A Corrupt American Atmosphere

When some world leaders cease making history, they go into either its light or dark archives. Each is judged by what he brought to his people or humanity. If he brought good, peaceful and civilized things, he goes into the light archives. If he brought evil, war and aggression, he goes into the dark ones. In either case, he sticks in people’s minds. From time to time, he returns to life in collective memory and in history books for later generations to learn from or emulate.

Putting one into this category and another into that category, I wonder which direction many leaders will go when they stop making history, but — with complete seriousness — I do not know how Ban Ki-moon will leave the world stage, nor in which archives he will rest. I see him neither here nor there but in a totally different place which, for the sake of politeness, I shall refrain from mentioning — at least for the time being. Perhaps this is because this leader, as I see him, has not and will not make history to begin with and therefore cannot stop making it?

Someone tell me that Ban Ki-moon behaved like a real man in one situation — whatever it was — whether he was in the right or wrong. Someone mention a position this being expressed or announced on some issue — any issue — before the spokesman of the U.S. Department of State expressed it or announced the U.S. position on the issue. No, someone tell us about a position or announcement in which Ban Ki-moon did not go a lot further than where the U.S. had gone itself.

Yesterday, even though U.S. politicians announced that, so far, they are unconvinced by the evidence U.S. intelligence services have fabricated and leaked about chemical weapons in Syria, Ban Ki-moon did not hesitate to bestow gravity and veracity on the matter, preceding the Americans by far. Similarly, even though Syria was the one that requested an international investigation into the matter, Ban Ki-moon portrayed the scene — through his hypocrisy-loaded appeal to Damascus to allow the investigation team to enter Syria — as though Syria is refusing [the investigation], while the investigators are begging on its doorstep!

Because of this and many other things, Ban Ki-moon will not make history and will not be in a position to stop making it. He will remain a single part of a corrupt American atmosphere that will soon dissipate as though it never even existed.