An International Rush toward Social Change

It started with the Arab Spring.  Suddenly, Islam was in re-insurgence.  Clearly, the Western powers had no inkling this would happen.  They, in response, have attempted to gain hold of the phenomenon, to control it as best they can.  In Libya, they supplied weaponry to the rebels to overthrow the dictatorship that was in existence.  In Syria, they're trying once again to control events.  Finally, their hopes lie with the Russian Federation  (of all the nations in the world to count on!) to provide them with a way into the fast-moving world of the Middle-East, spear-headed by Saudi Arabia, and other very wealthy nations in the area; and the struggling Iran, with its oil-rich reserves and regional influence.

The presence of the US navy in Africa (Parenthetically, I understand the navy has been given the especial task of assisting African countries.) is a major thrust to bring about social change.  In Somalia, the influence of alQaeda has been weakened by the navy seals' strikes.  Just as important, the NGOs have brought about remarkable curtailment in the spread of AIDs, a disease long plagued South Africa.  Then too, far off Indonesia is exhibiting Islamic leadership internationally.  And, rebellion is seemingly lessening on the African continent, as witnessed by the containment of violence in Nigeria to its northeastern region.

But the clear winner in the Arab Spring movement is Egypt, led by its military junta. 

The thought has arisen among intellectuals in the West that the European nations and the US may be in a decline.  This impression is bolstered by the refusal of England to offer anything but aid to the displaced Syrians in surrounding countries, declining to assert leadership posture; and in the United States an indecision to support the rebel moderates on the Syrian battlefields against the loyal Assad forces.

What is a driving force in the US to near neutrality in the Syrian conflict is its middle class, weary of war and of being trodden upon by the rising tide of penniless workers around the world who are vying for jobs and the quest for a good life.  Even the unions are motivated to reach out boldly in renewed ways to the working class in its never-ending struggle with wealthy entrepreneurs.

As noted by Fared Zakaria in his show of October 13 on FOX news, China is joining the frantic rush.  It's not only seeking to win favor on the African continent by offering aid to native countries to develop their infrastructure and improve their trade posture on the world scene, but (though not brought out in Zakaria's piece) it is colonizing throughout that continent, much like Japan has done in South America.  Because of its huge population surplus at home, it is nurturing the emergence of their own cultural meccas on foreign soils. 

So, what's the rush propelling social change at this time?  It's the growing masses of youths coming on the scene--without jobs, without comfortable living quarters--with only a demand they make along with the poor and neglected whatever their age--that those who have should see them, not as interlopers on the social scene, but simply as members of the human race no different from those who have.  So that in the end, they, the next generation, will become property owners, too; and they will live the good life, too (even as presented on the TV!).  That vision of a tangible good life currently inspires and carries these youth forth toward property ownership and toward an equal prosperity. That vision will be passed on to future generations, based on the fundamental fact of earthly existence: we are altogether a race of homo sapiens!
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