Information Related to "What Lies Ahead for U.S. Leadership?"
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What Lies ahead for
U.S. Leadership?
The next four years could bring thorny problems
for America's leadership role in the world. The next president will face the consequences
of missed opportunities in the 1990's.
by Darris Mc Neely
Every
farmer understands the importance of seed corn. It is the best of the seed, cultivated
to provide future crops. The quality of seed corn determines the quality-or lack
thereof-of future harvests. Without good seed, prepared in advance, succeeding harvests
will yield diminished crops.
This agricultural concept can help us understand where America stands in international
relations. As Americans move into a new century and the reins of power transfer from
one political party to the other, this is an apt time to assess the previous decade
and consider the events of the next few years. What happened in recent years
to America's seed corn, so to speak?
A decade squandered?
Ten years ago the United States led a coalition of military forces from many nations
in an air and land attack to liberate Kuwait from Saddam Hussein's Iraqi forces.
Although they were successful in this goal, the allied forces stopped short of ousting
the Iraqi leader from his position. Saddam Hussein still sits in power in Baghdad,
with a firm grip that still threatens the stability of the region.
