Another reason for Trump to get a peace prize – Rwanda and Congo?
Not that I think he’ll actually get one – but look at this:
At the invitation of Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshekedi, the Trump administration was brought in to lead negotiations to end the war raging in the east of the country between DRC forces and rebels believed to be backed by Rwanda. A peace deal was initialed Wednesday evening by officials from the neighboring nations, and it’s set to be signed formally late next week in Washington by their leaders, and witnessed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the State Department said.
While many in the region will welcome an end to the long-running and deadly conflict, Daniel Van Dalen, a senior analyst at the Africa-focused intelligence firm Signal Risk, says the way the agreement was hashed out signals a major change in geopolitical efforts to end crises on the continent. The days of diplomatic soft power, he says, are over.
What’s “soft power”? Sounds like an oxymoron. Is it equivalent to Obama’s disastrous “leading from behind”? Whatever it is, it didn’t solve the problems there and instead featured “many previous failed attempts to secure an agreement between the two countries.”
Make of this what you will:
From his first policy speech, President Obama presented contemporary soft power as a vital element of power, referring to the power of attraction rather than influence, as defined by Harvard political scientist Joseph Nye (Nye 2004). To address the prospect of decline in a context of new international relations — to overcome a variety of challenges, including an evolving Jihadist threat, and competition from re-emerging powers like Russia and China—the Obama Administration tried to prioritise nation-branding, selling the American “brand” by developing new attraction strategies.
Blahbidy blah.
The present attempt by Trump in Congo involves the following:
If implemented, the agreement will end the fighting in eastern DRC. It could also bring billions of dollars of American investment into the region, which is rich in the minerals coltan, cobalt, lithium, copper and gold, all of which are critical in the manufacture of electric vehicles, smartphones, computers and a wide range of other high-tech goods, from satellites to military weapons systems.
According to the article, the war there has been going on for three decades – “forever war,” anyone? – and has killed six million people. It’s unclear whether this deal will actually work; the largest Rwanda-backed fighting group isn’t privy to it, for example. Once again, time will tell.
Good lord! What a risible pile of faculty lounge argle-bargle and sophistry.
To you it might be risible, but to high IQ people (who are almost all leftists), it sounds brilliant.
When I was in Army command and staff school, we were taught about the elements of national power using the DIME model – Diplomatic, Informational, Military, and Economic. There are some folks who argue for adding FIL – Finance, Intelligence, and Law enforcement – to the DIME list.
But, at least from the military point of view, hard power means using military force, or the threat thereof, to coerce or compel another nation, or non-nation-state actor (think al Qaeda or ISIS) to do what you want.
Everything else is soft power.
All of the various prizes the elite give themselves (Oscars, Emmys, Tonys, Pulitzers, MacArthurs, Nobels) have become so debased over the past decade, for someone of a conservative or rightist bent, winning one is an insult. That, or an attempt to knit the organization’s prestige back together by offering a sop to the plebes, which would be an insult, too.
If the Nobel Committee gave Donald Trump the Peace Prize, his best action would be to turn it down. Instant slap in the face to every Democrat Secretary of State for the past 30 years. They offered half-measures in pursuit of a two-state solution hoping a peace would last long enough for Nobel to take notice and favor them with their legacy, offering a springboard to the Oval Office. Instant slap in the face to Obama, who got one for doing exactly nothing.
Saying “no thanks” to people trying to give you an award is a perfect Groucho Marx moment. Wouldn’t want to belong to a club that would have me as a member.
Best part? The Democrats would be livid. Trump spitting in the face of one of their institutions. I have no doubt AOC would call for impeachment. Al Green would start waving his cane again. Pure cinema.
Trump could cure cancer tomorrow & the legacy media would complain about the medical researchers losing their jobs.
@Mitchell Strand:Instant slap in the face to Obama, who got one for doing exactly nothing.
I feel like Obama’s face was slapped by the committee that awarded it to him. He certainly didn’t seem to proud to get a DEI Peace Prize. I think he he felt he had no good way to turn it down. From his acceptance speech:
He seemed to me very conscious of not having earned it.
The Nobel Peace Prize has never not been humbug.
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Other than medals in the uniformed services (where we may need a deflation program), I’d be pleased if prizes went away completely. For starters, bye bye to the Presidential Medal of Freedom, please. And honorary degrees.
I found it amusing when Steve Sailer took to calling one particular MacArthur recipient “Genius T. Coates”.