America’s Relationship Issues
There are moments we think of the present differently, consider a different perspective on the things that have been present all our lives. I am beginning to see America as a nation with relationship issues. Relationship issues fall into many categories. There’s the person that is too domineering, controlling or unyielding. There’s the one that is so fearful of the worst coming to pass they are needy, smothering and draining. There’s the one who’s insensitive, oblivious to the experiences, feelings and needs of their partner. and the one who simply has a rock solid view of their mate and is unwilling to consider any other possibility.
When I think of America’s relationship with Russia, Haiti and Cuba, I think of these characteristics. While each of these relationships have a long detailed history, there are certain factors influencing public conversation and assessment indicating relationship trouble. Unfortunately, there are 3 entities in America’s relationships; President Biden leading the US Government, a foreign leader and US media.
Let’s take Russia. American news media is in a constant panic measuring, speculating and obsessing about every moment between President Biden and his Russian counterpart who will not be named in the effort to illustrate his actual importance. In the span of a 4 year term, Russia has a larger media value than its actual value to average Americans. The media build up of the yearly face to face summit and G20 meetings involving Russia come off as speculative at best, childish and fanboy-ish at worst.
Russia’s oligarchs are causing havoc (in the name of their leader) via extreme and costly ransomware incidents. It looks as if the President is responding minimally if at all if we trust media reports. Every anchor asks daily, “What will Biden do?” as if the bully is getting the best of the hero. Anyone who understands history over the last 40 years knows today’s Russia is a wild child running around creating havoc in the interest of being recognized and valued as equal. As a world power. We all know, the current nation is living in the spectre of the old USSR, not an advanced nation that asserts it’s will over those it dominates. This child does not have the characteristics or development to be considered equal yet demands it. Autocracies are not equal to Democracies regardless of their imperfections. A nation that is not committed to equal and human rights is not equal to one that errs in the pursuit of embodying them. Yet there is no national leader that has completely intimidated the media the way Russia has. While there are a handful of nations in possession of nuclear weapons, they are not elevated to the media high unnecessarily given to Russia. While the President engages strategically through America’s diplomatic corps, political media continues narrating a standoff that can only be resolved by man-to-man engagement. I must say it has become annoying and belittles the entire Journalism community. It is hard not to believe Russia’s intimidation factor is a direct result of an unfortunate racial bias among journalists working in environments that perpetuate systemic racism. The deeper the attachment, the greater the relationship hype.
America’s relationship with Russia is akin to the partner who is so fascinated with their partner, they create a false narrative resulting in the entities being in a totally different relationship.
Looking at Haiti, it is clear to see the country’s image in the media is reduced to a nation of crime, poverty and corruption. Therefore it has no value to America. You see pictures of Haitian residents wielding machetes and rifles while the media discusses its most recent event; an assasination of the country’s leader.
The discussion only involves the current incident and reports of the island’s residents in chaos and turmoil. Like most Caribbean islands, Haiti is subject to severe natural disasters yet reporting on their effects is scarce. There is no research, information or comments from those benefiting from the wealth generated from its natural resources including Levi Strass, Royal Caribbean, Christian organization World Vision International and Marriott. While we have no media follow up on the impact of numerous natural disasters, American efforts to support the first independent nation of the Western Hemisphere (post-slavery) seem close to nonexistent. America’s relationship to Haiti is one of neglect and passive aggressive contempt as they engage covertly to affect political change.
Those who remember Haitian history remember America’s unsuccessful takeover and the impact on its residents. The media offers no perspective other than one of tragedy, violence and decline, Haiti is the abused, neglected partner in a relationship with a brutal American government and a hostile, prejudiced media.
Cuba, similar to Russia, is an established autocracy governed by leaders with specific demands of the nation and severe consequences for those living outside of them. For at least the last 70 years, Cubans have fled their country for the freedom and opportunity of America. The media perspective on Cuba is a solid disapproving, rejecting bias based on America’s narrative. There have been few diplomatic conversations after the poisonous relationship of the 45th President’s administration and the incidents causing harm to the Diplomatic corps. The 44th President’s character was smeared after he made small attempts to open relations for Cuban-American families engaging with their loved ones at home because Americans wanted the country isolated. Like Cuba and Russia, the unemployment rate is painfully high yet Cuban leaders rejected conditional support from America long ago so they continue to go their own way.
America’s relationship with Cuba is so strained, there seems little motivation to repair it. Just as when one party stands on a “my way or the highway” position and the other assesses their moralizing as hypocrisy there is no uniting or forward movement. Sadly the media position unlike Russia is complete silence or a replay of old prejudices,
In conclusion, America’s imperfection manifests in its proud leadership style. Unfortunately, like the partner who cannot accept constructive feedback, it does not work for countries whose pride is centered in their independence at all costs.
