Where are we going, and why are we in this handbasket? (Part I of ?)

Current events around the world have started to concern me, and I felt that the time has come for me to address them.

Turkey has approved military action in Iraq. This military action would be directed towards the Kurds of northern Iraq, who they claim have been aiding Kurdish rebels in Turkey. The Kurds, who are heavily persecuted in Turkey, are seeking to break away and form their own country, a veritable Kurdistan if you will. While Turkey has made no significant motions against the U.S. occupation in Iraq, these recent actions come in the wake of a House bill that states that the United States officially recognizes the brutal slaughter of 1.2 million Armenians under the then Ottoman Empire in 1917-1920 as a genocide.

Though recent news from The Hill seems to indicate that Democrats who supported the bill, proposed by House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D), are backing away, sighting the negative impact that such a bill would have on U.S.-Turkey relations. This move makes sense, considering it is already fairly obvious that it was a genocide and that it is a waste of time for our representatives to declare the obvious. Not to mention, it is also a diplomatic faux pas to bring up an issue that is nearly a century old, especially one that would hit a sensitive nerve for any country with that kind of dirty laundry to deal with.

Russia has made warnings in recent days that it would be a mistake for the United States to take military action against Iran and supporting that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. This comes in the wake of a series of events that has lead to Russian President Vladimir Putin expressing an interest to run for Prime Minister in the upcoming elections, thus keeping his foot in the door of Russian politics. Russia is also accused of flying long range bombers near the shores of the United States, and in fact incurring on airspace over Alaska during the summer. In the past year or so, journalists have been "silenced" for openly opposing Putin's government, and these actions in and of itself are seen as "the death of democracy" in Russia.

Further straining relations with China, President Bush met with the Dalai Lama, despite warnings from China. While this meeting is definitely a positive action, for both the Dalai Lama's fight for religious freedom and the public image of the United States, tensions between the U.S. and China are already strained. While it is not in the interests for either China or the U.S. to react violently to any event, recent strains on those "interests" between the U.S. and China increase that likelihood. These strains that I'm talking about are on the economic ties between the two countries, and while no one is perhaps ready to abandon low cost products from China, it doesn't help that more and more evidence seems to indicate that those products might be dangerous; examples being lead paint in toys and Boy Scout patches, tainted food, and other product recalls.

My final observation about this series of negative events it that President Bush, in a statement made last Wednesday, had this to say about Iran:

"So I've told people that, if you're interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon."

I might be young and naive, but if you're a world leader, you really shouldn't make a reference to World War Three in any speech, especially one made during a time when rash political decisions and statements are being made simultaneously. I'm not saying that what Bush said is wrong (he's actually right?), but it is fueling a fire during a time that needs a fire fighter.

A full copy of the transcript from his Wednesday press conference can be found here and it also addresses some of the other issues I've brought up here today. It's a little lengthy, but as a personal opinion, I find it easier to form my own opinions on what the President says by reading it, however little sense it might make. ; )