Deja Vu

Regarding "U.S. will give up role on Internet domain names" (Saturday Nation) this is not the first time the U.S. has been confronted with the prospect of surrendering control of something of great use to civilization.  Those over 50 will recall that in 1977 Jimmy Carter negotiated for the surrender of the Panama Canal, even though it was built by the U.S. in 1914 and had been operated successfully and fairly by us for over 60 years.  Twenty three years later, Communist China took control.  Since then, China's influence in the Central and South America has increased exponentially, and almost exclusively at the expense of the United States.  For but one example, last year, a bill was introduced in the Panamanian legislature mandating instruction in Mandarin Chinese. 

 

There are many similarities between 1977 and today.  Like President Carter, President Obama's foreign policy has been relentlessly conciliatory: Both advocated for and pursued a greatly diminished US military; Both made numerous unilateral concessions to Russia and to Islamists.  The consequences of those policies were the same, resulting in expansionist regimes in Russia and the Middle East, and the outbreak of war.  Not coincidentally, the policies of both presidents also resulted in the increasing isolation of two of the most successful democracies on the planet: Taiwan and Israel.

 

As with the Panama Canal, the consequence of surrendering the Internet to foreigners will not be felt immediately, but it will almost certainly benefit countries and forces hostile to democracy and freedom, all brought about by the feckless foreign policies of presidents committed to appeasement.

 

Pete Smith

Cypress, TX