The ties that bind…

 

 

This OP is mostly directed at U.S. bloggers here, but please, all feel free to chime in with your opinions/insight. 

Afghanistan is in the news a lot lately. Understandable, in light of the final withdrawal of our military troops there. Provinces are falling daily with an almost complete Taliban takeover of that country. 

Reasons we’ve heard for the major takeover have included government corruption, self-preservation in the form of submission to the ever-encroaching dangerous enemy, resentment for being “abandoned,” equipment malfunctions, etc.  Things are looking beyond bleak for the Afghan people/citizenry.  No… democracy did not come to fruition there, in spite of Herculean efforts of blood and treasure.  

That got me wondering, when we (when I) zoom out to the 30k-foot level, are there not similarities between those people and our own, here in the U.S.?  We also have:

Religious and cultural differences and attempts at imposition (e.g., WCN and its many tentacles), dysfunction, scandals and corruption shenanigans, extreme political tribalism, etc.  Does not the U.S. currently experience the same kinds of things?  Spoiler alert: Gotta give that a “Yes.”

When those nasty dominoes fall, they tend to take down all around them. There is no special magic, no super-glue, that steadfastly holds the US together.  Personally, I think that’s just a starry-eyed rumor that we keep telling ourselves.  Dysfunction, in the forms mentioned above, abound.

So, my question:

What is the specific glue that binds us, here in 2021?  Are we not barrelling down the same paths as other dysfunctional countries?  If you say “no,” tell me what you base that on, because I’m not that hopeful/convinced.  Be as specific as you can.

Thanks for posting and recommending.