Top 10 Insanities of 2010 World Politics

Looking for an appropriate close to 2010, I played this mental game: what word comes to my mind when I think about global politics in this year? And the answer came back- insanity. Repeatedly our so-called global leaders kept on making unbelievably stupid mistakes that a slightly below-average eighth-grader would laugh over. Some were circumstantial, some can be blamed on alcohol and volcanoes (See #3. McChrystal’s Folly) but some were so deliberately stupid that we would only be able to explain them to our grandchildren with a shrug and we-were-high defense.

So here are your Top 10 Insanities of 2010 World Politics: Click here or scroll down.

#1 The American Politics

Whatever anyone may say, the United States still rules the world (at least temporarily) and what goes on in America influences the entire globe. Therefore, it is exceptionally scary when the US domestic politics goes bat-shit insane creating the possibility of another George W Bush or worse. 

This year, almost all that could go wrong with the US went wrong, most of it not because of Murphy’s Law but because of American political tendency to find an axe and kick its sharp end. During the year population of US citizens who think Obama is a Muslim actually increased to 20%! Despite having a supermajority and commitment, the President failed to achieve anything even as simple as shutting down Guantanamo Bay Prison. 

A better part of the year was spent on debating whether or not to provide free healthcare to people. In a country where costs of simple medical procedures like getting shots is more expensive than buying a television (note: if you are an American, please appreciate that rest of the world finds this situation absurd) half of the country came together to oppose free healthcare. Later in the year hottest political issue became whether a community center can be legally built two blocks away from 9/11 site. 

A significant part of 2010 midterm elections was spent on debating whether an obscure candidate was a witch. Entire legislative system was brought to a halt for over a month to make sure that the richest 1% of Americans received tax cuts. Meanwhile critical issue like US$ 300 billion dollar hole in American pocket as the cost of Afghanistan War or appropriate strategy to deal with China were not mentioned at all. 

I mean, I am game with a little political stupidity. Politics is hardly ever rational. But witchcraft, conspiracy theories and fraudulent birth certificates are way too much. How is it acceptable for a country to put out election campaign ads that promise to “punch the president of the country in the balls”!

With that punchy note, I will wrap up the list. With any luck, 2011 will be saner, although I have little hope.

(Click here for the complete list)

Do we know anything about the two future bosses of the world?

So, the Chinese politburo has chosen its next leader. And we know nothing about him. Xi Jinping at 57 has been announced (in characteristically sneaky way) as the leader of China to succeed Hu Jintao in 2012. This man is going to be the emperor of China, and the way China is going, one of the two most powerful people in the world, along with the American President. Immediately after the announcement Time Magazine, The Economist, Foreign Policy and all the other major new organizations in the world quickly published his profile. And they all had the same thing to say - we know nothing about this guy. 

All we know about this enigmatic personality is that he oversaw the Olympics preparation in Beijing, at one time used to run Shanghai, has married a very popular Chinese singer and is son of a communist who was denounced during the Chinese Cultural Revolution of 1966. That's it. That's all we know about the man who in two years time might be in charge of the biggest economic and military powerhouse in the world! Lovely.

On the other hand, we may not know anything about the Yin to this Yang as well - the American President of 2012. From what is now becoming apparent, Obama is not going to survive till the next term. And the Democrats don't seem to have anyone better. So most likely the Republicans are coming back into White House in the 2012 Presidential Elections. According to the current polls, two favorites of Republicans are Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney. I feel that Romney is a little faint-hearted, always worrying about what if he loses. Therefore, it is likely that he might drop out of the election race if he feels that he can not win even before the campaigning. Palin on the other hand, is gonna run and gonna run big. Moreover, the new Tea Party movement has garnered her a lot of support and she might actually end up running the United States.

Now with Sarah Palin the problem is not what we know about her - we know way too much with her family popping up on TV all the time - but what she knows about herself. She is a blank slate. So what she will do once she is the President is anyone's guess including her own. 

This is the scary situation. We do not know anything about the two most powerful people our world may have in 2012. May be the Mayans were right.

Images: Xi Jinping, Sarah Palin

Image Credit: Time Magazine, Shank bone