the way for a new, young generation of leaders which will hopefully make Argentina great once again. Let us pray!

P.S. I can’t be that hypocritical: of course I have someone in mind!

Harry Ingham, City