Standing Athwart History
Since its launch in March 2005, City Club has strived to create a safe place for discussion and dialog. Like blind men touching an elephant, we each have our angle on truth but need each other, especially those with differing opinions, to better grasp reality.
The best strategy to create a Securus Locus, or a safe place, is by sharing our vulnerabilities, mistakes, and lessons learned from such experiences. Since I often wax philosophical on topics I am more curious than knowledgeable about, I’ll start by sharing that I made a wrong call last year on the state of the American economy. Given the backdrop of the pandemic, high interest and inflation rates, and the war in Ukraine, I had projected the market could drop by 15%. Instead, the market rose by 24%!
Now, at the risk of being labeled a Stoic, here is my take on the coming year, as I invite differing and opposing opinions so we can gauge better what might lie ahead.
On the positive side, as we are 250 years into it, the American experiment is alive and well, though a bit tired and in need of some renewal. The American dollar is still the world’s reserve currency; English is the universal language; our military is the largest and most technologically advanced; and our culture and technology remain the world's most creative and innovative. People are dying to become Americans.
On the negative side, our country is politically divided, our national debt is off the charts, a widening gap exists between the rich and the poor, and the upcoming presidential election is not encouraging. At the global level, America and her “allies,” especially Europe and Israel, are at war with China, Russia, and Iran. We have been fighting this war on many fronts, including trade, currency, space, technology, and energy. Now, we are finally transitioning from a cold war to a shooting war, using proxies in Ukraine and Israel, with Taiwan to follow.
The October 7 attack on Israel is another spark in a pending global war between America and Iran. One of these days, a Houthi missile will sink a ship in the Red Sea, or an Islamic Jihad missile will hit a Marine barrack, engaging us in a war with Russia on a second front.
While a lone wolf may not be able to take down a bear, a pack of wolves certainly can.
When America weakens internally, she gets challenged externally. Think Pearl Harbor. Think 9/11. Israel was on the brink of civil war when she was hit on October 7th. America’s sense of exceptionalism, built on optimism, is not predisposed to the notion of evil. Thus, we have become fat and lazy, so it will take a hit with a 2x4 right between the eyes to wake us up and reprioritize what is important. The time-honored lessons of the Hebrew Bible and the American Constitution are the best tools to fight the never-ending battle between good and evil as we stand athwart history.
— Sina.