ndi Stephen Kinzer, September 16, 2017, Boston Globe.
Mu ulamuliro wa demokalase, palibe amene ayenera kutonthozedwa atamva kuti akuluakulu a boma apereka chilango kwa mtsogoleri wosankhidwa. Zimenezo sizikanayenera kuchitika ku United States. Tsopano zatero.
Zina mwa zithunzi zandale zosatha za m'zaka za m'ma 20 zinali gulu lankhondo. Linali gulu la maofesala oyipa - nthawi zambiri atatu - omwe amanyamuka kuti azilamulira boma. Akuluakulu a boma angalole mabungwe a anthu wamba omwe adavomera kukhala omvera, koma pamapeto pake amakakamiza zofuna zawo. Posachedwapa zaka makumi angapo zapitazo, magulu ankhondo analamulira mayiko ofunika kwambiri monga Chile, Argentina, Turkey, ndi Greece.
Masiku ano dongosolo la junta likubweranso, malo onse, Washington. Mphamvu zomaliza zoumba mfundo zakunja ndi chitetezo zaku America zagwera m'manja mwa asitikali atatu: General James Mattis, mlembi wa chitetezo; General John Kelly, mkulu wa antchito a Purezidenti Trump; ndi General H.R. McMaster, mlangizi wa chitetezo cha dziko. Savala maliboni awo kuti awonenso ziwonetsero zankhondo kapena kutumiza magulu opha anthu kuti aphe adani awo, monga momwe adachitira ankhondo akale. Komabe kuwonekera kwawo kukuwonetsa gawo latsopano pakuwonongeka kwa miyambo yathu yandale komanso kumenya nkhondo kwa mfundo zathu zakunja. Chophimba china chikugwa.
Poganizira kusazindikira kwa Purezidenti pazochitika zapadziko lonse lapansi, kutuluka kwa gulu lankhondo ku Washington kungawoneke ngati mpumulo wolandirika. Kupatula apo, mamembala ake atatu ndi achikulire okhwima omwe ali ndi chidziwitso chapadziko lonse lapansi - mosiyana ndi a Trump ndi ena mwazandale omwe adamuzungulira pomwe adasamukira ku White House. Iwo apereka kale chikoka chokhazikika. Mattis akukana kulowa nawo kuthamangira kuphulitsa North Korea, Kelly adakhazikitsa dongosolo kwa ogwira ntchito ku White House, ndipo McMaster adadzipatula ku matamando a Trump chifukwa cha azungu pambuyo pa ziwawa ku Charlottesville.
Akuluakulu a usilikali, monga tonsefe, ndi zinthu zochokera ku chikhalidwe chawo komanso chilengedwe. Mamembala atatu a a Trump ali ndi zaka 119 zautumiki wofanana pakati pawo. Iwo mwachibadwa amawona dziko kuchokera kumaganizo ankhondo ndipo ali ndi malingaliro ankhondo zothetsera mavuto ake. Izi zimatsogolera kuzinthu zosokoneza zadziko, zomwe "zosowa" zankhondo nthawi zonse zimawonedwa kukhala zofunika kwambiri kuposa zapakhomo.
A Trump anena momveka bwino kuti akapanga zisankho zakunja, azisankha "akuluakulu anga". Mattis, msilikali watsopano wa junta, ndiye mtsogoleri wakale wa Central Command, yemwe amatsogolera nkhondo za ku America ku Middle East ndi Central Asia. Kelly nayenso ndi wakale wakale waku Iraq. McMaster adalamula asitikali ku Iraq ndi Afghanistan pafupifupi popanda kusokonezedwa kuyambira pomwe adatsogolera gulu la akasinja mu 1991 Gulf War.
Akuluakulu ankhondo amaphunzitsidwa kumenya nkhondo, osati kusankha ngati kumenyana kuli koyenera. Atha kuwuza a Trump kuti ndi magulu angati ankhondo omwe ali ofunikira kuti apitilize ntchito yathu ku Afghanistan, mwachitsanzo, koma sanaphunzitsidwe kufunsa kapena kuyankha funso lalikulu ngati mishoniyo imathandizira chidwi cha America. Ndi ntchito ya akazembe. Mosiyana ndi asilikali, omwe ntchito yawo ndi kupha anthu ndi kuphwanya zinthu, akazembe amaphunzitsidwa kukambirana, kuthetsa mikangano, kuwunika mofatsa chidwi cha dziko ndi ndondomeko za mapulani kuti zipititse patsogolo. Ngakhale kuletsa kwa Mattis ku North Korea, mamembala onse atatu a Trump amalimbikitsa njira yolimbana yomwe yadzetsa nkhondo ku Afghanistan, Iraq ndi kupitirira apo, ndikuyambitsa mikangano ku Europe ndi East Asia.
Junta yathu yatsopano ndi yosiyana ndi yakale monga, mwachitsanzo, "National Council for Peace and Order" yomwe tsopano ikulamulira Thailand. Choyamba, chidwi cha junta yathu ndi ubale wapadziko lonse lapansi, osati malamulo apakhomo. Chachiwiri, sichinatenge mphamvu pa chiwembu, koma chimalandira mphamvu kuchokera kwa pulezidenti wosankhidwa. Chachitatu komanso chofunikira kwambiri, cholinga chake chachikulu sikukhazikitsa dongosolo latsopano koma kukakamiza lakale.
Mwezi watha, pulezidenti Trump adakumana ndi chisankho chofunikira kwambiri tsogolo la Nkhondo yaku America ku Afghanistan. Izi zikanakhala nthawi yosinthira zinthu. Zaka zinayi zapitazo Trump tweeted, "Tiyeni tichoke ku Afghanistan." Akadatsatira zomwe akufuna ndikulengeza kuti akubweretsa asitikali aku America kunyumba, akuluakulu andale ndi ankhondo ku Washington akanadabwitsidwa. Koma mamembala a junta adachitapo kanthu. Iwo ananyengerera Trump kuti alengeze kuti m'malo mochoka, adzachita zosiyana: kukana "kutuluka mwamsanga" kuchokera ku Afghanistan, kuwonjezera mphamvu za asilikali, ndikupitiriza "kupha zigawenga."
Ndizosadabwitsa kuti Trump adakokedwa ku ndondomeko yachilendo yachilendo; zomwezo zidachitikira Purezidenti Obama kumayambiriro kwa utsogoleri wake. Choyipa kwambiri ndichakuti Trump wapereka mphamvu zake zambiri kwa akazembe. Choipitsitsa kwambiri, Achimereka ambiri amapeza izi kukhala zolimbikitsa. Iwo amanyansidwa ndi katangale ndi kusaona zam’tsogolo kwa gulu lathu la ndale kotero kuti amatembenukira kwa asilikali monga njira ina. Ndi chiyeso choopsa.
Stephen Kinzer ndi mnzake wamkulu ku Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs ku Brown University.
