Russian Guy Says USA Will Dissolve in 2010

Apparent our days are numbered. This guy - one Mr. Panarin - has apparently been pontificating about the imminent demise of the US for a good decade. For whatever reason, it's now being picked up by the Russian media and people who think that's what they want to have happen.

Though it's undeniable that the US is in fairly dire straits, economically, the idea that there is an onrushing civil war in our near future which will result in 6 seperate entities gobbled up by the rest of the world slightly strains credulity.

This Russian - a former KGB information agent, no less - and his theory have gained traction on certain corners of the web, I believe, because there are large portions of the world - and particularly from the safe anonymity of the web - that think this is what they want. It's a case of wishful thinking.

Such a prediction betrays a fundamental lack of understanding. Not of the economic/financial problems. Not of the American governmental systems. Not of the ongoing, neverending socio-political battles being fought.

No, it betrays a lack of understanding of what, exactly, it is to be American. It's not the stars, nor the stripes. Fundamentally, being an American is a way of thinking. It goes beyond whether you voted Republican, Democrat, Independant, or even Communist Party... or if you opted not to vote at all. It goes beyond skin, religion, or even language. It is a belief that a government can and should operate of the people, by the people, and for the people, and an unyielding respect for the process that allows that to occur.

For the last 8 years, the American people have been tried, tested, scorned, criticized, and ostracized, both from within and without. We have been at each others' throats, and ridiculed from the international peanut gallery - and not without merit. A President who has the support of less than 30% of the population, and is actively opposed by more than 70%. An economy which has sagged - under the burden of war, debt, predatory corporate interests, and a bumbling, stumbling government which is often more concerned with its own payouts that the public good - to the point of collapse. And a population which has been fed for more than 3 decades the farcical notion that somehow we're so terribly different from one another. Red vs. Blue, black vs. white, men vs. women. And what's worse, many have bought this notion... and books by Anne Coulter, Bill'O, and the like. This notion that we are enemies, that liberals' and conservatives' are anything more than two brothers trying to reach the same goal in different ways.

From the outside, I can understand how thing might look shaky. Living in "the outside," one sees many alternative perspectives. I've met Canadians who say they "hate Americans" without being able to define which "Americans" they mean. I've met Europeans who speak similarly, because "we're too patriotic" for not wishing to listen to some Swede mouth off ignorantly. Note: these have been the exceptions, not the rule.

And listening to the people - be they supportive or derisive, informed or ignorant - I can't help but realize that there is something fundamentally missing in their idea/understanding of what being an American means.

We are bickerers. Given leave, we'll find an excuse to argue over almost anything. What's more, we're given to verbal flights of fancy when "discussing" said topics. And with the advent of mass media, the dirty laundry is hung for all the world to see. What many outside observers don't understand - given the political and social nature of much of the rest of the world - is that, deep down, we don't forget that we're really two sides of the same coin. Such arguments would never be broatcast publically in China. In Russia, someone (well...several someones at least) would've been poisoned by now. In France, there would've been massive strikes and revolts by now, and they'd run through another 3 "republics" (and maybe another Empire) before order was restored. And in Africa, well, it's only downhill from there. The US? We worry, fret, complain, and get on with our lives... knowing full-well that though the economy may be FUBAR, the state of the Union has never been at question (well, except for that whole sordid affair from 1776-1865, but who's counting?).

People who are not constantly living it simply do not understand, and therefore constantly underestimate, the resilience of the American spirit. Are things bad? Yes. Can they get worse? Yes. Are any of these problems new? No. Global and domestic financial meltdown, see: The Great Depression. Protracted war abroad with questionable goals/winnability, see: Vietnam. Large segments of the world forcasting (with glee) our demise, see: all of American history, save the latter half of 1945. And yet here we stand.

Our infighting and squabbling over everything under the sun is nothing new either. What's the new factor? Media formats. Every tiny detail is broadcast to the entire world within minutes. Lives, mistakes, decisions, and statements are magnified and replayed, until the whole affair begins to seem like it's spiraling out of control. But, really, most of us on the inside know better. We know how resilient we really are.

I read one comment from an internet poster who called himself "eurosnob," saying, essentially, that Americans ought to stop thinking that we're better than everyone else. We're not special, and don't have anything going for us, and the sooner we embrace that fact and - essentially - become more European, the better it would be. I could not disagree more with this outlook - which seems especially common in north-western Europe, where the idea of nationalism has long been out of fashion. I think there is something special about America, and being American. We believe we are special, we believe we are exceptional, and we believe we are the best... and therefore we are, or are at least constantly striving to be. The average American, from any walk of life, believes in his/her system of government more passionately and steadfastly than most people in the world realize, or even believe possible.

In China, for example, patiotism is often little more than recitation. Know your Mao, know your Deng, and know your Hu. Why? It helps you and your family get ahead, and it's expected. It often surprises people just how deeply Americans believe in and support the fundamental underpinnings of our society and government. Though 1/2 (or 7/10) of us may oppose something or someone, we respect and revere the process of government in a way utterly alien to most people in the world. In many places the world over, a leader with less than 30% support would eithe be forced out of power, or be forced to use the military to maintain his authority. In the US? No such catastrophe. In spite of all the doomsayers and bickering, we are the most stable and long-lasting form of government in the world. It's is because we believe that our system works, even if it doesn't work for us at the time. It seems so small, but it's one small thing very few others possess.

Alright, I've rambled on long enough. This just got me thinking, and what better place to record my musings than here. I tried to stay on point, but it is late, so forgive me if I became a little tangential or repetitive. If it comes off as brazenly flag-waving, well so be it. It's sincere.

I'll be reporting in on my New Years next time.
(CS)WC Out.

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