Rough Drafting History

I don’t write columns for whimsical effect. Some folks do and that’s legit, and good for interest, engagement and entertainment. What drives me to write weekly columns, year over year, are the essential and percolating issues of our times. In fact, one of my books is simply, “A Diary of Our Times.” Fact is, I do like to think of the weekly undertaking as a diary of the times, “a rough draft of history,” as Phil Graham, former publisher of The Washington Post once put it, to call out what we should be thinking about as responsible executors and doers of our times.

Perhaps that’s the explanation, or excuse, for this multi-themed article. It’s an eclectic blend of thoughts that have fought their way out of my besieged brain with so much going on in the world and at home.

So, bear with me as I bounce about a bit. Hopefully, I’m touching on things that have been disturbing your brain over the past few weeks as well.

RUSSIA – Let’s start with Mr. Putin. This man has clearly sold his soul to the devil to create chaos in the world, particularly among democracies. His obsession with Ukraine, in spite of the economic, demographic and reputational damage that it’s causing Russia, is part of his ego of reckless abandon. He clearly hasn’t read the memo on longevity: “Starve the ego and feed the soul.”

He’s selling ballistic missile and space technology to Iran and North Korea in exchange for weaponry to feed his war machine. He’s selling anti-ship cruise missiles to Yemen to create economic and political chaos in the Red Sea which is the path to the Suez Canal. He’s over the line of no return. Bluffing is over. He’s all in with his chips. Who knows what a man like Putin will do in desperation as his political and military platform starts to dissolve? We need to be prepared.

THE AXIS OF HATRED – This brings me to what the international edition of The New York Times recently called the ‘Axis of Hatred,’… “a coalition of powers working to strengthen one another’s militaries to defeat America’s partners and by extension the United States.”

Michael Kimmage, a former State Department official and professor of Cold War history and U.S.-Russian relations has said: “The current alignments are a continuation of the Cold War. Now as then, the center of gravity of the anti-American partnership is Russia.” I would infer from this that by bringing Russia to its knees over Ukraine militarily, and economically through sanctions, the anti-American partnership would begin to crumble. That’s my inference.

THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA – It’s America’s biggest global leadership challenge. China is increasingly on shaky ground and that’s a reason for concern. Troubled nations, like people, can be unpredictable, and potentially dangerous.

China seems less interested in axis coalitions. Taking sides against the U.S. is tempting but who besides North Korea and Iran want to brag about being friends with a man (Putin), who has been issued an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity and genocide? Xi Jinping seems singularly more interested in global hegemony than in mingling with global pariahs.

The problem for an ambitious Xi Jinping is that his inclination towards state-owned economic enterprises isn’t working well. Overblown and pretentious development has created excesses, real-estate problems, currency problems, wealth and inflation problems. Government-subsidized products and cheapening exports provoke tariff issues and his emphasis on revenue by export as opposed to revenue by domestic consumption isn’t working, especially with global tariffs ratcheting up.

Xi’s expansion of state ownership and economic controls has caused fear and hesitation from foreign investors. China’s conundrum? It can’t have it both ways. International corporations will never give ownership control and operational reins over to state-owned enterprises. With China’s economy in the doldrums, foreign investment is drying up. It’s time to stay firm with China.

THE MIDDLE EAST – It’s a massive threat to global peace. Here’s an analogy. A nuclear bomb is triggered by a conventional explosive that starts a chain reaction. The fighting between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah has the potential to be the charge that ignites that explosive chain reaction, likely involving many other nations around the world. This is why a cease-fire is so critical before things go supercritical. If this war expands, oil prices will surge along with inflation.

UKRAINE – The case can be made that Vladimir Putin and his military have “crossed the Rubicon,” the point of no return. He’s ignored international law, and like Caesar, willy-nilly, he’s all in. Unless the West stands firm, other nations will likely fall. In Southeast Asia (Vietnam) we called this the “domino effect.” This is a generational event with no leeway for indifference. It’s time to nip autocracy in the bud, and NATO is a great example of a partnership of the willing that can do just that.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE – Artificial intelligence is a technological elixir, promising to make our lives more wonderful than ever before; yet transcendental moments like this nascent and fantastical elixir have to be handled with trepidation. We can’t allow the “AI Beast” to learn to control and manipulate us. That moment of pending control is now.

CLIMATE TROUBLES – Hurricane Helene and other 100-year storms are seemingly happening every two or three years, to say nothing of Highland County’s extreme drought. More than ever, I’m convinced this issue belongs on everybody’s agenda. We can’t allow climate change disasters to be the earth’s apocalypse on our watch.

THE 2024 ELECTION – Everyone will have to make up their own minds on this one, but it is a pivotal election. The country is as divided as I’ve seen it in my lifetime, maybe even since the Civil War or the McCarthy Era.

My parents taught me that no matter who was president, it was important to respect the elected person and the office. I’ve tried hard to live up to that teaching. I’m guided by the expression: “Character is destiny.” It’s attributed to the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, and I take it to mean that our personal attributes, behaviors and actions will determine our fate and our destiny. I suppose you could attribute that notion to nations as well as people and our leaders.

I want a president who is the exemplar of the ethical and moral values that I have taught my children and hope that they will pass them on to their children. I want a president they can look up to as a role model of moral values and leadership, and if scriptural lessons are a part of those values, then they speak for themselves. Nuff said.

And so goes a continuing draft of history… each week.

Bill Sims is a Hillsboro resident, retired president of the Denver Council on Foreign Relations, an author and runs a small farm in Berrysville with his wife. He is a former educator, executive and foundation president.