He may be the most unpopular president in modern times: a reckless, unilateralist cowboy. But history will be kinder to George W. Bush than contemporary caricatures. After eight years, he leaves behind much more than a defeated dictator in Iraq. Closer ties to India, a pragmatic relationship with China, and the pressure he applied to Iran will pay dividends for years to come. By David Frum
(Ed note: His detractors may far outnumber the population of the great country he has presided over for a lengthy period of eight years, but the Bush regime in retrospect may prove to be far more productive than it seems on the surface. The author identifies some common ‘perceptions’ regarding the Bush era and attempts to look at the larger picture.)
“iraq is bush’s only foreign-policy legacy”
Hardly. There’s no denying that the war in Iraq has defined the presidency of George W. Bush in important ways. But history is unlikely to remember the war as negatively as most assume.
It’s now likely that the war will stagger to an inconclusive ending. The insurgency will shrink but not disappear. The government will function but will be divided. US military presence will be reduced but not entirely withdrawn. And Iraq’s neighbours will be bruised but their geopolitical policies will stay intact. Yet, by overthrowing Saddam Hussein and replacing him with a non-aggressive, albeit weak, elected regime, the US will have achieved a real improvement in the region. It will have come at a high cost. But it will also falsify the worst predictions of the war’s opponents. As the war recedes into history, it’ll be seen more like the frustrating Korean conflict, or the Philippine insurrection, rather than the debacle of Vietnam. An important part of Bush’s legacy, but hardly all-defining.
As time passes, other crucial decisions of the Bush years will come into sharper focus. Among the most important will be the formation of a US-India military alliance. Under Bush, US and India (along with Australia, Japan, and Singapore) have begun joint naval exercises. The duo signed a treaty to share nuclear materials in 2007. US is offering India fighter planes, warships, and other equipment sales that could total as much as $100 billion during the next 10 years. Otto von Bismarck once famously predicted that the most important geopolitical fact of the 20th century would be that the US and Britain spoke the same language.
(Ed note: His detractors may far outnumber the population of the great country he has presided over for a lengthy period of eight years, but the Bush regime in retrospect may prove to be far more productive than it seems on the surface. The author identifies some common ‘perceptions’ regarding the Bush era and attempts to look at the larger picture.)
“iraq is bush’s only foreign-policy legacy”
Hardly. There’s no denying that the war in Iraq has defined the presidency of George W. Bush in important ways. But history is unlikely to remember the war as negatively as most assume.
It’s now likely that the war will stagger to an inconclusive ending. The insurgency will shrink but not disappear. The government will function but will be divided. US military presence will be reduced but not entirely withdrawn. And Iraq’s neighbours will be bruised but their geopolitical policies will stay intact. Yet, by overthrowing Saddam Hussein and replacing him with a non-aggressive, albeit weak, elected regime, the US will have achieved a real improvement in the region. It will have come at a high cost. But it will also falsify the worst predictions of the war’s opponents. As the war recedes into history, it’ll be seen more like the frustrating Korean conflict, or the Philippine insurrection, rather than the debacle of Vietnam. An important part of Bush’s legacy, but hardly all-defining.
As time passes, other crucial decisions of the Bush years will come into sharper focus. Among the most important will be the formation of a US-India military alliance. Under Bush, US and India (along with Australia, Japan, and Singapore) have begun joint naval exercises. The duo signed a treaty to share nuclear materials in 2007. US is offering India fighter planes, warships, and other equipment sales that could total as much as $100 billion during the next 10 years. Otto von Bismarck once famously predicted that the most important geopolitical fact of the 20th century would be that the US and Britain spoke the same language.
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
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