| Photo by Simon Infanger on Unsplash
Part XXXIII of the “Geopolitics” Series
As this column suggested on October 29, 2023, the United States and its allies must work through and with the United Nations (U.N.) to avoid another Afghanistan-like misadventure in Gaza or elsewhere in the Islamic World. Readers may read “Azerbaijani and Filipino Peacekeepers Can Maintain Peace and Order in the Middle East” again at this link.
The latest development in Yemen is alarming not only to peace-loving Americans but also to the rest of the world. Reuters posted this early yesterday, January 13: “The United States carried out an additional strike against Yemen’s Houthi forces on Friday, two officials told Reuters, after President Joe Biden’s administration vowed to protect shipping in the Red Sea.”
The latest strike targeted a radar site, as mainstream media reported. It came a day after dozens of U.S. and British strikes on the Iran-backed Yemeni rebel group’s facilities.
American officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, did not provide more details. Reuters and other news outlets have reported that radar infrastructures have been key targets in the U.S. military effort to halt Houthi attacks in and around the Red Sea.
This columnist has been saying for more than two decades that the Free World and the U.N. must field Muslim peacekeepers in Islamic countries. Why? Cooler heads may prevail in a Muslim country embroiled in civil war if the peacekeepers sent to it also belong to the Islamic faith. There are, and have been, intramural differences between and among different Islamic denominations. The fact is almost all Muslim tribes unite in fighting non-Islamic invaders. Perhaps Muslims will welcome peacekeepers accompanied by medical and engineering brigades. This column suggested sending — together with First Responders — SWATT teams. As coined by this writer, SWATT is the acronym for social workers, agriculturists, teachers, and technicians (technocrats).
As this column relates, the Muslim-majority country of Azerbaijan has Shiite and Sunni members of its population. About ten percent of Azerbaijanis belong to Christian and Jewish faiths. But they all live in peace. Shiites and Sunnis even intermarry in the country that bills itself as the “Land of the Future.”
“Perhaps a second term of a POTUS will do magic for geopolitics because a reelected president will be working hard without needing partisan politics. His only motivation is to leave a legacy of accomplishments, finish needed infrastructures, and back-to-basics industries with substantial equity from cooperatives of workers and consumers.”
Perhaps world leaders and the U.N. executives must ask Azerbaijan (with a population of 10 million) and countries with relatively huge Muslim populations (like the Philippines with a Muslim minority of 12 million or about 10% of some 120 million Filipinos) to agree to field Islamic peacekeepers, medics and SWATT teams. Because “the future is now,” to use an oft-quoted adage.
Perhaps the POTUS, as the recognized leader of the Free World, has “everything to gain and nothing to lose” (using again a popular adage) in seeking peace and peaceful coexistence among warring people and tribes. Yes, especially for President Biden, who can devote the next five years (assuming that he is reelected) to pushing hard, peaceful geopolitics. After all, in his second term, he can be bolder, if not boldest, as he would no longer think of another reelection bid, as the U.S. Constitution allows only a presidential reign of two terms.
Besides, one of the biggest accomplishments of President Biden is his decision to pull out all the American troops in Afghanistan — after two decades of involvement and spending nearly three trillion dollars in a no-win war. He demonstrated apolitical courage and firm determination to let the 15 or more Afghan tribes decide among themselves if they would like to live in peace and have a progressive future — with aid from, and investments by, the wealthiest countries.
Perhaps a second term of a POTUS will do magic for geopolitics because a reelected president will be working hard without needing partisan politics. His only motivation is to leave a legacy of accomplishments, finish needed infrastructures, and back-to-basics industries with substantial equity from cooperatives of workers and consumers. The ultimate bottom line is a more peaceful world, especially in the Middle East and Third-World countries. And a more vibrant and successful United Nations.
