By Shoshana Bryen
WASHINGTON, D.C.– Last year at Thanksgiving, we noted that November 2008 was a moment of “tremendous upheaval, economic dislocation and a truly historic presidential election. As a country, we are exhausted and jittery, and nothing makes us think the way ahead will be any easier or calmer.”
We were right. On the security front, very little makes us feel better–the old threats remain, plus an increase in Iranian intervention in South America. The trend in Turkey is not good and the UN has proved–if it was still necessary –that there is no new depth to which it cannot find a way to sink. At home, the economy has stabilized somewhat, but American politics are still exhausting.
On the other hand, this Thanksgiving we are thankful that there is always another hand.
Honduras has proved that a government that believes in its own laws and its own constitution could withstand the pressure of its neighbors, including the colossus to the north. What began as a thwarted attempt by Manuel Zelaya to illegally pave the way to run for a second term as president should end Sunday with the previously nominated candidates for election, and with American and OAS approval. We are thankful for brave
democrats even, and especially, in small countries.
Iraq is moving-two steps forward and one back-toward its second open, multi-party national election. That makes two more than most Arab countries have had. We are thankful for brave nationalists even, and especially, in shaky new governments.
The Israel Test by George Gilder, and Start-up Nation by Dan Senor and Saul Singer are powerful antidotes to the negativism that sometimes pervades our thinking, and a powerful reminder of the economic, political and social miracle that is Israel. We bought both books and are thankful for authors who are looking at the same country we’re looking at, but turn the prism and see it from an entirely different angle-and write about it with grace and wit.
We are thankful, too, for the continuing closeness between the United States Armed Forces and the IDF. The Juniper Cobra joint exercise that finished a week ago was a model of high-level military cooperation, high-powered technology and shared attitudes among one very large democratic force and one rather small one–proving that size doesn’t matter where it doesn’t matter.
And we are most assuredly thankful for America and for Americans.
We are thankful for the blessings of our great country, our freedoms, our families, our friends, and our lives. We are grateful to servicemen and women, police officers, fire fighters, airport security screeners, border guards, FBI and CIA agents, the administration and members of Congress of both parties who believe and speak and vote with the understanding that our nation is still at war. We are grateful for heroes by choice and heroes by chance. We believe it is the combination of all these people working under difficult and often-dangerous circumstances–not a lack of trying on the part of the bad guys–that has have kept us safe for another year. We are grateful to the parents for raising the children who grew into the adults who serve America in so many ways at home and abroad, and grateful to their families for sharing them.
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Bryen is special projects director for the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs. (JINSA). Her column is sponsored by Waxie Sanitary Supply in memory of Morris Wax, longtime JINSA supporter and national board member