George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 199

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The key question is: ‘Is it controllable? Or is it uncontrollable?’ No matter how dangerous a situation is, it’s manageable as long as it remains controllable. The truly frightening thing is when a situation spirals out of control or is inherently impossible to manage from the outset.

So, paradoxically, if you proactively create a ‘major problem,’ one so significant that it overshadows all other potential issues, you can regain control and reshape the narrative.

However, President Bush, after seemingly withdrawing from the Middle East following some minor engagements, issued a discreet but firm warning to Britain, Germany, and France. Britain was a close ally, essentially sharing a common destiny with the US. Germany wielded considerable influence within the EU. And France already had troops deployed across the Middle East, operating with considerable autonomy.

He faced criticism from other EU member states for allegedly sowing discord within the unified EU forces. However, when he insisted that the suppression of terrorists couldn’t be hindered or delayed by petty political concerns, the objections and criticisms subsided, becoming a mere fleeting controversy during the meeting.

Even if that weren’t the case, France was furious. They declared their intention to withdraw from the EU if their objectives weren’t met. This wasn’t just the official stance of the French government but also reflected the will of the French people. What is the purpose of a democratic government? Isn’t it to uphold and execute the will of the people?

The French government willingly chose to fulfill that purpose. Certainly not because they feared the French tradition of ‘overthrowing the government and establishing a new one if they are dissatisfied’! It was simply to perform the natural function of a democratic government.

“Triggering a problem that will explode later to bring it under control… It’s theoretically sound, but is this guy sane?”

French President Jacques Chirac muttered, looking utterly exasperated. Since the EU forces had been deployed, the Kurdish situation had been relatively stable. The Kurds, a fiercely independent people known for their willingness to arm even women for their cause, had become unusually subdued under EU control in the Middle East.

It wasn’t that they had abandoned their fight for independence, but rather that they were engaged in negotiations with the EU forces. The EU forces were planning to establish a compliant independent state gradually, thereby maintaining long-term control over the Middle East.

Divide and conquer. It was the very essence of colonial strategy, honed to perfection since the 18th century. This time, however, they couldn’t be so overt, so they opted for a slightly different approach. Some sarcastically dubbed this tactic:

‘Advanced Colonialization.’ In fact, this was essentially what the United States was doing. In the US’s case, it was a unique situation where more money was being spent than gained, akin to an extension of the Cold War. But the EU aimed for complete control of the Middle East, envisioning its complete fragmentation.

If the various ethnic groups desired independence, they would grant it to them all. Unlike in the past, propaganda was more sophisticated, and there was a reputable organization called the UN, allowing them to exert power legally and with a humanitarian facade. It was a method that would appeal to almost everyone.

Even if the outcome weakened the Middle East, the newly independent countries would celebrate their independence days and be quite content. Of course, they weren’t naive; they would eventually consolidate their strength and try to shake off European influence in about 50 years. But escaping the EU’s grasp was a distant prospect. This holds true even if the EU were to dissolve.

That should never happen, and it must not happen, but the fact remains. So, the content written in the diplomatic document sent by Bush was as follows:

“Is he suggesting we proceed with independence peacefully, even if it means some losses? I can’t say it’s impossible. But…”

He felt an unsettling sensation, as if he were being manipulated. Of course, he understood. There was nothing more to hide. Perhaps, ‘He doesn’t want to clash with the EU, but he doesn’t want to leave it alone, so he entrusted it.’ Perhaps this was the truth.

‘But I don’t like it.’

There are two major advantages to Kurdish independence. First, resolving the long-standing independence issue would build trust with other ethnic groups. Increased trust would dramatically improve security. Even if you were shot on the street, you wouldn’t have to worry about a surface-to-surface missile blowing up your building in the middle of the night.

Second, overall stability would eradicate the refugee problem. In fact, most EU member states prioritized the latter over the former. Unable to effectively manage the refugees, they ultimately leaned towards restoring stability in the Middle East – a region they had been diligently destabilizing for centuries – to encourage refugees to return home or to revoke their refugee status altogether.

Of course, there are also disadvantages. First, there are a vast number of Kurds seeking independence, numbering in the tens of millions. And if they achieve independence, the territory they would claim is substantial. Moreover, would all Kurds be united? Despite sharing the same ethnicity, they have been separated for too long. They would likely fracture along internal divisions.

It would be preferable if these divisions manifested as ‘parties’ with distinct political orientations in each region, but that seemed unlikely. They favored guns over pens and preferred action to words. I’m not resorting to outdated eugenics by suggesting some ethnic groups lack patience or are inherently warlike.

I’m simply observing that their current ‘lifestyle and way of acting’ is such that it’s unrealistic to expect them to suddenly become peaceful and engage solely in political discourse once they have their own country. Time is the only solution to dilute this ingrained behavior.

Besides, Iran and Turkey also posed problems. Iraq and Syria were manageable, but Iran and Turkey were truly intractable. While the EU forces controlled much of the Middle East, these two countries remained outside their influence.

Turkey was being courted with various incentives, including the enticing prospect of EU membership, but Iran remained steadfast in its refusal, causing considerable frustration.

Some hawkish individuals were even suggesting seizing territory from Iran to give to the Kurds, even if it meant war, but this was largely to gain popularity with unconventional proposals or to showcase their political leanings. Few genuinely supported military action.

‘It’s definitely a problem if things become uncontrollable while hesitating.’

If Britain initiates discussions and supports Kurdish independence at the upcoming meeting, the momentum for independence will likely become an unstoppable force, a runaway train. The key is ‘control.’ An uncontrolled wave of independence would simply lead to the rise of warlords and further conflict.

‘The moment the Kurds become unbearable and erupt, the EU forces, having lost their justification, will have to withdraw. But if we leave it as it is, the Middle East will surely turn into hell. We’ll only see oil fields burning forever, let alone oil.’

It was a kind of dilemma. Either way, it was a painful choice to avoid ‘losses’ rather than ‘profits.’

“To transfer the responsibility arising from his own ideas so easily, what a damn bastard.”

Jacques Chirac spat out a harsh curse. It was very rare for him to utter curses directly. Especially while he was on duty.

“Contact the British side.”

Jacques Chirac, unable to contain his anger, crumpled the document and threw it at the wall. The paper bounced off the wall, hit the globe, and fell helplessly to the floor. The expensive globe turned silently even with a small force and stopped in East Asia.

In Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, South Korea, there is a building with a blue roof [Cheong Wa Dae, the former presidential residence]. Inside that building, elders who were quite old fought over differences of opinion almost every day. Depending on the case, blood and flesh flew, and cars burned in front of the building. It was a place where you could see all sorts of dirty sights.

The name of that building is Cheong Wa Dae. Originally, it wasn’t a place where parliamentary violence occurred so often, but as unification with North Korea came closer to reality from a vague fantasy, it was becoming more divided than ever before.

It was happening so often that the media was openly using the term ‘National K-1’ [referring to the K-1 martial arts competition] instead of ‘National Assemblyman.’ There were even people who didn’t do the field studies they were supposed to do and came to practice martial arts in earnest.

In the past, parliamentary brawls were about grabbing each other and throwing them on the floor, but now fists and kicks were flying. Even if they wanted to sue each other, there wasn’t a single lawmaker who hadn’t thrown a punch at some point, so if one person was caught, they would all have to hold hands and go to jail together following the silver bracelets [a euphemism for handcuffs].

The cause of this started in North Korea, which had been completely messed up for about 50 years. As infrastructure began to be built in earnest, the quality of life was rapidly improving, but the way of thinking of the North Korean people had to be fundamentally changed.

The brainwashing that had been steadily injected for 50 years and the slave mentality that the Communist Party had instilled since birth were quite far from the human rights that people were discussing in the 21st century. In fact, politically speaking, it didn’t really matter. Politicians innately want obedient people and want all plans to go smoothly within the order they have established. That’s a politician. Whether they have good intentions or bad intentions, this is basic.

Everything cannot work without the cooperation of the people. Anyway, unlike other countries, South Korea was a country where you could overthrow the president if things went wrong.

Back to the North Korean people. Politicians didn’t want to make an issue of the North Korean people’s tendencies, but there was a huge eye watching this. The first was the president. The previous president had become a legend in some ways, and the current president had that much pressure.

But the political strategy that the current president chose was ‘the human rights of the common people.’ The unification of North Korea, which had been almost invincible, was now losing its effect, so he was trying to win the hearts of the common people. And the president’s own conscientious and common-sense tendencies also played a big role.

What is conscience? It’s just being outraged by unjust things. And the second was the existence of the United States. In fact, the congressmen had a bigger reason to watch the United States from behind than the president. There was a lot of talk about this within South Korea, but anyway, not only Korean capital but also American capital had come into North Korea. If this part was handled incorrectly, it could become an international disgrace in the future.

If it were another country other than South Korea, they could ignore foreign news, but the geopolitical specificity caught them by the ankle. Below is Japan, next to it is China, and above it is Russia. If South Korea had been attached to Europe, it could have become a gangster country beyond Germany and France, but in East Asia, it was just a small but spicy powerful country.

South Korea’s economy itself is mostly dependent on trade, so it was a country that was inherently sensitive to foreign news. These days, there is damage to exports and imports due to Super SARS, but thanks to the existence of North Korea, which has high investment value, it is still healthy.

Therefore, the government, as well as the private sector, thought that they were far from the conflicts and struggles that were taking place in the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

Until now.