My Likes and Dislikes of 2011

It’s that time again - 2011 is almost history and 2012 is peeking around the corner. And, the urge to make predictions rises like a melody that won’t leave your head.

But, this year, which has been so convulsive and erratic, I think I’d like to do something else - give my Likes and Dislikes for 2011. You don’t have to agree with my list, you can make your own.

Dislikes

1.   President Obama pulling all US troops out of Iraq with no real negotiation or plan for the future when, not if, things turn negative, because Iraq is an unstable and dangerous land where religious and ethnic differences are not yet under control and it is certain that American troops will have to step back in, not in a war mode but as peace establishers and then as peacekeepers.

2.   German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s determination to make the rest of Europe suffer for its lack of German-style government management, causing most of non-German Europeans to dislike her and distrust her solutions and wish that the Euro currency would disappear and German leadership with it.

3.   Russian prime minister Putin’s desire, perhaps aided by that of Russian president Medvedev, to play the Russian Bear card by supporting Qadhaffi in Libya and Bashar al-Assad in Syria, proving once more that Russia may be a big power, but not great, because she cannot find it in her soul to support humanity, instead of sewing dissent among nations, at times when it would actually make a big difference in many people’s and country’s lives.

4.   Sepp Blatter’s continued tenure at the head of the Federation International of Football Associations, because he is outdated, too old, probably tainted by corruption and certainly not the man for the job if eradicating football racism counts for anything.

5.   The end of the space shuttle program, decided by President Bush and agreed to by President Obama, because it is an important visible symbol of America’s technical leadership and its demise reflects badly on America’s vision of her own future and lets other less altruistic nations take the lead in a program that worldwide TV beams to the masses of humanity every week, now showing Americans paying to hitch rides on Russian shuttles.

Likes

1.   David Cameron standing up to the Euro-team of Merkel and Sarkozy, because he is the only world statesman who has the vision that their financial salvage program is wrong and also the courage to say so and 2012 will prove him to have been right.  

2.   Sarah Palin’s good sense in deciding not to be a presidential candidate, because she understood that she could not be elected and would have been a distraction and negative force as a candidate - now if a few other Republicans would show that same good judgment, the White House will be in GOP hands in 2012.

3.   David Beckham’s and Thierry Henry’s decisions, as aging super stars of football, to continue to play, bridging the Atlantic to play in both America and Europe and thus bringing the two continent’s football closer together while showing that super stars may age, but their talents and positive effect of their teams and younger players, their countries and football in general cannot be over-estimated.

4.   Japan’s determination to overcome the terrible earthquake and tsunami, because it is a lesson in national solidarity and commitment to the future of a people.

5.   Israel’s decision to continue to stand up for its rights as a nation, despite terribly mixed support signals from President Obama, because without a strong and resilient Israel, the Middle East would disintegrate into warring religious and tribal factions, some of whom have or will have nuclear weapons.