NguStephen Kinzer, ngoSeptemba 16, 2017, Boston Globe.
Kwidemokhrasi, akukho mntu kufuneka athuthuzeleke kukuva ukuba iinjengele ziye zabeka ululeko kwintloko yelizwe eyonyuliweyo. Oko kwakungafane kwenzeke eUnited States. Ngoku iyenzile.
Phakathi kweyona mifanekiso iqhubekayo yezobupolitika yenkulungwane yama-20 yayilibutho lomkhosi. Yayiliqela lamagosa anobuso obubi-ngokuqhelekileyo abathathu-aye aphakama ukulawula urhulumente. Ijunta iya kuwanyamezela amaziko oluntu avumileyo ukuhlala ethobekile, kodwa ekugqibeleni anyanzelise intando yawo. Kutshanje kumashumi ambalwa eminyaka eyadlulayo, imikhosi yomkhosi yayilawula amazwe abalulekileyo aquka iChile, iArgentina, iTurkey neGrisi.
Kwezi ntsuku inkqubo yejunta iyabuya, kuzo zonke iindawo, eWashington. Amandla okugqibela okubumba umgaqo-nkqubo waseMelika wangaphandle kunye nokhuseleko uwele ezandleni zamadoda amathathu omkhosi: uGeneral James Mattis, unobhala wezokhuselo; UNjengele John Kelly, intloko yabasebenzi bakaMongameli Trump; kunye no-General HR McMaster, umcebisi wezokhuseleko wesizwe. Abafaki iiribhoni zabo ukuze baphonononge imikhosi yasemkhosini okanye bathumele amaqela abulalayo ukuba abulale abachasi, njengoko amalungu e-juntas yakudala enza. Nangona kunjalo ukuvela kwazo kubonisa inqanaba elitsha lokukhukuliseka kwezithethe zethu zopolitiko kunye nomkhosi womgaqo-nkqubo wethu wezangaphandle. Esinye isigqubuthelo siyawa.
Ngenxa yokungabi nalwazi kukamongameli ngemicimbi yehlabathi, ukuvela komkhosi womkhosi eWashington kunokubonakala ngathi kukukhululeka okwamkelekileyo. Emva kwayo yonke loo nto, amalungu ayo amathathu ngabantu abadala abaqolileyo abanamava ehlabathi - ngokungafaniyo noTrump kunye nabanye babasebenzi bezopolitiko abakhohlakeleyo ababemngqongile xa wayengena kwi-White House. Sele benayo impembelelo yokuzinzisa. UMattis uyala ukujoyina ugqatso lokuqhubhisa iNorth Korea, uKelly ubeke umlinganiselo wocwangco kubasebenzi be-White House, kwaye uMcMaster wazikhwebula ekudumiseni kukaTrump abantu abamhlophe emva kobundlobongela eCharlottesville.
Amagosa omkhosi, njengathi sonke, azimveliso zemvelaphi yawo kunye nokusingqongileyo. Amalungu amathathu ejunta kaTrump aneminyaka eyi-119 yenkonzo efanayo phakathi kwawo. Ngokwendalo babona ihlabathi ngokwembono yomkhosi kwaye bacinge ngezisombululo zomkhosi kwiingxaki zabo. Oko kukhokelela kwiseti egqwethekileyo yezinto eziphambili zelizwe, kunye "nezidingo" zomkhosi zihlala zithathwa njengezibaluleke ngakumbi kunezasekhaya.
UTrump ukubeke kwacaca ukuba xa kufuneka enze ukhetho lomgaqo-nkqubo wamazwe angaphandle, uya kubuyela "kubaphathi bam." UMattis, igorha elitsha lejunta, yintloko yangaphambili yeCentral Command, ekhokela iimfazwe zaseMelika kuMbindi Mpuma nakuMbindi Asia. UKelly ukwaligqala lase-Iraq. UMcMaster uyalele amajoni e-Iraq nase-Afghanistan phantse ngaphandle kokuphazamiseka okoko wayekhokele inkampani yetanki kwiMfazwe yeGulf ngo-1991.
Abaphathi-mkhosi baqeqeshelwa ukulwa iimfazwe, kungekhona ukugqiba enoba ukulwa kunengqiqo. Basenokukwazi ukuxelela uTrump ukuba mingaphi na imikhosi efunekayo ukuze sigcine umsebenzi wethu wangoku e-Afghanistan, umzekelo, kodwa abaqeqeshwanga nokuba babuze okanye baphendule umbuzo omkhulu wokuba ingaba le mishini inceda umdla wexesha elide waseMelika. Lowo ngumsebenzi woonozakuzaku ngokufanelekileyo. Ngokungafaniyo namajoni, umsebenzi wawo ikukubulala abantu kunye nokwaphula izinto, oonozakuzaku baqeqeshelwa ukuthethathethana, ukuthomalalisa iingxabano, ukuhlola ngokupholileyo umdla wesizwe kunye noyilo lwemigaqo-nkqubo ukuyiqhubela phambili. Ngaphandle kokuthintelwa kukaMattis eNyakatho Korea, omathathu amalungu e-junta kaTrump akhuthaza indlela yokujongana nezise imfazwe ethatha ixesha elide e-Afghanistan, e-Iraq nangaphaya, ngelixa eqhubela phambili ukungavisisani eYurophu naseMpuma Asia.
Ijunta yethu entsha yahlukile kwezo zakudala ezifana, umzekelo, “iBhunga leSizwe loXolo nocwangco” ngoku elilawula iThailand. Okokuqala, umdla wethu wejunta bubudlelwane bamazwe ngamazwe kuphela, hayi umgaqo-nkqubo wasekhaya. Okwesibini, ayizange ithabathe amandla kubhukuqo-mbuso, kodwa igunya layo lifumana kumongameli onyuliweyo. Okwesithathu nokona kubaluleke kakhulu, eyona njongo iphambili ayikokunyanzelisa umyalelo omtsha kodwa kukunyanzelisa omdala.
Kwinyanga ephelile, Mongameli UTrump wajongana nesigqibo esibalulekileyo malunga ikamva le Imfazwe yaseMelika eAfghanistan. Oku kwakunokuba yinguquko. Kwiminyaka emine eyadlulayo ITump itweet, "Masiphume e-Afghanistan." Ukuba wayeyilandele loo mpembelelo kwaye wabhengeza ukuba uzisa imikhosi yaseMelika ekhaya, i-elite yezopolitiko kunye nemikhosi yaseWashington yayiza kumangaliswa. Kodwa amalungu ejunta aguqukela kwisenzo. Bacenga uTrump ukuba abhengeze ukuba endaweni yokurhoxa, uya kwenza okwahlukileyo: ukwala "ukuphuma ngokukhawuleza" e-Afghanistan, ukonyusa amandla omkhosi, kwaye aqhubeke "ebulala abanqolobi."
Akumangalisi ukuba iTrump itsalwe kumgaqo-nkqubo welizwe langaphandle; kwenzeka okufanayo nakuMongameli Obama kwangethuba kubumongameli bakhe. Okubi kakhulu kukuba uTrump ujike amandla akhe kubaphathi-mkhosi. Okona kubi kakhulu, abantu abaninzi baseMelika bafumana oku kuqinisekisa. Bakruqukile bubuqhophololo kunye nokungaboni ngasonye kodidi lwethu lwezopolitiko kangangokuba babhenela kumajoni njengenye indlela. Sisilingo esiyingozi.
UStephen Kinzer liqabane eliphambili kwiziko iWatson Institute for International kunye neMicimbi yoLuntu kwiYunivesithi yaseBrown.
