Death of the “Godfather” and of his Policies

It is of course a matter of chance for the radical transformation announced by Barack Obama in dealing with the issue of the missile shield in Eastern Europe, which had represented one of the bases of the policies of his predecessor George Bush, to coincide with the death of the “godfather” of American neoconservatives Irving Kristol in New York two days ago.

Kristol, born in Brooklyn to Jewish parents who had emigrated from the Ukraine, was a “Trotskyist” in his youth, but later turned into a fierce opposer of Communism and Liberalism, founding the neoconservative movement which provided the Bush Administration with its most prominent figures and officials, such as Vice President Dick Cheney, who held great admiration for Kristol. In 2002, Bush awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian decoration in the US, asserting that his writings had “helped transform America’s political landscape”.

Kristol’s ideas found their golden age in Bush Junior’s eight years in office, as it seemed as if the United States turning into the world’s only superpower after the fall of the Soviet Union meant for his administration war against the whole world. Thus the US opened up several fronts of confrontation, from Afghanistan to Iraq to absolute support of Israel in Lebanon and Palestine, reaching up to Russia and Latin America.

Such weakening of the United States’ capabilities exercised by those who carried Kristol’s ideas received a first blow in the Iraq war, which divided their ranks, and then an eye-opening blow in the financial crisis which shook the foundations of US economy, before the nearly finishing blow of the Democrats winning and Obama being elected. That day, his son William Kristol wrote in the New York Times, saying that “all good things must come to an end”.

Obama’s election truly represented a revolution for the US, at both the domestic and foreign levels. And there he is, waging a battle at the domestic level against the hardliners who oppose his health care program because he believes in the right to medical treatment for the more than fifty million poor Americans, which is why he has been described in the first protest against him organized by such hardliners equally as a “Communist” and as a “Nazi”, as they do not distinguish between “enemies”. Obama is also waging another battle against the financial giants of Wall Street, as he tries to place restrictions on “recklessness” in speculations in order to prevent renewed collapse.

It is well known that Kristol’s “rebellion” against Liberalism started with his rejecting the principle of the “Great Society” put forth by late President Lyndon Johnson, which consists of a group of domestic programs that were aimed at combating poverty and fighting racial oppression in society, allocating large budgets to education and health care, as well as the problem of housing and means of transport.

At the foreign level, the new President has decided to correct the mistake of Iraq and set a schedule for withdrawal from that country. He has also ignored the rigid classifications devised by the neoconservatives, such as “the axis of evil” or “rogue states”, by adopting calm dialogue with North Korea, Iran and Syria, and giving them the opportunity to correct their policies, without clinging to preconceptions and black-and-white divisions that are far from the pragmatism of interests. He has also begun changing, although slowly, the approach to the Palestinian problem, giving rise to disagreement in discourse with Israel, one which will hopefully extend to the way Israel is dealt with.

The missile shield too was an unconcealed attempt to besiege Russia, whose assistance the Americans need in many hot button issues: Iran, the Middle East, Afghanistan… and even the G20. The project succeeded in provoking Moscow and in arousing dormant concerns over the intentions of the prime partner and the possibility of returning to the game of economic attrition in a new “star war”. This was reflected in the form of Russian obstruction and skirmishes in many countries and issues.

The “godfather” is dead and buried, and his policies have either died or are struggling to survive.