Feeling Powerless
I went to see that new documentary about Iraq No End In Sight over the weekend. What a total downer. Not only was the entire push towards war a massive blunder ... but literally every Bush administration decision post-"Mission Accomplished" was an utter catastrophe.
I can't understand why they decided to disband the Iraqi army. Could any good have come from pissing off a couple hundred thousand armed Iraqi men by rendering them occupied and unemployed? How does that decision get made? It really does look like there was an element within the Bush administration that wanted chaos in Iraq. Why else would they install a recent college grad with zero experience in urban planning as the new Baghdad transportation planning chief? Couldn't they at least find a recent college grad with a degree in urban planning? Was that really too much to ask?
Again, I can't understand the Bush administration's motivation for making these inane decisions. What else but chaos could have ensued? In my opinion, not much. Which leads me to think they got what they wanted.
During the immediate post-flick reflection period, I wondered why I go to see these types of movies and read similar types of books and articles and websites. What's my motivation? I mean, I come out of these documentaries (another one that immediately came to mind was An Inconvenient Truth) and I'm not sure what to do with the information. What can an individual, concerned American citizen do? Sure, I have this little blog that I can use to outlet thoughts and perhaps influence other people's thinking ... but aside from that, I feel pretty much powerless.
Maybe this explains generally high levels of apathy in the US among citizens about these big issues. Maybe Americans are just realists deep down inside. Maybe they've done the calculation subconsciously and realize that since they're not in the driver's seat, there really isn't much point to investing time and energy and thought into these problems.
It's a confusing world we live in, that much I know. Other than that, I'm certain the world will continue to experience change. Sinking time and energy into thinking about climate change, peak oil, Iraq, geopolitics, etc ... I'm not sure what it buys me right now.
